New England Patriots set to lose for Trevor Lawrence?

The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick don’t make mistakes, so everything about their 2020 draft was a calculated move. Enter Trevor Lawrence, the star quarterback of Clemson who is the top prize of the 2021 draft. #LoseForLarry

The New England Patriots always get the benefit of the doubt. Bill Belichick and company have earned that over the years. 2020 is the first year, though, where we should be right to question the path of the franchise.

Tom Brady is obviously elsewhere. The team’s offensive talent seemed to be lacking last year even with Brady, and the defense faded down the stretch. This could be a real wake-up-call season for New England and its fans. Or, are you buying this apocryphal story of the Patriots’ “real” plan for 2020? The story goes that Belichick is ready to tank this season in order to rebuild on the fly behind the next superstar quarterback: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. #LoseForLarry

Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate the New England Patriots in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

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Todd Salem:

Maybe the Patriots don’t bottom out into the worst record in the league; that is still hard to foresee. But if they get within striking distance of the top spot in next year’s draft, would the front office really open the asset chest in order to get Lawrence? Or, we could see Lawrence actually fall out of top billing by this time next year for any number of reasons, a la Tua Tagovailoa this very season.

In that case, things could align for New England to repeat what Miami just did in 2019. The one-year dropoff in competing for a title would immediately be rebooted with a brand new roster and a budding, franchise quarterback.

The “plan” kind of makes sense! The details fit. The team let Brady walk when it made it clear that they didn’t want him back for his price. Management did not add any notable quarterback to compete this season. If the coaches really think Jarrett Stidham is the long-term answer and not a tanking stop-gap, I’d be incredibly surprised. And this month’s draft did nothing to add playmakers to the offense.

Instead, Belichick traded down (again), drafted a small-school safety with his first pick and reached for multiple tight ends in the middle rounds. If it wasn’t New England and it wasn’t Belichick, this would be thought of as one of the worst drafts any team had. Even still, the consensus was not good for the Pats’ draft grade.

Where does that leave the 2020 roster? Not ready to compete for much of anything. The entire offense is Julian Edelman and question marks. On defense, there are major questions in the front seven. Where does that leave the validity of this Lawrence plan? In the realm of plausibility!

Dan Salem:

Wow, I would have never considered this an option, but here we are. The Dolphins tanked for Tua and the Jets sucked for Sam. Dare I say you’ve convinced me that the New England Patriots are preparing to lose for Lawrence. Trademarked and copyrighted with all rights reserved. #LoseForLarry

Belichick rarely makes mistakes and when he does, a la agreeing to be the head coach of the New York Jets, he immediately weasels his way out of it. That means everything about New England’s 2020 draft was calculated, down to the statements afterward that mentioned they had no plans to pass on drafting a quarterback.

The Patriots are very good at trading down and stockpiling picks while nailing their mid-round selections. But every NFL team needs those first-round stud players to anchor the entire team. It’s impossible to win without standout stars.

Who currently stands out on the Patriots’ roster? They have defensive studs, but it’s unclear if the unit can live up to its early 2019 hype. I still believe New England adds Andy Dalton or Cam Newton as a veteran quarterback to anchor the transition to the next rookie signal-caller.

Otherwise, the Patriots offense is truly devoid of ANY player that makes defenses think twice. Who are opponents game-planning for? No one is double-teaming Edelman.

Perhaps Stidham is a star waiting for his turn to play, but that would mean the Patriots somehow caught lightning in a bottle all over again. It seems unlikely, especially since Stidham looked below average on the field last season.

Tanking has been proven to work in every major sport, so it’s of little surprise to me that Belichick wants to prove he’s up to the monumental challenge. If you’re going to lose and miss the playoffs, then bottoming out is preferable. I’m prepared to welcome Trevor Lawrence to New England a year in advance. As a Jets fan, I kindly request that he bend over.