Bill Belichick wants to avoid any possibility of the New England Patriots having a losing seasonĀ in the near future.
That fear of future failure is what led the Patriots to select Eastern Illinois quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo No. 62 overall in the 2014 NFL draft Friday. Belichick specifically said the Patriots want to avoid having a season like the 2011 Indianapolis Colts, when they went 2-14 after Peyton Manning missed the year with a neck injury.
“I think organizationally, in our organization I donāt think we would put together a team the way Indianapolis did it when they lost Manning and they go 0-16, 1-15 or whatever it was,” Belichick told reporters Saturday night at Gillette Stadium after the draft was completed. “I donāt think thatās really what weāre looking for. Unfortunately when we lost Tom (Brady) in 2008 — we had a player that could step in and we won 11 games. We want to be competitive even if something happens to a player at any position.
“I think depth is always important. You never know when youāre going to need it. But I donāt think weād be happy going 1-15 if we had an injury at one position. But other people have different philosophies. Iām just saying that the contrast to that example. I donāt think thatās really what weāre trying to do.”
It worked out for the Colts, since quarterback Andrew Luck just happened to declare for the draft in 2012, but selecting No. 1 overall doesn’t always turn around a franchise’s fortunes.
The Patriots have put an emphasis on drafting a backup quarterback since BradyĀ suffered a torn ACL in 2008, selectingĀ Ryan Mallett in the third round of the 2011 draft and Garoppolo in the second round last weekend.