Hey hey hey I can get behind what Shirtsleeve is saying here. I mean, on a sentimental level.
Look at it this way - the Pats are still winning the same way, zigging when they're supposed to zag, out-thinking the bad guys. It just so happens that there's more copying in this league than at your local Kinkos (right down to the Texans taking a Lineman instead of a purported once-in-a-decade running back.)
You think that happens in a vacuum? Uh-uh. The Pats, and their evil twins in Pixburgh, made it happen. Now, with the Pats stocked at the all-important 2-gap D lineman positions, everybody else hustles to copy the 3-4. Okay, not Houston... but picking the stud lineman first, how Belickick is that?
So here's where being who the Pats are really comes out: The Pats aren't just about a formula. Hell, the Pats' D, when it's hitting on all cylinders, looks mildly like Blitzburg one week, like a mainly 4-3 team, then like a bizarro universe team that sends in 8 DBs.
That's what the Pats do, make the most of every opportunity. It happens that the opportunities were on the offensive side of the ball this time around.
The Pats are a lunch-pail team, you never have to worry about that. And part of being a lunch-pail team is adapting to every circumstance. You're not a star, that does one thing well, and that needs to be coddled in that role. You are at work, and will complete "other duties as assigned."
You better believe that goes for our new toys too. I firmly believe the value chips fell mainly in the order you see reflected in this draft. When New Orleans was picking, the plan was not unfolding, but perhaps the readiness. By the time the Pats were up, they had to pick between reaching (!) for the best receiver in the draft, or taking the second best running back (a steal.) Then they got the receiver anyway!
I'm not too choked up that Chad Greenway won't be a Patriot, with this haul. And maybe, just maybe, it says something about what BB sees in our much maligned D - that TBC is ready to step it up, at least enough to be a solid starter. You don't replace and replicate from last season, just like you don't play the same D two games in a row, in Belichick's world.
That's for teams that don't always have "smart, aggressive, versatile" on the scouting report for every pick they get.
That's how the Pats are different - and the moment you pin them down as Defense First, Grind it Out, No Exceptions, you've lost a part of what they are.
PFnV
PS, we're still not going to the house every play. Relax. This seems geared to make red zone possessions actually yield touchdowns, not a bid for Indy-style "Triplets."
