The Crowd Bows Down to Belichick

Is it just me or do other people think it is funny how much deference NFL draft analysts now give New England Coach Bill Belichick and Personnel Director Scott Pioli? On Saturday, you could look far and wide, but almost no print or broadcast analysts were willing to criticize the Patriots brain trust for selecting Fresno State tackle Logan Mankins at the end of the first round, even though Mankins was considered by many to be a prospective third rounder. Other teams would have been vilified for selecting Mankins, especially by NFL draft guru Mel Kiper who usually takes teams to task for reaching in the first two rounds. But Kiper was silent early Saturday evening when Mankins name was called, and the thought here is Kiper, along with other draft analysts, is leery of challenging anything that Belichick and Pioli touch. My sense is Pioli and Bells have nailed so many home runs in the past that analysts no longer have the confidence or the balls necessary to challenge their primary picks. After all, these are the guys who found Brady in the sixth round, starting center Dan Koppen in the fifth round and starting receiver David Givens in the seventh round. With that kind of track record, who is to say that Mankins won’t be playing in Hawaii within a couple years?

These thoughts must have been racing through Kiper’s head as he tripped over the English language explaining how Mankins was a safe and defensible pick. After searching the literature, the only mainstream guy I have seen criticize the pick is Kevin Mannix of the Boston Herald who noted that Mankins could have probably been nabbed a round later. Mannix may be right, but I am going to side with the crowd and cut Belichick some deserved slack here. I think Coach B looks at the draft a little different then others do. He clearly is looking for people who can fit into his system and perhaps Mankins was just a perfect fit. There were a slew of talented people still on the board when the Pats picked, like corner Justin Miller from Clemson and Florida linebacker Channing Crowder, but both of these kids had rap sheets and that just doesn’t cut it with Belichick. As for Mankins, he had a strong endorsement from Fresno State coach Pat Hill and that probably goes a long way with Belichick since the two used to coach together. I will be the first to admit I too was a bit surprised by the pick even though the Pats needed an interior lineman. But that is not to say I am disappointed. Given the Pats recent history, Mankins will most likely turn out to be a very good player. But just as importantly, I have every confidence that somebody picked in the later rounds will also turn out to be a stud. I have given up trying to second guess Belichick. That is what happens when a guy wins three Super Bowls in four years. It buys him some deference, even from this lifelong cynic.

Here are a couple of other thoughts on the Pats and their 2005 draft. First off, this may be a bit of a stretch, but I am a bit more confident today that Teddy Bruschi will be back on the field this year. I say this because the Pats hardly lifted a finger to select an inside backer to help fill what could be a gaping hole in the middle this fall. Sure, inside linebacker Ryan Claridge was selected out of Vegas in the fifth round, but that is not exactly the kind of commitment I would have expected if the front office was convinced Teddy is through playing. The counter to this argument is Belichick never sees anything he likes at linebacker and that is why none were selected until Claridge was picked. That may be so and it is also possible that Belichick will address this need with a veteran free agent signing (Chad Brown?), but if I had to guess, I would say it is no longer a slam dunk that Bruschi sits out. I still don’t think the odds that number 54 will play this year are great, but they are incrementally improving, at least in my mind.

This is something I have come to expect, but there is a common thread that runs through all of the Patriots top five selections. If you scan the bios published by Scout Inc. each pick is described in the same general terms. All are considered hard working, all are considered versatile and intelligent, all have a mean streak and most are considered to be very physical. It has become cliché to say it, but it is clear that Belichick and Pioli consider these characteristics to be every bit as important as speed and agility. Another thing I find interesting is two players this year were selected from Fresno State, which as I mentioned before, is coached by Belichick’s old buddy Pat Hill. Bill used to select a ton of guys out of LSU when his friend Nick Saban was coaching down there and this year, he moved west and invaded another friend’s stable. It is clear to me that Belichick has an inner circle that he trusts very much, especially in the area of talent evaluation, and it is also clear to me that if a player gets an endorsement from someone in this circle, he stands a good chance of ending up in New England. It should also be noted that no LSU players were selected by the Pats this year, perhaps because Saban turned off the faucet the minute he left school and became coach of the Patriots rival down in Florida.