Belichick doesn't sweat draft status during cuts

Share

By Tom E. Curran
CSNNE.com Patriots InsiderFollow @tomecurran
FOXBORO - The release of Darius Butler -- made official Wednesday morning by the Patriots -- meant that the Patriots hit for the cycle with releases over the past few days. They let go of a first-rounder (Brandon Meriweather), second-rounder (Butler) and third-rounder (Brandon Tate). That each player was let go within five seasons of his drafting doesn't speak well of the Patriots' projections of how they'd fit and perform here. To which Bill Belichick says, "And . . . ?""We have a saying around here: It doesn't matter how you get here it's what you do here," said Belichick."I think that's the way we should coach the team and I think that's what the players expect. That goes for everybody. Nobody's on scholarship, they just have to earn their keep."A lot of coaching stafffront office combos with less impressive resumes or experience might be prone to waiting on highly-drafted players a little longer. One, it doesn't reflect well when you release them in the eyes of either the media or ownership which cut those signing bonus checks. Two, it's a blow to the scouting department when a player they recommend highly gets jettisoned. In New England, Belichick doesn't have to worry about that stuff as much because of his proven track record. "It's a competitive situation and that brings out the best in everybody," Belichick added. "It brings out the best in guys that are maybe established and are being pushed; it brings out the best in guys who aren't established and know they have an opportunity. Competition's competition. It's based on what happens on the field."Belichick didn't discuss Butler specifically. He did say, "Obviously there's players that are not on this football team that are good players. They were good players for us and I'm sure they'll play good for somebody else. We have to make the decision on what's best for our football team so that's what we do." Tom E. Curran can be reached at tcurran@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow Tom on Twitter at http:twitter.comtomecurran

Contact Us