Filling out brackets is a March tradition. It’s no different here at Pats Pulpit — Coronavirus be damned! Last year, we looked at the best games of the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick era, which was fun, but this year, we’re doing something a little different: we decided to take a look at the biggest busts of the Belichick era.
They could be draft picks, free agent signings, or trade acquisitions. We picked 32 of the biggest disappointments, and arranged them into a bracket for you to fill out.
Today, voting continues with the second round in the Greg Jennings Region and the DeMarcus Lawrence Region — both named after players the Patriots missed out on in order to get some of the busts on our list. Make sure to vote in every one of the matchups and discuss your choices in the comment section below!
(Note: if you’re visiting via Google AMP or Apple News go to the full website version to vote)
#1 Chad Jackson vs #4 Scott Chandler
Chad Jackson took down number eight seed Reggie Wayne in the first round to move on to a matchup with Scott Chandler, who took down five-seed Darius Butler. As disappointing as Chandler was in his lone year in New England, the whiff on Jackson in the second round of the draft was worse, especially considering the players selected after him. This matchup should therefore be another runaway victory for Jackson.
Poll
#1 Chad Jackson vs #4 Scott Chandler
This poll is closed
-
87%
Chad Jackson
-
12%
Scott Chandler
#3 Antonio Brown vs #2 Cyrus Jones
Antonio Brown took down six-seed Tavon Wilson to take on Cyrus Jones, who himself took down seven-seed Laurence Maroney. This matchup might be the closest of the second round, as Jones was nothing but trouble for the Patriots after they drafted him in the second round in 2016 — he couldn’t play defense, and made a ton of bad plays on special teams as well. Brown, on the other hand, is one of the most polarizing figures in Patriots history. There are people that still say the Patriots should have held onto him last season, despite the off-field issues that ultimately led to his release. Because Brown showed so much promise and only played a single game for the Patriots, I actually think I’m inclined to vote for him, but I can certainly understand how you might vote differently.
Poll
#3 Antonio Brown vs #2 Cyrus Jones
This poll is closed
-
41%
Antonio Brown
-
58%
Cyrus Jones
#1 Dominique Easley vs #4 Jermaine Cunningham
Dominique Easley took down eight-seed Jonathan Fanene to face Jermaine Cunningham, who took down seed number five, Kenny Britt. This is a pretty open and shut case. Cunningham was terrible for the Patriots, but Easley never did a thing after being taken in the first round. Just like the Easley’s last matchup, this one against his fellow Florida Gator should be a blowout.
Poll
#1 Dominique Easley vs #4 Jermaine Cunningham
This poll is closed
-
81%
Dominique Easley
-
18%
Jermaine Cunningham
#6 Doug Gabriel vs #2 Adalius Thomas
In the only upset of the tournament so far, Doug Gabriel took down three-seed Ron Brace to advance to the second round. Here, he will have to go up against Adalius Thomas, who took down number seven seed Deltha O’Neal. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Gabriel’s Cinderella story is probably going to come to a quick ending. Although Gabriel was bad, and didn’t even last a full season in New England, Thomas had much higher expectations, and has served as a big-market free agent cautionary tale ever since the Patriots signed him back in 2007.
Poll
#6 Doug Gabriel vs #2 Adalius Thomas
This poll is closed
-
27%
Doug Gabriel
-
72%
Adalius Thomas