- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
- Messages
- 22,930
- Reaction score
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Knowing how beloved BB is here, let me say that no matter what direction the Pats are headed in, BB is clearly one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. If he had not led the Pats to victory in 3 Superbowls, our expectations would not be so high and the challenges to his excellence by other teams would not be so great.
As great as BB is, he risks entering his declining years unless he accepts that football is evolving. As Bob Dylan said, "He who's not busy being born is busy dying." I think right now, BB's approach has several limitations:
Injuries. It's no secret that his approach to football always leaves the Pats with more injuries than other teams. After 5 years, it's more than coincidence that we suffer so many injuries. Perhaps we need a little more finesse and a little less hard hitting so that we can field more talent in any given game.
Paranoia. BB runs an insular organization. He's very secretive, doesn't bring in new blood to get fresh ideas, and believes everybody is expendable. While his approach worked for several years, it now appears teams have found ways to attack BB's system. Football like everything else evolves, and unless BB wants to be another Joe Gibbs, he better start paying more attention to what the "next" generation of coaches is doing. He should bring in people to challenge his thinking.
Holding grudges. For a guy who is a master of deception, his apparent anger at Mangini for trying to woo some Pats staff to the Jets is over the top. While that makes little difference to the Pats, this same kind of resentment may have cost us Branch, Vinatieri, and Law, and was certainly a double-edged sword in 2001 when he suspended Terry Glenn. This year, at least once he appears to have benched Gabriel, Dillon, and Seymour for parts of games. BB seems to personalize things in a way that's sometimes counterproductive. He needs to win the hearts of the players, but he's only won their minds.
Uninspired. There's no way that BB can light a fire under a team. He can make the best cerebral arguments in the world, but he's no Charlie Weis. BB brings intellect to the team; Brady brings charisma, but the team lacks someone to fire them up. BB knows his strengths, but I don't think he has a good grasp of his limitations.
While the Pats could still surprise us as they have before, the team appears tired, careless, and uninspired. Maybe BB is simply holding back, preparing all his weapons for the post-season, maybe the players can do it without BB as they did in Superbowl XLI, but based on the last few weeks I think we have every right to be concerned.
As great as BB is, he risks entering his declining years unless he accepts that football is evolving. As Bob Dylan said, "He who's not busy being born is busy dying." I think right now, BB's approach has several limitations:
Injuries. It's no secret that his approach to football always leaves the Pats with more injuries than other teams. After 5 years, it's more than coincidence that we suffer so many injuries. Perhaps we need a little more finesse and a little less hard hitting so that we can field more talent in any given game.
Paranoia. BB runs an insular organization. He's very secretive, doesn't bring in new blood to get fresh ideas, and believes everybody is expendable. While his approach worked for several years, it now appears teams have found ways to attack BB's system. Football like everything else evolves, and unless BB wants to be another Joe Gibbs, he better start paying more attention to what the "next" generation of coaches is doing. He should bring in people to challenge his thinking.
Holding grudges. For a guy who is a master of deception, his apparent anger at Mangini for trying to woo some Pats staff to the Jets is over the top. While that makes little difference to the Pats, this same kind of resentment may have cost us Branch, Vinatieri, and Law, and was certainly a double-edged sword in 2001 when he suspended Terry Glenn. This year, at least once he appears to have benched Gabriel, Dillon, and Seymour for parts of games. BB seems to personalize things in a way that's sometimes counterproductive. He needs to win the hearts of the players, but he's only won their minds.
Uninspired. There's no way that BB can light a fire under a team. He can make the best cerebral arguments in the world, but he's no Charlie Weis. BB brings intellect to the team; Brady brings charisma, but the team lacks someone to fire them up. BB knows his strengths, but I don't think he has a good grasp of his limitations.
While the Pats could still surprise us as they have before, the team appears tired, careless, and uninspired. Maybe BB is simply holding back, preparing all his weapons for the post-season, maybe the players can do it without BB as they did in Superbowl XLI, but based on the last few weeks I think we have every right to be concerned.