Talking to GOATs with Jim Gray
The biggest names in sports share who they feel are the most iconic players.
Bill Belichick’s 2020 New England Patriots have looked very different than any other team he has coached in the last decade or more.
The Patriots sit at 3-5 after Monday night’s victory over the New York Jets but as the team sits in third place in the AFC East, critics have started to chirp over the football coach’s draft decisions. Belichick was asked about it and defended his draft record in a tense media availability on Friday.
TOM BRADY LOST DOCK, 2 JET SKIS AS ETA BATTERED FLORIDA
“I’d say the most important thing to me is winning games. I’m not going to apologize for our record over the last 20 years. I mean, I’ve seen a lot worse. So, ultimately we try to put the best team on the field that we can to be competitive, and I don’t really see that changing. So, whoever those players are or aren’t, that’s the responsibility I feel to the team is the competition plays itself out and the better players play, whoever they are,” Belichick said.
When pressed about the players he’s drafted since 2014, Belichick gave an old line.
“… My focus has been on the Ravens, not on right now of a drafting scorecard, which I understand you want to write about that, which is great, but I’m really trying to focus on getting ready for the Ravens. So, I think I’ll leave my attention on that,” he said.
NFL WEEK 10 PREVIEW: IT'S MAKE-OR-BREAK FOR TEAMS IN PLAYOFF CONTENTION
It’s a fair question to ask.
The Patriots could have been preparing for the future when Tom Brady was either going to retire from the NFL or leave. The team could have gotten better weapons around him even while winning Super Bowls and picking lower in each round.
Since 2014, the Patriots have used their first pick in the drafts on defensive players: Dominque Easley in 2014, Malcom Brown in 2014, Cyrus Jones in 2016, Derek Rivers in 2017 and Kyle Dugger in 2020.
The Patriots drafted James White (2014), Jeremy Gallon (2014), A.J. Derby (2015), Malcolm Mitchell (2016), Devin Lucien (2016), Braxton Berrios (2018), N’Keal Harry (2019), Damien Harris (2019), Devin Asiasi (2020) and Dalton Keene (2020).
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Gallon, Derby, Mitchel and Berrios are not on the team anymore. Out of the three quarterback selections – Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett and Jarrett Stidham — only Stidham is still with the club and failed to beat out Cam Newton for the starting role.
New England missed out on guys like Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, Calvin Ridley and Courtland Sutton, just to name a few.
While the draft scrutiny is there, Belichick has done more with less. He’s won three Super Bowls in that span and six AFC East titles.
Source: Read Full Article