The Patriot Way has officially rubbed off on Bill Belichick’s biggest offseason gamble

When Tom Brady officially left the New England Patriots, it looked like the Patriot Way had little chance of survival. Despite losing the legendary quarterback and locker room manager, Bill Belichick doesn’t seem to have any problem with team culture at all.

In fact, its riskiest off-season addition has already proven that some of the key principles that helped lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles from 2001-19 remain alive. And if Trent Brown gets back to top form in his second stint in New England, Belichick could even score points with Brady by adding another Super Bowl ring to his own impressive collection.

Bill Belichick has taken a few risky moves this off-season moves

While the Patriots have definitely improved their overall talent level this spring, it remains to be seen whether Belichick has signed the right players for a championship. After all, most of the team’s off-season additions have question marks on them.

Will outside linebacker Matthew Judon deliver enough Pass Rush production to justify his $ 56 million four-year contract? He has never racked up double digits in his five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, so it is fair to wonder if the Patriots overpaid for a player who may have been the product of a well-designed defense system.

Belichick also paid a heavy price to improve the passing game. However, the Patriots have not signed a real No. 1 recipient. Instead, they took a huge risk by guaranteeing Nelson Agholor $ 16 million on his $ 22 million two-year contract. Between his battles with the Philadelphia Eagles and his resurgent season with the Las Vegas Raiders, he has a lot of boom-or-bust potential. Plus, tight ends hunters Henry and Jonnu Smith need to address concerns about their solid but unspectacular production and shelf life issues. They have signed contracts averaging $ 12.5 million per season and are facing tremendous expectations to fill the void left by Rob Gronkowski.

Ultimately, however, Belichick’s biggest off-season gamble was another leap of faith in Brown. Though the Patriots got him cheap (they sent a five-round pick for Brown to the Raiders in 2022 and a seventh-round pick in 2022), the 28-year-old tackle will add $ 7.6 million towards the 2021 salary cap. Considering he has only played 16 games in the past two seasons, Brown doesn’t seem like a strong bet to stay healthy. Plus, outside of his only season with the Patriots in 2018, he doesn’t have a strong track record of reliability. But based on New England’s current depth chart, Belichick seems sure to believe that his former left tackle will again dominate defensive linemen and linebackers with no problem.

Trent Brown is back on the Patriot Way

Belichick reaped the rewards of betting on Brown in 2018. Thanks to the constant play of the 6-foot-8, 380-pound tackle, the Patriots took the ball down with authority. And at the end of the season, Belichick and Brown were allowed to call themselves Super Bowl champions.

The partnership worked well mainly because Brown is fully committed to the Patriot Way. He earned the respect of legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia for helping to get the most out of a player who possessed Pro Bowl caliber traits. Unfortunately for Brown, his success didn’t continue when he left New England for Las Vegas. So at this point it remains a pretty big question mark.

But if Belichick’s biggest off-season gambling game sticks to its plan, it looks like the Patriots will have the best version of Brown again. During his recent press conference, the veteran said he will be spending the next six weeks in Foxborough working with the team’s strength and conditioning and athletic training staff. Brown said he followed the same protocol in 2018, which happened (or not) to result in the best season of his NFL career.

By choosing to pursue his craft rather than going on vacation or returning home, it is clear that this is Brown’s second time shopping on the Patriot Way. He was criticized for his work ethic in San Francisco and Las Vegas, but that didn’t happen in New England. With his football future at stake, Brown is doing the best for himself and the team by staying in the area. He can put himself at his best, work on weak spots and prepare for a big role this season. That will enable him to succeed, which makes New England’s offensive line even better. And by and large, Brown shows he’s sacrificing his summer how much Belichick’s belief in putting the team first and doing what is necessary to excel in his job is still true.

The Patriots need Brown just as he needs them

In reality, the Patriots need Brown as much as he needs them. You can get tons of the ball going with Damien Harris and Sony Michel, which takes the offense to create consistent movement. Brown’s size and strength make him a force to be reckoned with as a blocker, and without him, the Patriots haven’t looked nearly as imposing playing the ball for the past two seasons.

Given the predicted starting links against Isaiah Wynn’s injury problems – he has played 18 games as a first-round pick since joining the league in 2018 – it’s safe to say that Belichick is unsafe in one of the most important positions of the field. If Wynn is injured, Brown may have to slide right to left. In any case, you can count on him to play a key role.

Brown will also have a lot of motivation to perform at a high level again.

Ready to meet the Free Agency in the next off-season, he needs to rehabilitate his worth and remind everyone why he is considered one of the most talented tackles in the NFL.

And if his reunion with the Patriots goes well, Brown could break the bank again thanks to the collaboration with Belichick.

Oh, and buying the Patriot Way helps too.

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