Jim Donaldson talks with Raymond Berry

[Box_O_Rocks]

http://www.projo.com/sports/jimdonaldson/projo_20060102_02jdcol.87351c4.html

But Berry didn't hesitate to point out that the best coaching move in franchise history was Kraft's hiring of Bill Belichick.

"It wasn't necessarily logical at the time by a lot of standards," Berry said, "but it shows that Robert knew something that nobody else did."

Although Belichick has led the Patriots to back-to-back championships, and three Super Bowl victories in the last four years, Berry feels Bill's best coaching job may have been this year.

"This team has overcome severe, serious, crucial injuries," Berry said. "Players keep coming in, and they keep on winning. It's a remarkable achievement. I don't think I've seen the like of it since I've been watching the game."
----
He talked yesterday about a striking parallel between what happened in Baltimore in the mid-50s and the present-day Patriots.

Quarterback George Shaw was the Colts' first-round draft choice in '55, when Berry also came into the league. Shaw stepped right in as the starter and was named Rookie of the Year. The following year, Colts coach Weeb Ewbank brought in a free agent by the name of Unitas.

"Weeb recognized John had something special," said Berry, "but he couldn't put him in as the starter after Shaw had been Rookie of the Year. Then, in our fourth game of the year, we were playing the Bears in Chicago and Shaw tore up his knee. He was out for the season. That was Unitas' first NFL action. I remember the first pass he threw went 56 yards for a touchdown. Unfortunately, he threw it to J.C. Caroline, who was a defensive back for the Bears. The point was, as I look back on it, that it didn't rattle him."

Like Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, an unheralded, sixth-round draft pick whose chance to shine came when franchise QB Drew Bledsoe was injured in the second game of the 2001 season, Unitas was blessed with the intangibles that Berry says make a great QB.

"Toughness is first on the list," Berry said. "Leadership is another. Then confidence and competitiveness. You see players who have the skills, but don't get to the highest level because they don't have those intangibles."

Brady has all those things, in addition to an uncanny ability to read defenses and deliver the ball quickly and accurately -- in large part because of his dedication to preparation.

"He's all business," Berry said. "There's no telling how much game film he watches. He's one of the most-prepared quarterbacks in the NFL."

No team in the NFL is better prepared than Belichick's Patriots.

 

[fillip]

The teams I've been watching this year most closely have been the Patriots and the Chargers. It seems instructive to compare the two. The Chargers came into the season with, presumably, every reason for high hopes. But they stumbled when their star, Lt, was injured and could not sustain his high level of play. The Pats, on the other hand, have sustained crucial loss after crucial loss. Who knows how they will fare in the post season, but they had every reason to write off this year and just getting to the post season seems a tremendous achievement.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Coaching fillip, and veteran leadership, two critcal elements to keeping the younger guys focused on the job - winning football games. It was a travesty that San Diego lost to Miami, good for us and an embarrassment to them.