mgteich

some questions

1) Is Belichick ready to commit to the next fieve years, or does he need a sabatical?

2) How much of a focus will Brady be? How much will be on his shoulders?

3) Will the appraoch to coaching change from the last 5 years?

4) Will the defense continue to be a base 3-4 2-gap, bend and don't break defense?

5) Will the offense continue to be Brady and his two amigos?
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This MAY be a month of transition. There will be time to consider, as the league and the union decide the rules for the 2010 season and whether to start it a couple of weeks later than scheduled.

cstjohn17

Perhaps, I wasn't clear enough. Your 7 and 6 are included in my 1 and 2.

I think the most interesting will be:

6) Do they allow Brady to fade into the horizon or do they proactively move him to the side (via trade of demotion)?
7) When does BB step aside (tied into #6)?

Box_O_Rocks

Ah, the old five year plan makes a comeback.

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mgteich

As I recall, Belichick had a 5 year plan when he joined the patriots. And, personally, I think the team got better each year from 2000 through 2004. Maintaining for another five years was more difficult. Still, we have done very well indeed. It is INDEED time for assessment yet again.

vyrago

Well if we don't win another superbowl during that time, at the very least I hope the wheat production is up.

Metaphors

Some answers totally IMO:

1) Is belichick ready to commit to the next five years, or does he need a sabatical?

Neither. He coaches for the next 2-3 years (through implementation of the next CBA) and then starts to phase out. Gruden takes over as coach with Belichick in a "President of Football Operations" role. Eventually settles into an executive role that allows him input but not the day-to-day pressures. I think Belichick would like to enjoy his 60's and live long enough to see his grandkids graduate college.

2) How much of a focus will Brady be? How much will be on his shoulders?

As long as Brady is playing, he will be the main focus. Every game will have a different attack plan, but Brady distributing the ball will be the primary threat. That being said, I expect defense and special teams to take more of a burden for winning. Meaning the defense and special teams won't assume that the offense is going to score 30+ points a game and gameplan accordingly.

3) Will the appraoch to coaching change from the last 5 years?

Nope. "Do your job" will still be the expectation...but the next 5 years will find the next generation of players (Bruschi, Vrabel, Harrison, etc.) that will raise the level of play of those around them. Mayo and Wilfork have started showing signs and Chung looks promising.

4) Will the defense continue to be a base 3-4 2-gap, bend and don't break defense?

Base 3-4? Yep.
2-gap? Yep.
Bend but don't break? I don't think that has ever been the goal. Belichick likes to attack with varied fronts, backed by a moving/disguised backfield. The defense for the last 3-4 years wasn't the ideal...it was the best that could be done in Belichick's opinion based on skills, injuries and overall strategy (stop big plays and Brady will eventually win out).

The problem is that attacking skills tend to go along a lack of discipline (which is why Asante is in Philly). I think Bodden is a great example of a player that can be aggressive while staying in the overall structure of the defense. The draft this year should add a DE and OLB to the mix with another top OLB coming in 2011. No bending. No breaking...except for the hopes and dreams of opposing offenses.

5) Will the offense continue to be Brady and his two amigos?

It obviously can't. One amigo is herido and the other is getting envejecido. Look for a 3rd down back and TE in this draft and a top WR in the next to get the spread offense back to being muy caliente

Mike the Brit

"The Party's confidence in the feasibility of the five-year plan and its faith in the forces of the working class were so strong that the Party found it possible to undertake the fulfilment of this difficult task not in five years, as was provided for in the five-year plan, but in four."

J.V. Stalin, "The Results of the First Five-Year Plan", January 7, 1933

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