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On Monday, we watched one New England general manager acknowledge that his team wasn't good enough as is and take decisive action to make it better.
Quarterback remains a big question mark for the Patriots, but with no easy fix in sight there, Bill Belichick was at least determined to make sure he brought in more talent at other positions that desperately needed it.
In probably the most aggressive single day of his 21 years in New England, Belichick signed two wide receivers and a legitimate No. 1 tight end to upgrade what was arguably the worst group of pass-catchers in the NFL last season. He signed two defensive tackles to help shore up a porous run defense. He signed a pass rusher after watching his defense struggle to get to the quarterback all season. And he threw in a versatile defensive back to help out an aging group there.
Belichick didn't wait for the market to sort itself out. He didn't sit back and just try to find the best bargain. He identified needs, identified players who filled those needs, and paid to get them.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney would be wise to follow his football counterpart's lead.
Like Belichick last year, Sweeney has left his team shorthanded recently. When his team needed secondary scoring last season, he made two trades -- acquiring Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie -- that were perfectly fine value-wise, but that didn't land the Bruins the kind of impact scorer they really needed.
When he had a chance to address the problem again this offseason, he once again settled for the value route, only signing Craig Smith. While Smith should be producing more than he has this season, he was always best suited as a third-liner and was also not going to be the true second-line difference-maker the Bruins have needed and still need.
They were the kind of moves we're used to seeing Belichick make, honestly. Don't splurge for the big names. Don't be the team that "overpays." Scoop up the cheaper options instead.
You can afford to nibble like that when you're only one or two smaller pieces away from a championship, though. When you're further away and your holes are so obvious, sometimes you actually have to step up and pay for impact players to fill them.
Sweeney's Bruins should be closer to a championship than Belichick's Patriots. They don't have as many holes to fill. But like tight end and wide receiver lingered as voids for the Patriots for too long, secondary scoring -- specifically second-line wing -- continues to be a glaring weakness for the Bruins.
Sweeney should take a page out of Belichick's new playbook and act decisively and aggressively to address that weakness. Don't wait for the perfect trade to present itself. Don't worry about whether you "overpay" or "win the trade."
Identify the player (or players) you want and do what it takes to get him. If there's a chance to do it now and not wait a couple more weeks, do it. It doesn't necessarily have to be a superstar -- Belichick didn't get any of those Monday, either -- but it does have to be a good player who can do what you need to be done.
If Sweeney finally addresses that need and the Bruins still don't win the Stanley Cup, so be it. You can live with that. At least he made a good-faith effort to solve the team's biggest problem.
What would be hard to live with would be not taking meaningful action and allowing such an obvious issue to once again predictably be the team's downfall.
