Dimitroff on BB and 'system specific scouting'

[SVN]

Once the Patriots formula for success gets spread throughout the league via people like Dimitroff, Pioli and McDaniels, I wonder if it will compromise the Pats' competitive advantage.

well, the league evolves and BB is always receptive to change .for e.g. you look and listen to all these analysts they keep saying the same thing for the past 9 yrs i have know the game "Run the ball and stop the run".
Yet pts are scored in the passing game now with the rule change and all that everyone needs a QB to throw the ball to have a game winning drive.
BB's transformation of the offense is a great example from what it was in 2000 to 2009 and i bet he didnt envision it to be like that.
the more the teams adapt to change and evolve and innovate the more they will be successful and no one is better than BB in innovation.
The one thing which remains to be seen is the uncapped league situation which really could change the economics of how the pats want to operate and if teams will just buy players out.

 

[Metaphors]

I'm not sure thats true. How many years have the Pats, Colts, Eagles, Steelers, etc, been sitting at or near the top of the league?

The Eagles had a 5 year run (2000-2004) that just happened to coincide with a severe downturn in the NFC East. They were very good but never quite complete enough to win a championship. They have been fairly ordinary since their Super Bowl run.

The Steelers are a roller coaster. Two years up, one year back. Hardly "at the top of the league", even during their Super Bowl run. Outside of 2001 and 2004 (jury still out on 2008), who considered the Steelers a powerhouse? Their system is good enough to stay competitive long-term, but not at an elite level.

The Colts are interesting in that their run got going when they joined the AFC South. Particularly on offense, they have owned the division which generally gives them lots of room for error. While the Colts obviously have been an elite team, they were fortunate to be in the perfect division for them...low scoring and weather neutral. They are only 7-6 in the playoffs during this time and are a 2nd half miracle from being 5-7 with the "Goober is the best QB never to reach the Super Bowl" conversation ongoing.

As for 2008, I don't think people realize how close the Colts were to being out of it. Their margins in their first 8 wins were 3, 4, 28 (Ravens just didn't show up), 3, 4, 6, 3 and 4. Give them credit for pulling out wins, but I don't think Dungy has left the cupboard quite as full as he thinks.

The system is supposed to push teams back towards the middle, but I'm not sure it actually does that.

You are correct that a few teams seem to be able to keep their heads above water (.500 record) and a few teams can't get out of their own way. That doesn't mean the system isn't pulling them back to the middle. Worst to first is pretty common and even the Colts (outside of fortune smiling on them in the 2006 playoffs) are regressing to the mean.

Even the Pats feel this pull but Belichick seems to be able to resist it. Is there any reason to believe that the Pats won't be prohibitive favorites to win it all in 2009? Just like 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. That is a 5 year run on the heels of winning 2 Super Bowls. The next real test for the system will be when Brady and/or Belichick move on.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Tubby must have done a good job of selling that to Lerner. I wonder if he blamed this season's debacle on Favre and stressed to Lerner that he never wanted him and argued to keep Pennington.

I liked this bit from the Lombardi stuff:

"There is no way to guarantee Pioli will be a success. The longtime Bill Belichick right-hand man might be as fraudulent as Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, Eric Mangini and the other Belichick clones who failed once they left the Patriots coach’s shadow and cashed in. I like Pioli — a lot. He’s young, confident, disciplined, smart and he’s certainly been in the right organization. But when it comes to the Patriots and success, we just don’t know where Belichick ends and everybody else begins. The Patriots are like the Jackson 5, and Belichick is Michael Jackson. Crennel and Weis proved to be Tito and Jackie."

Word. History tells us there are NO guarantees when it comes to former Patriots. Being successful here in NE is NOT necessarily an automatic fast track to success everywhere else, though other teams don't seem to buy into that fact yet. I think Pioli will be a big asset to KC but I agree with Lombardi-nothing's written in stone.

I think whatever happens here in NE now,after finally losing Pioli, will shed a lot of light on the Patriot organization and how it TRULY ticks. opcorn:

Good article,thanks!