new england patriots

A little bit of insight into the base front switch this season.

“There are so many things now (offensively) you didn’t see in the 1970s and the ’80s,” Belichick said before last night’s season-opening 38-24 win against the Miami Dolphins [team stats]. “With so many formations today it makes it harder on the defense. The tight end is most often another receiver, not a blocker. One-back formations proliferate, and often it’s empty (backfields, with only the quarterback behind the line). All hell broke loose 20 years ago. Today, half the plays are with three or more wide receivers on the field, so half the time you’ve got more than four defensive backs on the field. Half the time (last year) we had five.”