idle thoughts - pre-TC epic edition

[patfanken]

@patfanken Is that Keshawn Martin you are referring to as a player who didn't buy in to the team concept? I was not aware of this...I heard his departure was injury related. Do you know something else?

One of the things I have always thought that BB believed in is that what he does with the Pats is not for everyone, and that doesn't make them bad football players or people. The list of players who "didn't buy in" or buy in long term, includesa number of really good players, but weren't right for HERE. When I wrote that remark I was thinking about Steve Martin, Adalius Thomas, Reggie Wayne, and more recently Jaime Collins, Chris Long and Dominik Easley. Keyshawn Martin never came to mind at all.

 

[Snooky97]

This thread has made my day. As a Youngish Pats Fan from UK ( Supported them Since 2005). It just makes me smile reading all of this knowledge from other Pats Fans. I think another massive thing to consider is the Fact TB12 love for the game. Look at him, he's like a rookie every season, just so excited to play the game.

Anyway, last two days in the U.S today! gutted i am going to miss the training camp whilst im flying home!

Anyway.... Lets goooo

 

[sean10mm]

As a side note, I think most coaches and GMs understand in theory what the Patriots are doing, but can't bring themselves to fully commit to it. They always want to make an exception for their guy, or are biased in favor of whatever scheme they're more comfortable running, and once you add up all the little exceptions you've drifted completely off course.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

If I had to pick one word to differentiate between the Patriots and other teams it would be "flexibility." What other team can morph between a run-heavy approach one week and a spread-them-out the next? What other team can morph between a 3-4 and a 4-3 depending on matchups that particular play?

Most teams pick one style and try to do it well. Belichick realizes that approach gives opposing coordinators too much to work with. Instead Belichick morphs his team into the one best suited for a particular opponent that week. It's all about match-ups, and that is what Belichick does best.

And Belichick is flexible on where the team should spend money too. For a while he didn't want to pay up for high-end corners - now those days are over. High-end pass rushers too expensive? Let's go instead with a cheaper mix of smaller, faster DEs and giant 2-gappers like Branch and Valentine.

 

[patfanken]

Here's an older article that goes into more depth about the Patriots advantage in how they call plays.

Speak My Language

"As the players and schemes have changed, it's the way the Patriots talk that's continued their offensive dominance"

"But what’s allowed New England to maintain its success among the shifts is that its quarterback and coach aren’t the only things that have remained the same. The core of the Patriots’ offensive system has been threaded through its various stages, both stabilizing the transitions and allowing the next evolution. The design and organization of New England’s system is better suited than any other to adapt to an NFL game in which change — of personnel, of trends, of schemes — is the only certainty."

This is a FANTASTIC find that is true today as it was in 2013. What is less important than the actual details of how plays are called, what's most important is the IMPACT of how language and communications can effect performance on the field and provide a distinct edge to the team that does it better.

The other ironic thing that came out of this story is that the edge the Pats have gotten from their use of semantics has NEVER been a secret. This is the stuff coaches spend hours talking about at clinics and meetings all through the year. EVERY football coach from Pop Warner to the NFL is ALWAYS looking for a better way to communicate more efficiently to their players. It was clear to some no name observer named Chris Brown who pointed it out in 2013. So why wouldn't others follow suit? I know I would.

A third thing I found interesting is the term "philosophically neutral" to describe how the language remains the same, regardless of what kind of emphasis your offense wants to take. Run heavy, pass heavy, deep passes, short passes, etc; the language doesn't change, so you can design your offense better to suit the talent available. It also partially explains how the Pats can change game plans to drastically from week to week.

At any rate, thanks for finding this, Sean. It should be a must read for all Pats fans who are interested in finding out more on why their team wins so much. I think if the link became a sticky so more people read it, it would make all of us smarter fans. I know I got a lot from it.

 

[sean10mm]

At any rate, thanks for finding this, Sean. It should be a must read for all Pats fans who are interested in finding out more on why their team wins so much. I think if the link became a sticky so more people read it, it would make all of us smarter fans. I know I got a lot from it.

Glad you like it.

The author, Chris B. Brown, has done a lot of good football writing. He has a website called Smart Football that he updates on a very irregular schedule as well.

He wrote an article on the Patriots defense in the lead-up to SB49.

The Great Defender

"Unlike the many coaches who identify with a particular style or tree, Belichick isn’t locked into a singular ideology. He seems to effortlessly shift between tactics from week to week, and he’s always bristled at attempts to neatly characterize his defenses, once calling the notion that he prefers a 3-4 defense a “media fabrication.” For Belichick, there are no pure defensive systems, only objectives and constraints and a hyperrational evaluation of each"

 

[jimnance]

Great thread. Really enjoyed it. Very rare I read every post in a thread but I did with this and was worth it.
Thanks Ken, for another great post. But also sean10mm,Borg,Bob digital and a few others with some good stuff.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

I always liked this story summarizing a keynote address Belichick gave where he explains the differentiators he looks for. In short: complete and utter passion and commitment to football; it's hard to film study, practice, learn, etc. if you don't really love what you do.

Belichick's keynote address: Passion plus

 

[JayNM]

Always a great piece. Thank you, Ken.

 

[sportnik]

This is a FANTASTIC find that is true today as it was in 2013. What is less important than the actual details of how plays are called, what's most important is the IMPACT of how language and communications can effect performance on the field and provide a distinct edge to the team that does it better

I love that article. It provides so much context for the Pats success under BB. I can't imagine rooting for a team that doesn't use some form of the EP offensive system.

The other gem that I've stumbled across on the internet are clips from a coaching clinic that BOB gave while he was at Penn State. It's an overused cliche, but the Pats have evolved the Erhardt-Perkins system to a game of chess where more times than not, there will be an answer to whatever the defense is trying to do. The key to the whole system is having a highly intelligent and accurate QB.

I wouldn't be surprised to see EP based offenses dominate the NFL for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, the Krafts see this and will ensure BBs successor comes out of his coaching tree.

Here are a couple clips:

 

[patfanken]

I love that article. It provides so much context for the Pats success under BB. I can't imagine rooting for a team that doesn't use some form of the EP offensive system.

The other gem that I've stumbled across on the internet are clips from a coaching clinic that BOB gave while he was at Penn State. It's an overused cliche, but the Pats have evolved the Erhardt-Perkins system to a game of chess where more times than not, there will be an answer to whatever the defense is trying to do. The key to the whole system is having a highly intelligent and accurate QB.

I wouldn't be surprised to see EP based offenses dominate the NFL for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, the Krafts see this and will ensure BBs successor comes out of his coaching tree.

Here are a couple clips:

Thanks for finding these clips. As much fun as it is to write these threads, what I enjoy even better is when they provoke insights and information that ADD to my understanding of the game in general and this team in particular.

That's the idea behind them. Offer some personal observations AND get others to add to the discusson, with the end result being, everyone is smarter for the experience. I can only hope that more insights are on the way.

BTW- A slight distinction - I think the greatest impact from the E-P offensive approach are NOT the plays, but the language. The system itself, as E and P ran it, was very conservative. However its the terminology, the language, that is the lasting legacy of "the system".

 

[rochrist]

Dave Gettleman got fired for trying to instill financial discipline because players weren't getting their big contracts for their declining years. Too many hurt fee fees.

John Idzik got fired after digging the Jets out of cap salary hell. Granted, he was the worst drafter in recent memory, but two years later they were right back in cap salary hell.
Other teams can't be the Pats because the owners are, by and large, impatient morons.

Which ought to generate at least a few kind thoughts for Kraft.