Not Wild About Harry

It's been a while since we've seen this kind of crazy in Foxborough.

Yes, there was plenty of melodrama surrounding the end of the Belichick-Brady marriage. I'm not sure how much I believe in the various plotlines of palace intrigue at 1 Patriots Place but it seems fair to say there's more to that story than any of us know today. "Seems" being the key word. Calling the culture in New England "buttoned down" doesn't come close to describing an organization that keeps its secrets better than the CIA.

Whatever the reasons for Brady taking his talents to the gulf coast, he is the GOAT, after all. He gave the organization 6 Lombardi Trophies. He earned the right to own his career, to become a free agent and choose his own path.

Stephon Gilmore, a former DPOY holding out for a contract that reflects his remarkable talents and market value? That's just business as usual in the NFL (and Gilmore has yet to call Belichick a liar so there's that, too).

Patriots players with N'Keal Harry's curriculum vitae simply do not go public with trade demands. Not to mention criticize the team for failing to take advantage of his incredible talents, which are mostly incredible in the sense that we haven't seen them. Apparently, Josh McDaniels failed the genius test when it came to transforming the Patriots offense to take advantage of Harry's inability to get open against NFL cornerbacks. 

Quick Aside: I've been rooting for N'Keal Harry. I wanted Harry to succeed. I drank the Anquan Boldin Kool-Aid. I hoped we'd see a Cam Newton/N'Keal Harry relationship bloom over the second half of the 2020 season. I should've known better. Check out the 2016 season highlights and the immediate chemistry between Brady and rookie WR Malcolm Mitchell. Brady doesn't hate rookies. He hates bad football players.

There's all kinds of wrong here.

So, you're N'Keal Harry and after OTAs you can see the writing on the wall. The Patriots have moved on, happily signing B-List wide receivers in Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne to bolster the passing game. Your feelings are hurt. You want out. You still believe in yourself (everyone's the star of their own movie) and want a fresh start. 

You want a trade. 

Okay. 

But you go public with your self-serving, shade-throwing trade demand? 

Granted, Belichick didn't have a whole lot of leverage to begin with, given Harry's rather underwhelming performance to date. Was even a 4th round draft pick ever a real possibility?

Now it seems even a 6th round draft pick might be a reach.

Is there a team dumb enough to make even that deal? 

Belichick's place in Canton is secure but his weakness when it comes to drafting wide receivers is well documented. Are you taking a wide receiver in a trade from the guy who rather famously advised against drafting Julio Jones?

Belichick will take something over nothing but that something might not be much. Harry and his agent should be hoping that something doesn't turn out to be payback.

The premise in this public tantrum seems to be that N'Keal Harry could be successful in any other situation. 

How about the eternal pigskin hell known as the Detroit Lions? Should be plenty of 50/50 balls for Harry in Detroit. What's the over/under on a Jared Goff softball getting one of his wide receivers killed this season? 8 games? 10?

How about the gridiron dysfunction known as the Houston Texans? I know Tom Brady had trouble getting Harry the ball but I'm sure he'll do just fine with Tyrod Taylor. Or Jeff Driskel. Or Davis Mills. (I think Deshaun Watson's next 10-year deal may be with the Texas State Department of Corrections so I wouldn't count on him.) Texans fans could really use another reason to remember they once had DeAndre Hopkins on their roster. 

If Belichick can't get anything better than a 7th round pick swap, I'm thinking revenge might be the jimmies on that sugar-free sundae.

One way or another, though, N'Keal Harry is gone and as a Pats fan I have to say, good riddance. It isn't just that Harry doesn't want to be a Patriot; that would be bad enough. He's revealed himself as not having what it takes to be a Patriot - or more to the point, to be able to play for a team coached by Bill Belichick.

If Belichick's life was a word cloud, the biggest, boldest word in the middle at 144pt, all caps, would be "COMPETITIVE." Belichick believes competition is the means by which games (and jobs) are won in the NFL. Everyone in the league has talent. What are you doing with that talent? Harry saw Agholor and Bourne as replacements, rather than competition. That Harry publicly demanded a trade rather than publicly committing to raising his game and winning the WR1 job told Belichick everything he needed to know. 

It's everything anyone needs to know.