I am going to mildly counter this morning's big takes on the greatness of Belichick and the Patriots defense. People are saying Edelman didn't deserve MVP and that the D and Belichick gave an all-time great performance. I'm going to be a contrarian.
1. Someone posted the stat last night that the Rams and Goff were absolutely abysmal this year against zone defenses. Like, PUTRID. Give Belichick all the credit for knowing that, but essentially he saw what several coaches saw. The Rams were solved this year. Horrible against the zone. Does Belichick get credit for this? He is incredibly smart and a great preparer so I wouldn't expect anything less than him knowing the Rams' achilles heel.
2. Jared Goff can't read a zone defense. This is a credit to the Patriot coaches. But it is also really down to the fact that Goff is young and got solved. The NFL solves you--they figure you out. Next year the Rams are going to suffer--they will be exploited, until Goff figures out what to do against zones. This is a testament to QBs like Brady and Manning and the like who consistently, year-after-year, find ways to play well and win--against ALL defenses.
3. People are saying Wade Phillips is kryptonite to Brady. I thought the Patriots worst enemy was their respect for the Rams' pass rush, and after that first INT, Brady played it in safe mode. He was relying on getting the ball out early. The Rams were jamming the Patriots receivers and throwing the timing off. The 4th quarter showed you what should have been happening all game.
4. Tony Romo was absolutely right that the Rams had no business being in the game at all. Brady's INT, Gost's missed FG, the two near INTs Goff there (one tipped by Simon, Hightower drop). Patriots should have won 26-3!
5. I get why people want to give the MVP to Gilmore or Hightower. Personally, I thought the D-line was even better than Gilmore. Hightower's pass rush maybe deserved it. BUT, I do think much of this success was due to Goff's ineptitude. He doesn't know what to do against zones. He drops way back. Deer in the headlights. I don't want to take anything away from Gilmore's play BUT--if I were told that any of the Patriots would miss the Super Bowl before it was played even, I would say first, "I hope it's not Brady." My second? Edelman. I don't know who of the Patriots receivers could do anything out there other than maybe Gronk, but Gronk is limited. In other words, the Patriots don't hold onto the ball, T.O.P., without Edelman. He was otherworldly out there. He put the DBs on skates with his nifty cat-like moves, he was like Kemba Walker doing a step back out there. I get why Edelman's short passes that he turns into 15 yard gains aren't sexy compared to the work of the D. BUT--did you see his moves? He has an incredible skill in his arsenal. I think he's unguardable. Without him, the Patriots are a popgun offense. Losing Gilmore would hurt badly, but I sit Gilmore before Edelman. Edelman played lights out, and he is more valuable. Say JC Jackson replaces Gilmore against Brandin Cooks and he gives up 2 big pass plays for 60 yards. Say that gives the Rams an extra TD. So the final score is 13-10. BUT--how much do the Patriots score without Edelman?
Edelman is my MVP.
