Chris Whalen’s Random Life

Right now I think you are seeing two separate teams enter phase 2. Phase 2 is where teams that have been good for a while, and won multiple championships move into. The 49ers of the 80s did it, the Cowboys of the 90s did it, and now it looks like the Patriots and the Steelers are moving into it. Although based on their signings probably more the Patriots right now.

Teams that have put together a core group of players through the draft or a combination of draft and signing players other teams did not want and have been able to win mulitple championships inevitably get to the point where that core group starts to age or break down and need to be replaced or have diminised roles.  Case in point the 49ers who phased out Joe Montana for Steve Young and replaced a littany of linebackers and defensive backs with players, like Deion Sanders, who came to that team specifically to win a championship. Dallas did the same in the 1990s. Those players come in for one or two year deals to finish their career winning. Those new players look for their best shot to win and look at teams that have won multiple times and just need to reload. Right now the only two teams that qualify are the Steelers and the Patriots. The Patriots have been more active so let’s use them as an example…

The Patriots core players are aging, Vrabel, Bruschi, among others need to be phased out. The defensive backfield needed to be rebuilt. There were holes that needed to be filled. Typically a team would look to draft or develop players to fill these holes. But if you have won multiple times, while you are developing players, proven veterans will be willing to come to your team for the shot to win on a short term basis. Right now look at the signings of Shawn Springs, Joey Galloway, Bodden, Fred Taylor to name a few. Players that don’t have upside, but a proven veterans that on any given day could still perform at a very high level. The idea of Phase 2 in this instance is you have won 3 Superbowls, and that core group can not win another. You can bring in these veterans to try to win one or two more while developing the younger players that will be the new core. Now while it is rare that Phase 3 ever happens, where those developing players become the new core, Phase two worked very nicely for teams such as the 49ers and Cowboys and may prove to work just as well for the Patriots and Steelers. They are really the only two teams positioned this way where quality veterans will take less money to go there to win. I think this means the next 2-3 years the AFC title games will most likely be played between these two teams and could just be a great battle in the short term. Pittsburgh is more focused on developing you players right now so they could be better positioned more in the 2-5 year span while the Patriots are veteran focused currently and may have really increased their chances for the next 2+ years.

Phase 2 is always interesting to watch and we will see if this can bring Brady and Co. another championship or two before they really need to start developing allot of young players. With free agency of their top defensive lineman coming up, and the looming NFLPA mess, the next 2 year window may be all the Patriots are looking for right now…..