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Belichick’s dual TE threat started in 1970s – NFL – Yahoo! Sports
“At the time, I never really thought about it because we were just trying to get the best players on the field,” Sanders said. “Now, when I watch the Patriots, I see what Bill was trying to get to. Maybe he didn’t have it all figured out back then, but you see where the idea was going. If you can find more ways to get a 260-pound man the ball [in the secondary], there’s a lot of damage you can do.”
Ten years ago today, the word’s “Tuck Rule” became a part of every NFL fan’s vocabulary as the Patriots beat the Raiders in one of the most memorable playoff games in football history. The famous play took place during the AFC Divisional Playoff game at a snowy Foxboro Stadium. Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson sacked New England quarterback Tom Brady and caused a fumble that was recovered by Oakland. Officials reviewing the fourth quarter play ruled that Brady’s arm was moving forward, making it an incomplete pass instead of an interception. The Patriots then moved the ball into field goal range to tie the game and won in overtime. Three weeks later, they won their first of three Super Bowls in four years. (Matt Campbell/AFP/Getty Images)
SI VAULT: Brady is a cool customer as Pats beat Raiders (1.28.02)
GALLERY: Revolutionary Moments In Sports
“Everyone is real easy to jump on the Patriots’ defense and say they’re so terrible and they can’t win a Super Bowl being this bad. But I don’t agree with that,” said Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. “I don’t think it’s great. It’s clearly the worst defense still in the playoffs. They allow all these passing yards, but they don’t allow that many points, and that’s more important.”
“Big defenses will stand up in playoff situations. So it’s still relevant,” NFL analyst Steve Young explained in a conference call this week. “It’s just not quite as relevant as the old days in my mind. It’s a big deal, and I think the Giants and 49ers playing each other is interesting, because [they have] two really great defenses. The Patriots will have to be proven wrong, that they can’t go the distance in this pass-happy era. … I think the question is going to be answered on the field. Phenomenal offense against a great defense and we’ll see in this era who can pull off championship football.”
Xs & Os: McCourty and run force – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston
Of course the Belichick Breakdown always gets a MUST WATCH! Mike Reiss recaps his points here for those who can’t watch it immediately.
“Devin is going to take a quick ‘reminder’ step and he gets a good read on the play. He knows that it’s a run and he’s able to come up here and take what potentially could be a play with a pretty good gain and hold it to 3 or 4 yards,” Belichick says. “This is really an extra guy that defensively you usually gain, but not this quickly into the play. It goes back to reading our keys, playing with good technique, and everybody doing their job. He did a good job on this play.”
Even though the Ravens are 1-2 in their past three meetings against the Patriots, they have slowed Tom Brady better than anyone else over the last three years. Brady is averaging 6.0 yards per attempt against Baltimore since 2009, his lowest mark against any NFL team. Most of Baltimore’s success stems from its ability to mix pressures. Over the last three years, Baltimore has blitzed the Patriots more often than any other NFL team has, sending extra pressure on 44.0 percent of dropbacks. On third down, that number jumps to 68.4 percent, well above the next-closest team (Redskins, 57.1 percent). Baltimore’s third-down pressure packages will play a crucial role Sunday.
