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Week 5 NFL Preview: Patriots at Cowboys – YouTube
The bye week is over and we’re turning the page to the Cowboys. How different this game looks that we thought it might look. At one point it was looking like Garoppolo vs. Romo, now it’s Brady vs. Cassel? Still should be a good test on the road despite the Cowboys injuries.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/week-5-nfl-preview-patriots-at-cowboys-youtube/
Since Belichick became coach of the Patriots in 2000, the team has made 110 trades – an even split of 55 on draft day, and the other 55 not during the draft. That’s an average of 6.8 trades per season over his 16-year tenure.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/since-belichick-became-coach-of-the-patriots-in/
Looking forward to checking out this new book from Troy Brown and Mike Reiss. Pick up a copy here!
https://www.patspropaganda.com/looking-forward-to-checking-out-this-new-book-from/
Much has been made over the years of Bill Belichick’s “Bend-Don’t-Break” philosophy on defense. Now it is an easy excuse when the defense gives up a ton of yards but still win the game because Tom Brady scored more points.
But as we can see this has always been Belichick’s philosophy, even going back to 2003 and 2004, years everyone remembers as the prime of defense in New England.
The chart above breaks down the Bend side, including yards-per-drive and plays-per-drive, and the Break side, including points-per-drive and turnovers-per-drive.
As you can see the Patriots are rarely in the top-10 for the yards (twice) and plays (three times) they give up every drive. But when it comes to the points and turnovers, they’re almost always in the top half of the league, and usually top five or ten.
Even last year’s over-romanticized defense gave up sustained drives but when it came to the red zone they closed the door.
This speaks to Belichick’s philosophy of playing disciplined but not over-aggressive defense. They might not get off the field as quickly as we all might like, but by forcing the offense to earn every yard, more often than not they get a stop or a turnover.
https://www.patspropaganda.com/bill-belichicks-bend-dont-break-defense-in-one/
Honestly I tune the announcers almost entirely out and that’s if I’m not watching the game on mute, which I usually do for non-Pats games or ones they’re losing.
I relate this to sports radio too, where these guys have to talk for three hours and they have to provide a narrative, and they’re almost assured to say something dumb or have a forced take. Without forced narratives football can actually be pretty boring.
I mean I think my blog is generally pretty boring because it’s realistic in its perspective. I don’t really deal in hot takes, I like a calm level-headed, long-term strategic approach, but if you’re in the big media you can’t really do that. The team either has to suck or be headed for 16-0. Peyton Manning is either DONE or hanging in there for one last title run.
So I don’t really listen to who gets the credit or the blame from the announcers. Boiled down, it’s the Brady or Belichick debate. Would Belichick be the same failed coach in Cleveland without Brady? Or would Brady be just another out-of-the-league 6th round pick without Belichick? The media would have you believe one of them is along for the ride with the other.
But the truth is that they’re intertwined in a way that cannot be broken. Belichick was smart enough to evolve the team to Brady’s strengths. Brady worked hard enough to develop those strengths along with his weaknesses. Together they made what the Patriots are today and you can’t extract either of them from that equation.
As always it just goes back to IGNORE THE NOISE.
Boston Herald/Byrne: What parity? In NFL, only teams with stud QBs thrive
This is so very true, and while I feel lucky to follow one of the teams with a great quarterback, I am really more of a fan of football defense so I’d like to see the pendulum swing back the other way. Just hopefully after Brady retires.
Can’t they just ease off on how you’re not allowed to so much as breathe on a receiver more than 4.99 yards downfield now? There have to be some subtle rule changes that can level the playing field just a bit as far as the passing game. What about something just to reduce “Flacco’ing?” You know, just tossing an underthrown ball and praying for a PI call?
Now defenses can’t hit or touch anyone until they’ve made the catch and are running freely through the field. This might be enjoyable football for those of us with good quarterbacks, but for everyone else they’re just fooling themselves if they think they have a chance to consistently compete with a great ground game and tough defense (cough Rex Ryan)…
Yeah I think it speaks a bit to how the game has evolved and the need for physical presences inside the box who can cover. Moreso than old Will linebackers who might not have quite enough speed on strong safety types.
Someone like Patrick Chung has become much more useful as a player than he might’ve been when he first entered the league and was being asked to play more as a traditional back end safety. Now they can use him as a linebacker, only make him cover tight ends as opposed to slot receivers who lit him up early in his career.
It’s a very specific plan with the safeties. McCourty is back end FS in regular with Chung in the box. On third downs they’ll bring in Harmon to cover the back end and then use McCourty however they see fit whether it’s also on the back end in Cover 2 or in the box as a coverage guy.
I’m most curious to see how Richards evolves because the perfect player for this role would be a physical strong safety who also has the range to cover the back end. That’s a rare player but certainly one Belichick seems intent on trying to find.