Belichick is still drafting like he has Tom Brady under center. He no longer has a guy who hyper-elevates the other 10 guys on the field with him so he needs some superior talent at other positions.
If Belichick came without compensation I could see this being an option the team at least would kick the tires on.
But the idea of giving up a #1 pick to NE at this juncture is a non-starter IMO.







There's a part of me that wants to go back to look at the game tape of the first five games because I swear Howell faced immediate pressure straight through the center of the line on every play. So while I agree his decision making is improving, I think the line because of the benchings and injuries is at least as big a factor in his success. Pre-lineup change, you couldn't count the number of free rushers that got through on both hands and both feet before half time. There were plays yesterday where Howell got to his third read and threw it from an actual pocket. How many times did Howell ever have a non collapsed pocket around him before the Charles injury and Gates benching?Just looking at sacks taken alone, you can see a radical shift in both Howell's decision-making, and more importantly the playcalling by EB. My only bitch - Bienemy reverted back to a lot more straight drop back plays in the 2nd half, which almost got us in trouble a couple of times. But definitely nice to see a more *normal* sack rate these past few games.



