Rodney Harrison he’s never been afraid to share his opinion and tell it like it is when it comes to the Patriots.
The Patriots Hall of Fame safety hates that his former team has fallen and can’t seem to get back up. He doesn’t like being scolded by fans who are enjoying the Patriots’ demise.
“It’s disappointing, but I understand. We’ve been up there so long. We’ve had a lot of success,” Harrison said. “Now (the Patriots) are going through a transition. But I don’t see them too far off.”
Except Harrison acknowledges the Patriots are heading into uncharted territory. Some teams are faster at rebuilding than others. In the case of the Patriots, there is a clear unknown for Harrison that can alter the schedule.
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Harrison doesn’t know Wolf, and he can’t yet discern whether he’ll be a great GM, like his father Ron, or whether he’ll lead the team further into the abyss.
“If I was running the show, I would be sure. But I don’t know Eliot. I can’t trust something I don’t know,” Harrison said. “But looking at the draft, a lot of those draft picks haven’t worked out. He’s obviously got to do better.
“They have the money. I’ve seen other teams have the money and turn things around, and they don’t. When I start making moves, I’ll let you know. They got $130 million in free cap money. Now it’s sitting there and they have to spend it.”
In his first offseason at the helm, Wolf landed the quarterback. First round pick Drake Maye he has been impressive and is the most important piece of the puzzle towards this rebuild. The fact that he hasn’t surrounded himself with the best support case has to change.
“When you look at the roster, there’s a few guys here and there that stand out, but for the most part, you don’t go into a game scaring people,” Harrison said. “They have to improve in general with the talent they have.
“Eliot needs to get some players here,” he continued. “You’ve got to get guys that want to be here, and overpay some at the beginning … that’s the biggest thing for me. You’ve got to get talent.”
In a recent ESPN article, Harrison discussed the importance of the Patriots letting people know they are not “cheap skates.” That they are willing to pay top dollar, and then some.
Harrison then offered a hypothetical to illustrate the point.
“Tee Higgins breaks his neck coming to New England with a young quarterback? Will he leave Joe Burrow for? this?” Harrison wondered. “So how do you attract a guy like that? You have to do what you have to do to shock the football world, to let them know it’s a different culture, we do things a different way here with the New England Patriots. And we will win football games. They had a lot of money under the salary cap. You just have to start spending it.”
Harrison is preaching to a chorus of Patriots fans who are tired of watching a bottom-feeding team with no stars. He’s fine with the unease among the legion of fans.
So if Harrison were the GM, where would he start?
“For me, I’ve always felt that the teams that have always been successful when I got to the Patriots revolved around the front. Building the offensive line. Building the defensive line,” he said, referring to former coach Bill Belichick’s philosophy. “The Patriots need help on both ends, but especially on the offensive line.”
It’s mind boggling how the decision makers continue to neglect addressing the problem areas on the line, especially at tackle. Maye and Jacoby Brissett have spent considerable time running away from the pass rush this season.
“Yes Drake Maye he got on the offensive line, and he had Philly’s offensive line, or he had Detroit’s offensive line, or he had a solid offensive line like the Green Bay Packers, his whole life would be totally different,” Harrison said. “But you have to invest in the offensive line. You have to when you have a rookie quarterback. There’s no way around it.”
There was no such investment before the start of this season.
Regarding the calls Jerod Mayo’s head, Harrison thinks it makes no sense to believe the Krafts would leave Mayo after a year, even if a report suggests that might be the case.
Once again, Harrison pointed at Wolf. He said the Patriots’ de facto GM needs to assemble a better cast. This would give everyone, including the head coach, a better chance to succeed and climb out of the ditch the Patriots currently reside in.
“Eliot needs to get (Mayo) a lot of talent,” Harrison said. “He’s got to get guys that can play. He’s got to get them to make the difference.”
The ingredients for a cure have not changed. It’s talent, and more talent. Even before Mayo took over as coach and Wolf became chief of staff, the Patriots needed differences on both sides of the ball.
Bill Belichick he didn’t exactly arm himself with a stable of elite talent during his final years.
But that was then. This is now. Wolf has the money and the stash of picks to change the narrative. Harrison, for one, will watch.