On Day He Trades Jamie Collins, Bill Belichick Says He's 'Disappointed' In Patriots Defense
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots defense has been inconsistent at best in 2016, at times looking very beatable and struggling to get off the field on third down. The points haven't been there for the opposition, but the Patriots could certainly do a better job in terms of tackling, covering, and stopping teams from sustaining long drives.
You wouldn't think that a way to improve the defense is to trade away one of its most dynamic, athletic players for a draft pick. Yet that's exactly what Belichick did just hours after his Monday conference call as he moved linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns for a conditional pick in the 2017 draft. He undoubtedly knew the move was coming before he spoke to reporters about Sunday's 41-25 road win over the Buffalo Bills.
When asked about the overall play of the Patriots' linebacker corps, Belichick had this to say:
"I think overall, we had our ups and downs. At times we played well defensively and at other times, not so well. It was good enough to win. It was good at times and then at other times I think we really – I think we're all disappointed, so we really just need to do a better job. That's pretty much across the board – the running game, the passing game, everything. I mean there were some things that just, we need to do better."
"Ups and downs" would be an apt description of Collins' 2016 season. He played like an All-Pro against the Houston Texans in Week 3 and was a factor against the Cardinals in Week 1 and the Steelers in Week 7, yet mostly struggled against the Dolphins in Week 2 and the Bills in Week 4 and was outshined by emerging rookie linebacker Elandon Roberts against the Browns in Week 5. There's no doubt that Collins is a dynamic, high-impact player when he's at his best, but in 2016, the consistency wasn't there.
Belichick ultimately decided to trade Collins in-season, just before the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline. As you might expect, the trade "blindsided" the Patriots locker room, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweeted Monday afternoon. To get rid of a player of Collins' talent level certainly sounds counter-productive to improving a defense that has "disappointed" Belichick to this point in the season. Not just that, but the return on the deal, which could become a fourth-round pick if the Browns don't receive a third as compensation for potentially losing Collins in free agency, seems incomprehensibly low for a player of Collins' caliber.
The only logical explanation for trading Collins when you're disappointed in the defense is that the linebacker was actually hurting the defense overall. Former Patriots executive Mike Lombardi fired off a series of tweets after the trade that Collins may have been causing problems with "freelancing" and not listening to Belichick's coaching. Could Collins have been that much of a problem behind-the-scenes that Belichick felt the defense would be better off without him?
It's hard to believe, considering Collins' level of talent. But ultimately, Belichick has to feel that it's best for the team to trade Collins now instead of letting him walk for the same compensatory pick after the season. It remains to be seen if Belichick is once again playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, but for now, it's yet another shocking trade for a coach with a deep history of such moves.
Think the Randy Moss trade in 2010 ... they replaced Moss with a perceived "downgrade" in Deion Branch, and the offense got better. Though this is pure speculation at this point, you have to think that Collins simply wasn't one the same page with Belichick or the rest of the Patriots defense and the head coach felt the group will be better off without the distraction. There's no other logical explanation.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
