Lombardi on Belichick

Former NFL personnel executive Mike Lombardi writes on Bill Belichick for SI.com today, touching on Belichick's preparation in all-things football while predicting how he will approach the draft.

Lombardi, who worked in Cleveland when Belichick was head coach, also reflects on how Belichick tapped into the knowledge of NBA executive Jerry West when the NFL was instituting a salary cap.

Along those lines, Lombardi writes:

"This season, the unique challenge for Belichick will be maintaining order in his salary cap, something most head coaches never care much about. The Patriots have the No. 7 pick, and because of the amount of guaranteed money required to sign that particular player, this could greatly affect his team's salary structure. He will care about Tom Brady and the impact the signing would have on Brady's mind. And as we see from reading the comments of many unhappy veterans this year, how teams allocate cap dollars directly affects the locker room."