AD talks, says he called in advance that he would be late, watched film at home

[MassPats38]

I agree that AD was flipping Belichick the bird with his comment. And since Belichick needs someone to make an example of, he will probably will do so. Belichick has run out of ways to improve the team with improving the quality of work by his coaching staff and he has failed to find other ways to motivate players. He has a team that cannot protect leads, cannot score in the second half, is ineffectivew in the red zone, and cannot win road games played in the US. He has run out of options. Making an example of Thomas might work. I think that Belichick is grasping at straws with his tactics this week, but I do understand his frustration and desparation.

Belichick KNOWS (or thinks he knows) that if this team were more motivated, and if his staff's coaching were bit better, then we might have won a couple of more games. Bewlichick KNOWS (or thinks he knows) that this team is talented enough to not only have won a couple of more game, but also to be competing for the playoff bye.

And the sad, sad thing is that I also believe that the issue has been coaching and finding ways to motivate the players (with 60% of you in a recent (poll) and I also believe that better coaching and leadership would have us competiting for the bye at this point. ANd leadership does start in the front office.

That, unfortunately, is the pure speculation the national media reps like Tom Jackson thrive on. Somehow, after being touted as a great coach a season after the loss of a franchise QB for an entire season and somehow finishing 11-5, the team is careening over the edge without brakes to stop it. That argument was wrong in 2003 after the loss to the Bills, and there is nothing to suggest it has suddenly become correct.

We, as fans, see a small fraction of what happens in the Patriots organization. Belichick is a tough coach and there are plenty of articles to support that conclusion, and Bruschi in his chat two days ago, as one who spent a long time with Belichick, said this response is not a surprise given his past responses. If that is true, Thomas broke the rules and was disciplined, not as some desperate need to find a sacrificial lamb, but as a response to an infraction. The only reason this is being discussed is Thomas's need to "clear the air" about the situation, the result of which we have a one-sided view of the situation as Belichick will not talk about it, a characteristic that is the hallmark of a good manager (praise publicly, punish privately).

It could well be that Belichick, without a strong veteran leadership core on the team and specifically because veterans are involved in the incident, has to do more himself in the way of a response. Never underestimate what Harrison, Bruschi or Vrabel did for player management. I suspect nobody would need a follow-up discussion when those three performed attitude adjustments. And, from Vrabel's comments when asked about playing on offense, it appears the three units are competitive and distinct, thus Brady cannot tell the defense how to behave with any success. And the defensive side does not have a huge coaching turnover from last season, so I would be surprised if the other defensive coaches have suddenly lost control.

The fact remains the defensive unit is losing games right now. Three TDs a game from the offense should get a win if the defense does its job. Winners would take that fact seriously. Belichick gives players the information needed to win, but he cannot win games for them, nor can he give players a winning attitude. That is an individual characteristic arising from personal pride and commitment to getting the job done. The defensive unit as a whole should be embarrassed by its performance on the field, and that should make it play angry and take the situation seriously. As such, the only tactic I see in sending players home is "after the way you played Sunday, you had better get here early and prepare adequately to avoid a repeat performance." If you find the response harsh, I would ask for an alternative approach. I do not think a group hug or Dr. Phil session is really going to get the desired result of increased focus or intensity.

 

[mgteich]

I generally agree with your comments. Nice analysis!

To me, Belichick could have been professional and imposed whatever fines and punishments for violation of team rules. If he believed (and could document) that these were part of a continuing pattern for Thomas, larger penalties are in order. This is way it works in the CBA environment. With regard to making Thomas inactive, Belichick is certainly the judge of whether Thomas is more valuable than Alexander as an OLB on game day.

You indicate the importance of veteran locker room leadership and imply that Belichick and the coaches are apparently incapable of installing heart and discpline. If this is indeed true, then he shouldn't have let Vrabel go. Seau clearly hasn't helped much. Vrabel, even as a backup OLB would have provide the needed leadership. One problem is that those who maight provide the leadership are either too young (Meriweather and Mayo) or on the last year of their contracts (Wilfork, Green and Bodden).

It is indeed interesting to me that the entire focus now seems to be on the defensive players. This is curious since so many posters blame coaching and the performance of the offense in the second half and the red zone.

That, unfortunately, is the pure speculation the national media reps like Tom Jackson thrive on. Somehow, after being touted as a great coach a season after the loss of a franchise QB for an entire season and somehow finishing 11-5, the team is careening over the edge without brakes to stop it. That argument was wrong in 2003 after the loss to the Bills, and there is nothing to suggest it has suddenly become correct.

We, as fans, see a small fraction of what happens in the Patriots organization. Belichick is a tough coach and there are plenty of articles to support that conclusion, and Bruschi in his chat two days ago, as one who spent a long time with Belichick, said this response is not a surprise given his past responses. If that is true, Thomas broke the rules and was disciplined, not as some desperate need to find a sacrificial lamb, but as a response to an infraction. The only reason this is being discussed is Thomas's need to "clear the air" about the situation, the result of which we have a one-sided view of the situation as Belichick will not talk about it, a characteristic that is the hallmark of a good manager (praise publicly, punish privately).

It could well be that Belichick, without a strong veteran leadership core on the team and specifically because veterans are involved in the incident, has to do more himself in the way of a response. Never underestimate what Harrison, Bruschi or Vrabel did for player management. I suspect nobody would need a follow-up discussion when those three performed attitude adjustments. And, from Vrabel's comments when asked about playing on offense, it appears the three units are competitive and distinct, thus Brady cannot tell the defense how to behave with any success. And the defensive side does not have a huge coaching turnover from last season, so I would be surprised if the other defensive coaches have suddenly lost control.

The fact remains the defensive unit is losing games right now. Three TDs a game from the offense should get a win if the defense does its job. Winners would take that fact seriously. Belichick gives players the information needed to win, but he cannot win games for them, nor can he give players a winning attitude. That is an individual characteristic arising from personal pride and commitment to getting the job done. The defensive unit as a whole should be embarrassed by its performance on the field, and that should make it play angry and take the situation seriously. As such, the only tactic I see in sending players home is "after the way you played Sunday, you had better get here early and prepare adequately to avoid a repeat performance." If you find the response harsh, I would ask for an alternative approach. I do not think a group hug or Dr. Phil session is really going to get the desired result of increased focus or intensity.

 

[emoney_33]

To me, Belichick could have been professional and imposed whatever fines and punishments for violation of team rules.

How was sending them home unprofessional? As Tedy said this sort of thing is normal punishment, AD is the one that cried to the media and we fans only see his one-sided story.

 

[MassPats38]

If this is indeed true, then he shouldn't have let Vrabel go.

It is indeed interesting to me that the entire focus now seems to be on the defensive players. This is curious since so many posters blame coaching and the performance of the offense in the second half and the red zone.

I don't know what the deal with Vrabel entailed. With Cassel franchised and an inability to make personnel decisions as a result of his salary, Belichick may have pulled the trigger too early understimating the market for Cassel. If that was the case, Pioli knew the value of Vrabel as a leader in the locker room, as well as Belichick's need to bring in younger players with an aging defense, and used Belichick's perception of the market to force the Vrabel deal. In hindsight, I don't think it was a great move in terms of ability or loss of leaders on this team.

As far as offense complaints, I suspect much of that has to do with expectations, specifically that this team broke offensive scoring records two years ago and is not on that track this year. Nobody would call it a bad offense by NFL standards. The offense should not be asked to put up 35 points each game if the team wants to win. I agree the offense has had some issues this season, but there are three phases to a game and one of those phases shouldn't be required to do it all on its own.

 

[mgteich]

We needed the cap space in order to go into the offseason. No one wanted to pay a 1st or even a #34 for Cassel alone without a new contract agreed to. The patriots couldn't afford to wait. The were forced to include Vrabel, wait, or take less for Cassel. The other issue was that Vrabel was due a large option bonus before March 1st, so any dealing of Vrabel had to happen before then.

I don't know what the deal with Vrabel entailed. With Cassel franchised and an inability to make personnel decisions as a result of his salary, Belichick may have pulled the trigger too early understimating the market for Cassel. If that was the case, Pioli knew the value of Vrabel as a leader in the locker room, as well as Belichick's need to bring in younger players with an aging defense, and used Belichick's perception of the market to force the Vrabel deal. In hindsight, I don't think it was a great move in terms of ability or loss of leaders on this team.

As far as offense complaints, I suspect much of that has to do with expectations, specifically that this team broke offensive scoring records two years ago and is not on that track this year. Nobody would call it a bad offense by NFL standards. The offense should not be asked to put up 35 points each game if the team wants to win. I agree the offense has had some issues this season, but there are three phases to a game and one of those phases shouldn't be required to do it all on its own.

 

[BradyManny]

I swear to god that most of you have never been out of your houses if you think that stuff doesn't just happen and no matter how you plan for it, things happen that throw it all out the window..

I swear to god, there are many of you who live in some fantasy world where no accidents happen or something.

You're missing the point - we've all been late because of accidents, snow or whatever - but the point is, we realize that in the real world, a lot of the time no one cares WHY you're late and excuses just don't cut it.

Belichick had put an emphasis on being there EARLY that day and had warned them about the weather. It's his prerogative as the boss whether how he is going to treat the people who were late. Given the context, Adalius should understand his punishment.