The Genius Of Having All Those Players Sit Out

By sitting out so many players, Belichick was able to test many more players. We don't have the key information. We don't know how well players performed their assignments. But, for me, this was one of the best preseason game ever, in that we learned a lot about our players.

Belichick found out a lot about several players on the offense.

GARAPPOLO
GIBSON
BOYCE
HARPER
GRAY
WHITE
BARKER
MASON
ANDREWS
JACKSON
FLEMING

Belichick needed to find out less with regard to the defense. However, he tested
BROWN
EASLEY
SHEARD
FLOWERS
GRISSOM
JOHNSON
JOHNSON
FREENY
MCCLAIN
FLETCHER
ROBERTS
RICHARDS

It's called trial by fire, at least for the offense who had no veretans to turn to for help.

Point taken, but not everything BB does is genius. The idea of using preseason games to test unproven players is adopted by virtually every team in the league.

This thread strikes me as painfully obvious.

Next up: BB uses training camp to evaluate players

Point taken. But starting 5 inexperienced linemen in front of Brady against a first team defense is risking being the opposite of genius.

Schmo said:

Point taken. But starting 5 inexperienced linemen in front of Brady against a first team defense is risking being the opposite of genius.

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Agreed. As I said before the game, I didn't think that there was any reason for Brady to play.

Not in the spirit of the game....

I will use your topic and give it another take.

Here are the players i want to see more of as preseason goes on.

Offense

White
Harper
Gibson
Andrews
Mason
Baker
Cadet

Defense

Johnson
Moore
Grissom
LBs not named Collins/Mayo/Hightower
Brown
Fletcher
Roberts
Richards
Wilson

Other guys i think
A) Vets I know what they are
B) young players while perhaps not perfect I am confident will be good to very good soon
C) inconsistent players who I know will be inconsistent and fight for a roster spot
D) Bad players and have no shot.

That's true, but not every team would start the game without their starting players. The Packers let their first team offense play the first half.

A lot of players were just plain injured and I bet Belichick thought it was wiser to just use all of the backups rather than mix and match the starters in with them.

I think this is really stretching the definition of 'genius'. Holding out injured players, and giving veterans little/no preseason time, is pretty much standard practice.

BobDigital said:

I will use your topic and give it another take.

Here are the players i want to see more of as preseason goes on.

Offense

White
Harper
Gibson
Andrews
Mason
Baker
Cadet

Defense

Johnson
Moore
Grissom
LBs not named Collins/Mayo/Hightower
Brown
Fletcher
Roberts
Richards
Wilson

Other guys i think
A) Vets I know what they are
B) young players while perhaps not perfect I am confident will be good to very good soon
C) inconsistent players who I know will be inconsistent and fight for a roster spot
D) Bad players and have no shot.

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I would add Jackson, especially if we hope to see him start at RG.

mgteich said:

I would add Jackson, especially if we hope to see him start at RG.

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I didn't add Jackson cause after what I have seen in him from practice vids and last game I have confidence he will be pretty solid. He will still has room to improve of course but i think he will get there.

I wasn't surprised at how BB ran that game...I was STUNNED at how bush league the Packers were however...Rodgers definitely tried to showboat the first four GB possessions, playing it like it was a playoff game. That's being a punk in someone else's house, especially Tom Brady's with the bullshyt HE"s been going through. Discount double dork..

Joker said:

I wasn't surprised at how BB ran that game...I was STUNNED at how bush league the Packers were however...Rodgers definitely tried to showboat the first four GB possessions, playing it like it was a playoff game. That's being a punk in someone else's house, especially Tom Brady's with the bullshyt HE"s been going through. Discount double dork..

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I saw it a little different. When they were playing hard and refusing to punt, I saw it as the best opening ps game I could rember until Boyce decided to ruin everything. lol