Old friend Jim Miller talks Patriots

[pats1]

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

July 05, 2006
Miller time

Former Patriots quarterback Jim Miller (2004) has been shining as a co-host on SIRIUS radio's NFL channel. He’s taken note of the public perception regarding the Patriots.

“I think people think their run is done,” Miller said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “For whatever the reason, people don’t seem to give them the respect they deserve. I think [Bill] Belichick likes it that way.

“What I’m hearing from callers is that they think the offseason losses of players like Willie McGinest, Adam Vinatieri and David Givens are too much to overcome. I beg to differ. No. 1, to me, is that they still have Tom Brady. And that’s a big thing to have.”

When Miller speaks of the Patriots, he often mentions the team’s coaching staff.

“I think Bill Belichick is one of the most adept situational coaches in the league. He knows situations and preaches them to his players, which makes for smart football. In my whole 12-year career, I never had a head coach in my offensive meetings every day, going over reads and coverages.”

Miller recalls one particular teaching point.

“One meeting, I’m in there with Tom [Brady] and Rohan [Davey] and Bill starts talking about ‘Detroit personnel’ -- that’s two tight ends, two receivers (split end, flanker) and a one-back grouping. And he asks us if we know why it’s called ‘Detroit personnel.’ He said every team he’d ever been with called it that.

"It was from when the Detroit Lions played the Patriots [in the 1970s] and introduced that personnel grouping and demolished them. He said that was really how two tight ends came into the NFL. I’ve never forgotten 'Detroit personnel.'”

Miller said he likes the Patriots to win the AFC East this season. He also listed four of the team's most pressing questions, which we'll pass along on Thursday.

Posted By: mreiss | Time: 01:41:39 PM

Remember that '2003 Pats playbook' from DaBearz.com? Go check out the 'personnel combinations' section. 'Detroit' is the second one there.

 

[mtbykr]

thanks

Good read, thanks!

 

[mgcolby]

Not to change the subject but does anyone know where/how that site got their hands on all those playbooks?

 

[pats1]

Not to change the subject but does anyone know where/how that site got their hands on all those playbooks?

No idea. The handwritten notes are all in the protection schemes though, so it could have originated from a 2003 offensive lineman.

Here's some more from Miller:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

July 06, 2006
4 questions

Former Patriots quarterback Jim Miller (2004), who works as a co-host on SIRIUS radio's NFL channel, lists his four most pressing questions facing his old club:

1) Is Corey Dillon going to rebound from last year?

"He had a down year. Injuries played a part in that, as did some of the offensive line changes. I'm wondering if he comes back with a chip on his shoulder and how much Laurence Maroney pushes him."

2) Is Rodney Harrison able to come back?

"There was a big dropoff when he went down, and you saw what Bill Belichick did, using 3-4 strong safeties in a span of weeks -- 'give me the next guy, the next guy, the next guy.' As a former teammate, I hope Rodney comes back. He's a great teammate, a big part of the defense's success. I love his passion for the game."

3) Who wins the battle of the kickers?

"I don't think Bill Belichick will be hesitant to go with [rookie Steve] Gostkowski. With [Martin] Gramatica, the question is how will he kick in the cold? We all saw him struggle his last year or so in Tampa."

4) Is Rosevelt Colvin ready for a full-time, full-season role at outside linebacker?

"It was a telling statement to me when they let [Willie] McGinest go. That must mean they feel Rosey is completely healthy now [from his 2003 hip injury]."

Posted By: mreiss | Time: 08:32:25 AM

 

[SeanBruschi54]

Wow great reads. Thanks a ton.

 

[ilduce06410]

floating playbooks

Not to change the subject but does anyone know where/how that site got their hands on all those playbooks?

as i understand it, playbooks are not all that hard to come by in the universe that revolves around the nfl.
coaches change teams. players change teams in midseason. GMs change teams. teams change systems. some fringe players, who might be on the rosters of 3 teams in a year, have 3 different playbooks at home. teams vary in their emphasis on collecting playbooks when a player is released. teams change nomenclature, signals, and plays themselves during the course of a season.
this came up some years back when a patriots player (brian holloway) was cut, signed with oakland, and then made a big deal of taking the patriots playbook with him.
couple of globe writers noted that virtually every patriot assistant coach, including OC and DC, had several hard copy playbooks from other teams on their bookcase. all the playbooks were from previous years. it's the same as in other industries.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

This just makes me really wish I had Sirius.

Sports radio in NE is just a cesspool 95% of the time. Yesterday when I desperately clicked off WEEI the alternative was Felger in full giggle mode about to do his now apparently weekly police blotter - which was going to revolve around some teams mascot being arrested.

Thank god in three weeks we'll have Mrs. B on the Pat's beat.

 

[Hoodie]

This is an interesting insight from Miller. I think Reiss deserves our props. He ALWAYS comes up with interesting tidbits and updates. Tomase's "blog" hasn't been updated in years. But even in the slow times Reiss comes up with something of interest for Pats fans.

I've seen him criticized for being pro-Patriot but I don't find him to be that way. He's just not overally negative as so many of them are.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I think Reiss deserves our props. He ALWAYS comes up with interesting tidbits and updates. Tomase's "blog" hasn't been updated in years. But even in the slow times Reiss comes up with something of interest for Pats fans.

I've seen him criticized for being pro-Patriot but I don't find him to be that way. He's just not overally negative as so many of them are.

Strongly agree. There was a very stupid thread in which some recently arrived member of the board (mercifully, I've forgotten who) was denying that MR was a particularly good Pats reporter. All I can say is: who else has stories like these in the dog days of summer?

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I guess you haven't noticed Tomase is doing double duty lately, so called Pats beat reporter and fill in any time I get a chance to sox guy - even traveling with the team in Florida this week which probably explains why they are 2-4 thus far on the trip.