Quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick are the constants for the Patriots. All other personnel are subject to change frequently in service to Brady’s strengths and Belichick’s master plan.
Established Patriots players entering free agency are more likely to be allowed to walk than receive long-term deals. Free agents from other teams are signed to short-term, bargain contracts. The Patriots make more meaningful trades than any other team.
Their current roster includes three starters who were signed to modest free-agent contracts for this season: wide receiver Chris Hogan, defensive lineman Chris Long and linebacker Shea McClellin. The Patriots acquired three other key players via trades: tight end Martellus Bennett, cornerback Eric Rowe and linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Belichick, as the chief personnel man, is the architect. He’s also the coach who makes all of the parts work by developing the talent and finding their best fits.
“It is a process where team building can come from a lot of different ways; waiver wire, draft, draft choices, trades, free-agent signings, street free agents and so forth,” Belichick said. “We just try to make the best decisions that we can at whatever point and time those decisions are available to be made … . Each situation is a little bit different, every year is different, every team is different and every player is different. So there is no set formula.”
The results have been outstanding over the 16 years of the Brady-Belichick era: four Super Bowl victories, seven AFC championships and 14 AFC East titles. If the Patriots beat the Falcons on Sunday, Brady and Belichick would become the first quarterback and coach with five Super Bowl rings.
After the Patriots lost to the Broncos in the AFC Championship game to end their 2015 season, Belichick quickly re-shaped the roster before Brady’s window closed as he approached 40 years old. As usual, those moves included thrifty free-agent signings and trades (the Patriots have made a league-high five trades since the end of the 2015 season).
Long became a free agent when the Rams cut him after the 2015 season. He considered joining several teams, including the Falcons, before signing a one-year deal with just $1 million guaranteed.
Long, 31, is just the latest veteran player who was regressing before joining the Patriots and filling a major role for a winning team.
“What I didn’t know was, just day-in and day-out, why this team is so often in these (Super Bowl) games,” Long said. “Just seeing these nuts and bolts every day, what Bill does every day, what the coordinators do every day. Why we have so many selfless players. I’m a part of a really great organization and I’m very lucky.”
Another familiar aspect to this Patriots team are the relatively cheap offensive skill players surrounding Brady.
The effective running back duo of LeGarrette Blount and Dion Lewis count about $2 million against the cap combined. Hogan, the offensive catalyst in the AFC Championship game, signed a three-year contract with $7.5 million guaranteed. Bennett made $5.1 million this season, the final year of the contract he signed with the Bears.
Those players helped the Patriots to keep rolling after tight end Rob Gronkowski had season-ending back surgery after eight games. Brady has the Patriots in the Super Bowl again without much star power in the huddle with him.
“The fortunate thing for me is the system has been shaped to adapt to the things that I do well,” Brady said. “Over the years (with) the system, they have tried to support me with a strong offensive line, which we have; a solid running game, which we have; receivers who are very versatile, smart and disciplined, and we have those, (and) tight ends that can do both things in the running and passing game, which we have.
“I think that is part of what our system is, trying every week to find different ways to attack the opponent in a way that we are going to not waste any plays.”
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