Patriot Games: Bill Belichick and the Draft

The draft is tomorrow, and everyone is on pins and needles just trying to guess who will go where in that all-important first round.

Hopeful players are getting food and family together to watch and wait, coaches and GMs are making phone calls, budgets, depth charts, and plans A, B, C, and D (And if you are like Parcells or Belichick, plans E, F, and G.) and fans are anxiously waiting to see who will be that stand-out rookie on their team.

It also means one thing more; the gray hoodie is back.

Bill Belichick, the surly but brilliant coach of the New England Patriots, constantly wears a beat-up, cut-up gray hoodie to games, making him look more like a hobo than a future Hall of Fame coach (for you doubters: three Superbowls in four years, plus a near perfect season, plus his winning percentage, he's in and you know it).

The hoodie represents the dark shroud that is cast over New England, no information gets out, but there is a lot going on that we can't see beneath the hood. It's like the mob, and Bill Belichick is the boss. You don't mess with him, you don't talk about the family to outsiders, and you definitely do not betray the family's secrets.

On Saturday, Bill will figuratively don the shroud and begin to do what he's done with relative success over the past few seasons; draft.

Bill is working without longtime buddy Pioli this year, but you can bet that Bill has always had the final say in everything. So what will happen this year? Will the Patriots use all of their draft picks? Will they trade up or will they trade for players and future picks?

There is only one question there I can answer with any certainty. I would be shocked, absolutely shocked, if the Patriots actually used all of their remaining draft picks in the 2009 draft. Not going to happen.

As for the other options, who knows? Bill has seen some success in the draft, with picks like Jerod Mayo, but also some busts, like with Chad Johnson. He's also traded some draft picks very shrewdly; second and seventh round picks for Wes Welker a fourth round pick for Randy Moss. I would list those as successful trades.

But then the question remains, what will the Patriots do?

With the 23rd pick overall, three picks in the second round, two in the third, one in each the fourth and fifth, and two in the sixth, the Patriots are in a very good position to make improvements.

The aging line needs help. That is clear, they lack depth, and they need another player like Mayo to come in and fall in line. No divas here, that is not the Patriot way. A few eccentric characters, confident players, sure, but divas? No.

Connor Barwin, the 6'4" TE from Cincinnati, seems to be someone to look at. He's Mike Vrabel-esq, which is good, and appears to have the "team first" attitude the Patriots demand. He's not as good on defense, but putting him in to grow under the experienced defensive core of New England could groom quite the player.

Larry English, the 6'2" DE from Northern Illinois is also an interesting choice. He's a good pass rusher with drive, but he may not be quick enough to handle NFL slot receivers.

Clay Matthews, a 6'3" OLB from USC has a lot of potential as a pass rusher and as a 'backer. He needs some work, but a high football IQ and instincts will help him improve.

If course, all of this could be wrong and the Patriots could grab someone else or trade for other rounds.

They clearly need to shore up the defense, though there is still talk of the Julius Peppers trade, and add another back or safety to create competition and plan for the future.

I would look for the Patriots to concentrate mostly on defense, maybe grab a QB in the late rounds, and also try for a versatile, utility player who can play both sides of the ball and has a high football IQ.

This year will certainly be interesting, so during the commercials of the Yankee's-Red Sox game, flip over to the draft and get a glimpse of what is really going on beneath the gray hoodie. Or be like me and have two TVs going at once. Either way, its shaping out to be a very good sports weekend.