There Can Be No Question in Anyone's Mind the Patriots Traded with the Steelers Just to Screw Over the Jets

I think that I can speak for all of New England by admitting that when the Patriots made the decision to trade back from their pick at No. 14, I didn't handle it well.

No matter how much you condition yourself to be ready for it because by now there's no excuse to be surprised, it's still surprising. So many times the move up or down the board has resulted in a pick that goes completely off script and you end up with someone you didn't see coming. For instance, just to stick to recent history, Cole Strange last year. 

Well last night's last second move down was especially jarring because I was expecting the Pats to make the obvious choice, which was Broderick Jones. Not only the last Round 1-caliber talent at an area of need, but a guy the Jets were dying to get after moving behind New England in the Aaron Rodgers deal. 

It felt for a minute there like Bill Belichick had played himself. And did a huge favor for the franchise he hates like Tucker Carlson hates Fox. Then this happened:

And then it all made sense. Instead of getting the guy they coveted, without having to make a move, the one they thought they had for one brief, shining moment, the Jets had the rug pulled out from under them. Instead, they used their entire clock (and honestly, it seemed like they went way beyond their allotted time and were in danger of getting drowned out by the Oscars orchestra play-off theme) before finally settling for defensive end Will McDonald IV. 

I was a few beers into the night and way past my geriatric bed time when I wrote this:

I think everyone in New England was bracing themselves for something bananas when [Belichick] traded out of the 14th pick. Broderick Jones of Georgia, the offensive tackle I thought he wanted was still on the board. But by dropping down to 17 (and adding the 120th pick) he moved behind the Jets who are desperate for O-line help. But the team he traded with was Pittsburgh, who crushed their dreams of finding Aaron Rodgers protection this year by grabbing Jones. Which was so perfect you have to assume GM Bill checked with the Steelers to confirm that's who they were taking.

And while I wasn't being totally serious, I wasn't completely joking either. It all just came together too perfectly to dismiss the idea he had that one particular trading partner in mind because he knew they'd keep Jones out of New York. 

Since then, I've become convinced slightly drunk and very tired Old Balls was right. Just look at Matt Groh's reaction to being asked about it:

Like the saying goes, a smirk is worth a thousand words:

That's the look of, "Tell me you orchestrated this whole thing without saying you orchestrated this thing." This is the look of satisfaction you see on an apex predator that just played with its food before devouring it. The Pats War Room felt the sadistic joy of building up an enemy's hopes for sole purpose of dashing them. And Matt Groh's boss is still exacting his revenge for everything that transpired in the "I resign as HC of NYJs" episode 24 years ago. 

Diabolical. Absolutely diabolical. For all we know, they could've gotten a higher pick than the 120th, but from a team that wouldn't commit to snatching Jones away from the Jets. Keep that in mind next year when teammates are peeling Matthew Judon and Josh Uche off a pile that has Rodgers at the bottom. Then we'll know it all worked as planned.