Has the NFL caught up with Belichick?

[shakadave]

Yet, when was the last time the Pats won a game due to his great defense or great gameplan?

Miami this year (goal line stops, etc.)
Baltimore last year

I see our defense as much better at the goal line than in the open field. And that's even after adjusting for the fact that goal line defense is different.

 

[Ron Sellers]

There is also the other angle for the frustration. Knowing that the best HC/QB combo's window is on the wrong side of the age / burnout curve, we have not done a single thing to improve the D. Bargain hunting (aka) veterans on wrong side of 30 usually works only for some time before the wheels start coming off, convenienty during play off games

see the issue is we are still a very good team with a HOF GOAT QB putting up record stats in offense only to see that our D lets it slip away in the last minute.

How many games int the recent past we lost with a lead in the first half. What happened to 60 mins of football ? Players are not executing on the field has a direct correlation to bargain hunting. 1 or 2 years of this is OK but how long is this gonna go ??

You get what you pay for ... :bricks:

ok now, rant done and I'm ready to take the lumps, bring it on

No lumps; that's a well thought, rational, logical opinion.
:rocker:

 

[iapatsfan]

I personally think the OP question is worded wrong. It should ask..."Has the NFL passed by BB?"
He has ignored the pass rush. He's been late to the party dealing with big WRs. He treats the running game as an inconvenience. His 2nd round defensive drafting has been schitzo and with the exception of Gronk, the surplus of #2s has yielded very little (I'm not getting all the Chung love except for ...he's the best they got). He doesn't scheme a pass rush. I'm not seeing any O line creativity to enhance the running game. Having just 1 TE on the active roster is gonna get Gronk killed. Expecting a bunch of aging war horse DT/DEs to last 16 games and create a pass rush in the 4th qtr defies logic. His coaching staff clearly takes a subserviant role.
I won't even touch the existing parts that were already on the team when BB arrived, but alot of those guys were the playmaker/difference makers for those great Ds. Where are the defensive difference makers now, despite having twice as many quality draft picks as any other team? How can this defense run by the great defensive guru that BB is, having so many extra #1s and #2s be this horrible.
Sorry...I'm not a hater. I love all the wins BB racks up. But I can can say this with a clear conscience...right now, It's all about Brady.

I think this is the best summary of BB I have seen on this board. The lack of playmakers on this team, given the quantity of draft picks, is hard to excuse. Also, I know BB is not calling the offensive plays on gameday, but the unwillingness to run the ball when the game calls for it is extremely frustrating. The pick that Brady through at the end of the first half was hard to take. Knowing how badly our D plays against the pass, why are we throwing the ball when we are up 21-7, Buffalo has 3 timeouts and there is a 1:30 left in the half? Run the ball, if for no other reason than to make Buffalo use their timeouts. With a couple of running plays we could have made it much more diffficult for Buffalo to come away with any more points in the first half, while almost assuring us coming away with additional points. That was a minimum of a 6 point swing.

Also, Do our guys get coached their pass rushing techniques, or is that all they have to offer? If you watch any given pass play against our D, you'll see a bunch of guys simply attempting to bull rush their blockers. Do we not have anyone that has the ability, or at least the willingness, to come around the edge? I see Anderson try once in awhile, but for the most part it's a bunch of guys attempting to bull rush with no success. Is this something they are coached? It's tough to watch our guys run straight in to offensive linemen and fight to a stalemate while the QB has all day to let his WR get down the field on our sorry DBs.

Finally, the one bright spot I saw yesterday was Ridley. He seemed MUCH more explosive than BJGE. I thought we could have, and should have used him much more than we did.

 

[mgteich]

I missed the part where the patriots lost more games than it won for the last five years. As I recall, we've been division winners for 8 of the last 10. Passed by Belichick my rear end.

Most beleive that Belichick is the best coach in the game, that the team is the best in the AFC, and that Belichick's drafting among the best in the nfl.

Of course, there are those who don't respect Belichick: jets fans and whining posters on pats mesage baords.

I think this is the best summary of BB I have seen on this board. The lack of playmakers on this team, given the quantity of draft picks, is hard to excuse. Also, I know BB is not calling the offensive plays on gameday, but the unwillingness to run the ball when the game calls for it is extremely frustrating. The pick that Brady through at the end of the first half was hard to take. Knowing how badly our D plays against the pass, why are we throwing the ball when we are up 21-7, Buffalo has 3 timeouts and there is a 1:30 left in the half? Run the ball, if for no other reason than to make Buffalo use their timeouts. With a couple of running plays we could have made it much more diffficult for Buffalo to come away with any more points in the first half, while almost assuring us coming away with additional points. That was a minimum of a 6 point swing.

Also, Do our guys get coached their pass rushing techniques, or is that all they have to offer? If you watch any given pass play against our D, you'll see a bunch of guys simply attempting to bull rush their blockers. Do we not have anyone that has the ability, or at least the willingness, to come around the edge? I see Anderson try once in awhile, but for the most part it's a bunch of guys attempting to bull rush with no success. Is this something they are coached? It's tough to watch our guys run straight in to offensive linemen and fight to a stalemate while the QB has all day to let his WR get down the field on our sorry DBs.

Finally, the one bright spot I saw yesterday was Ridley. He seemed MUCH more explosive than BJGE. I thought we could have, and should have used him much more than we did.

 

[aluminum seats]

This all seems more than a little reactionary. In the main, this is a pretty balanced, well-stocked team that is well-coached.

The key will be the performance of the D-line--Belichick brought in veterans because he feels a SB can be won this year. Those vets will have to produce for that to happen. Which isn't to say better schemes/coaching isn't needed on D--it's well past time for the Pats' defense to dial up the pressure.