Tom Curran's Top 100 Plays of the Belichick Era

Fencer · Jun 15, 2016

Overstated -- but yeah, that one was on my short list, as posted above.

IllegalContact said:
all of these plays are insignificant

next to one play

Kontradiction · Jun 15, 2016

What about Brady to Gaffney in the back of the end zone to ice the Ravens game in 2007 and preserve the undefeated record?

Kontradiction · Jun 15, 2016

Speaking of the Ravens, the Brady to Lafell rainbow in the 2014 divisional round was probably one of the best throws I've ever seen. Also from that season, Brady to Edelman against the Seahawks on 3rd and 14 to pretty much save the Super Bowl.

bresna · Jun 15, 2016

IllegalContact said:
all of these plays are insignificant

next to one play

Wow, look at that skinny line for the sideline boundary. When did they mandate the wide line?

jmt57 · Jun 15, 2016

IllegalContact said:
all of these plays are insignificant

next to one play

Maybe, maybe not.

I think BB would have pulled the plug on Bledsoe in favor of Brady within a game or two at the most even without that hit and injury.

ctpatsfan77 · Jun 15, 2016

Two underrated ones IMO:

* Gostkowski's 50-yarder against San Diego in the playoffs to get the Pats off the schneid. Yeah, it took a lot more to win that game, but IMO without that kick the Pats probably lose by double digits.

* Matt Cassel's first completed pass after taking the reins, the rainbow to Moss.

IllegalContact · Jun 16, 2016

jmt57 said:
Maybe, maybe not.

I think BB would have pulled the plug on Bledsoe in favor of Brady within a game or two at the most even without that hit and injury.

you have zero basis for this....they had just signed him to a huge deal

IllegalContact · Jun 16, 2016

Fencer said:
Overstated -- but yeah, that one was on my short list, as posted above.

It's the only one that impacts the rest of them

1960Pats · Jun 16, 2016

Noexcusesfornumber5 said:
I agree that the Butler play was big, however, it pales in comparison to any of the plays that happened in 2001.

Troy Brown's punt return (his catch against the Giants back in the Parcells days is something I'll never forget)
Brady TD in the Snow Bowl
The Wiggins Catch, Juke, and Run
The Kick
The Kick, Part 2
JR Redmond catch and run, followed by Troy getting out of bounds
The Kick, Part 3

Hell, Troy Brown alone should have a bunch of plays in this list. Who can forget his strip against the Chargers in a rematch of the game mentioned by Curran.

Or the BS OPI in the 06 AFC Championship game. When they called it, I freaking knew we were in trouble. Nobody covering Reche, turns into an obvious DPI in the corner on the next play. No points.

Any mention of 4th and two needs an asterisk. He made the first down. I never wanted to believe that the commentators had influence on the game. Al Michaels was screaming that he was juggling it, which is not true. He cleared the marker by at least a yard, and was pushed back. It obviously didn't cost us the SB, but, we would have had an easier path that year.

I can't accept that The Butler Did It pales in comparison to any defensive play in NFL history or most of the plays you listed. This one was do or die at a time when the Pats were being dragged over the coals by the NYJFL.

It was actually Redmond who made the sensational play to get out of bounds. JR had to do some serious work to get out after he cut inside the first defender. All Troy had to do was run it out with nobody on him.

As for the 4th and 2, that was all on Belichick and Brady. On third and 2 they passed the ball and then burned their last TO. When they passed the ball again on 4th down they were left with more than 2 minutes left, no TO and no chance at a replay. Going for it on 4th down turned it into a multi-dumbentional play.

1960Pats · Jun 16, 2016

IllegalContact said:
you have zero basis for this....they had just signed him to a huge deal

Signing a player to a contract makes him easier to trade.

When Belichick first arrived here I got a call from my good friend the Browns fan. He insisted that BB was going to dump Bledsoe.

IllegalContact · Jun 16, 2016

1960Pats said:
Signing a player to a contract makes him easier to trade.

When Belichick first arrived here I got a call from my good friend the Browns fan. He insisted that BB was going to dump Bledsoe.

ya well....I got a cousin of a friend of a guy who sells me lottery tickets that says something different

in other words, that's just as baseless......BB 'was going to' nothing....that's just yakkin'

jmt57 · Jun 16, 2016

IllegalContact said:
you have zero basis for this....they had just signed him to a huge deal

I wouldn't frame that opinion as having zero basis. I definitely recall from either Halberstam's Education of a Coach or possibly Holley's Patriot Reign that Belichick was extremely close to making Brady the starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2001 season. From talking to those I knew who were at training camp and many of the longtime forum members here, the consensus was that Brady far outperformed Bledsoe that summer. In the final 18 regular season games prior to his injury, Bledsoe quite frankly did not look the least bit special.

As far as the Bledsoe contract goes, that was all Kraft - not Belichick. Also, if the contract was such an important part of the decision making then Bledose would have been back under center as soon as he was ready to resume play after the injury.

1960Pats · Jun 17, 2016

IllegalContact said:
ya well....I got a cousin of a friend of a guy who sells me lottery tickets that says something different

in other words, that's just as baseless......BB 'was going to' nothing....that's just yakkin'

Just yakkin is what you're doing when you claim that nobody knows if Belichick was going to dump Bledsoe. I gave you an example of someone who called it a year earlier.

IllegalContact · Jun 17, 2016

1960Pats said:
Just yakkin is what you're doing when you claim that nobody knows if Belichick was going to dump Bledsoe. I gave you an example of someone who called it a year earlier.

you gave me hearsay and nothing more......it is not an example at all

IllegalContact · Jun 17, 2016

jmt57 said:
I wouldn't frame that opinion as having zero basis. I definitely recall from either Halberstam's Education of a Coach or possibly Holley's Patriot Reign that Belichick was extremely close to making Brady the starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2001 season. From talking to those I knew who were at training camp and many of the longtime forum members here, the consensus was that Brady far outperformed Bledsoe that summer. In the final 18 regular season games prior to his injury, Bledsoe quite frankly did not look the least bit special.

As far as the Bledsoe contract goes, that was all Kraft - not Belichick. Also, if the contract was such an important part of the decision making then Bledose would have been back under center as soon as he was ready to resume play after the injury.

more guess work.......hindsight makes this **** easy, huh?

jmt57 · Jun 17, 2016

IllegalContact said:
more guess work.......hindsight makes this **** easy, huh?

????

You may want to dust off your copy of Education of a Coach, if you own a copy.

IllegalContact · Jun 20, 2016

jmt57 said:
????

You may want to dust off your copy of Education of a Coach, if you own a copy.

didn't that book also say that BB would not go after players like..... Randy Moss?

jmt57 · Jun 20, 2016

IllegalContact said:
didn't that book also say that BB would not go after players like..... Randy Moss?

Not sure what that has to do with the topic of Belichick's decision to make Brady the starting quarterback.

Kontradiction · Jun 20, 2016

IllegalContact · Jun 20, 2016

jmt57 said:
Not sure what that has to do with the topic of Belichick's decision to make Brady the starting quarterback.

it came from the same book......so it's not like the book is all that accurate.....but believe what you want.......hindsight is on your side

Tom Curran's Top 100 Plays of the Belichick Era

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