The Haphazard Blog

The common theme from the Patriots’ drafting Jimmy Garoppolo is that this is Tom Brady’s heir apparent because he was drafted so highly. Some are focusing on Bill Belichick saying “We know what Tom’s age and contract situation is.” They may want to see the whole context.

Q: When you refer to better off being early rather than late for that position, are you referring to making sure you have a backup or a successor? Because Tom Brady is signed through 2017 and Ryan Mallett’s contract is up next year.

BB: You know, all the things you just said. We know what Ryan’s contract situation is. We know what Tom’s age and contract situation is. I don’t think you want to have one quarterback on your team. I don’t think that’s responsible to the entire team or the organization.

My take is they’ve had Ryan Mallett for 3 years now and he’s not developing into someone they think can step in for Brady. His preseason performance has left a lot to be desired. So when Belichick is talking about one quarterback on the team, he’s talking about 2015 when Mallett is a free agent and the team only has Brady.

Every year Brady plays, he’s more and more likely to miss some games. The Patriots need a backup that can step in to finish games or start a couple games. A great example of this need is Aaron Rodgers last year. That player is Mallett in 2014 (unless Garoppolo leaps past him, in which case the Patriots are likely to try and trade him before cutting him) and Garoppolo in 2015. Garoppolo may eventually replace Brady, but that timeline is going to be entirely dictated by Brady’s body.

One day the Brady era will be over, but it’s too early to declare it will be ending before 2017.

This week I received a statement for my Capital One credit card for $0.00. It even says my payment is due by May 19. Also at the top of it?

BE SAFE!

Your trash could be an identity thief’s gold. Manage your account online and end the paper trail.

This reminds me of a story a software engineering professor told me. Every month she would receive a Visa bill for $0.00. She would call and ask them to stop sending them and there was nothing they could do about it. How did it finally stop? She actually wrote a check for $0.00 and sent it in as a payment. They processed the payment! I would hope their computer systems would be more advanced by now, but apparently not. On the upside, there are no blackout dates…