Boston Globe/Bedard: Better than one could’ve dreamed
I really enjoy Bedard’s game wraps, I think he’s got a good sense of this Patriots team. This is an especially good read after he was one of the first to question if the ‘11 Patriots were talented enough to make a run at the Super Bowl. The Eagles certainly have the talent, but as Bedard points out:
The Eagles are the opposite of the Patriots. They are paper champions with seemingly limitless talent.
Yet they’re 4-7 and now playing out the string.
What was that about the talent on this Patriots defense?
Talent is nice, and you need it to win the ultimate title. But if you get the right guys, like the Patriots do, and then coach them up, the heart of a lion is going to devour a paper tiger.
There were some shaky moments on defense to start this season – to say the least. You’ve never seen a Belichick team make that many mental mistakes very early.
There were blown coverages all over the place because of poor communication. Basic techniques weren’t being executed. Missed tackles accounted for way too many hidden yards.
Some of it had to do with the lockout. Some of it had to do with less-than-stellar coaching from the assistants.
But in the past few weeks, the level of execution on the defense has come a long way.
