Pats deal, move on
Chalk up Collins loss as business
FOXBORO — Bill Belichick stepped in front of his team yesterday during the morning meeting and offered a general assessment of his shocking decision to trade linebacker Jamie Collins.
“We made a transaction. He did what was best for the team,” one observer summarized. “We say OK and just follow it.”
That’s been the typical theme in the days following one of the Patriots’ more unconventional deals in recent years. The players were blindsided Monday, and there’s undoubtedly a human element that struck when the news filtered through the roster.
Yet at the same time, it’s Belichick’s job to express the businessas-usual mentality.
“It’s just part of the game,” defensive end Rob Ninkovich said. “It’s not really a surprise to me to see things happen. It’s just the way the business works, and I’ve seen it. You just have to really not let anything affect the group. We’re a great group. We’re a great team. We have to continue to work to get better. I know there are things we need to work as a defense to get better at. The guys we have here, we definitely have the talent to be what we want to be.”
Belichick has a long history of moving on from star players, whether it was cutting Lawyer Milloy in 2003, parting ways with Ty Law after 2004, trading Richard Seymour in 2009 or Logan Mankins in 2014. The list is much longer than that, and the players recognize the roster-building dynamic, even if they don’t always see it coming.
“I was shocked, but it’s just business, so it is what it is,” cornerback Malcolm Butler said.
Collins was popular among his peers. He is one of Dont’a Hightower’s best friends, and Ninkovich, Butler, safety Duron Harmon, defensive end Jabaal Sheard and linebacker Elandon Roberts were among the group who vouched for Collins’ character yesterday.
“You just digest it,” Harmon said. “Crazy stuff like that happens all the time in the league. It’s part of the business. It sucks. Jamie is a good friend of mine. I’m going to miss having him around. I wish the best for him. Hopefully, he continues his dominant play.”
That’s the point where the Patriots had to separate personal feelings from business dealings. Collins was in the final year of his rookie contract, and Belichick determined they weren’t going to re-sign him after this season. However, the Patriots did tell Collins’ agent, Bus Cook, they believed he was worth $11 million per year, according to a source. But the Pats never exchanged a formal proposal with that figure on paper.
Then, for reasons still undefined, the Patriots shipped Collins to the Browns for a conditional draft pick. Former assistant to the Pats coaching staff Michael Lombardi spent the past two days criticizing Collins’ effort, character and freelancing, but defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and linebackers coach Brian Flores dismissed that criticism.
“I wouldn’t say freelancing was an issue,” Flores said. “Jamie was a very good player for us. He made a lot of plays. He helped us win a lot of ballgames. I keep saying that time and time again. He was a good player. Freelancing, I mean, did he make mistakes? Absolutely. But again, everyone makes mistakes. There’s not a player in the league who doesn’t make mistakes. But again, he made more plays than he made mistakes. I would say that. He was a great player for us.”
The support from Collins’ former teammates severely outweighed any negatives.
“Jamie was a great player, a great person to be around, a great person to have in the program,” Patricia said. “We’re just trying to get ready and move forward and do what we always do.”
Belichick has timing on his side — the bye. The Patriots have a quick work week before a weekend vacation and return next week to prepare for the Seahawks on national television. It shouldn’t be too difficult to turn the page.
“You’ve got to put your feelings aside, obviously,” Flores said. “We all have our own personal feelings about the situation, but at the end of the day, Bill felt like that was the best thing for the team.
“We need to move forward and deal with the adversity like we deal with any adversity.”
‘It’s just the way the business works, and I’ve seen it. You just have to really not let anything affect the group.’ — DE ROB NINKOVICH On the Jamie Collins trade