What does BB do at half time, and why doesn't he do it sooner?

[Patters]

I really can't see BB delivering the sort of pep talk at half time that going to change a bad team into a good one, but he surely does something. What can he possibly do in the short half time break that he can't do sooner?

 

[tobias funke]

"Halftime adjustments" are embellished a little bit. Many players/coaches have said that if you wait until halftime to make adjustments, you've got a problem.

Anyways, I think you're underestimating Belichick's coaching abilities. Getting the team to play better when they're not is literally his job description. I can only assume he knows how to hit the right notes at the right time a vast majority of the time.

 

[Ron Sellers]

I think the adjustments are ongoing throughout the entire game. In one of last week's interviews he talked about how throughout the entire game he is discussing with BOB, Patricia and the line coaches what happened on the last play, what can we do to counteract that next time, etc. For example a week ago against Denver and before that in Philadelphia you saw the adjustments and turnaround prior to the halftime break.

The biggest adjustment I noticed was that the Pats were having trouble with Miami rushing more defenders (six or seven on many occasions); an extra blocker wasn't working so they then counteracted that pass rush by spreading the receivers wider, and that did work.

From what I read the players were issued a 'challenge' at halftime, so I get the feeling that this was an exception where they were indeed motivated with a few choice words that would never make it onto broadcast television.

 

[borg]

They went five wide after the half. This adjustment made Miami choose between single coverage/pass rush or flooding the secondary/4 DL. With a substantial lead, Miami became conservative. With the pass rush now limited, the pressure was off the O line and Brady became comfortable....his throwing mechanics returned...and the rest is history.

While watching that beat down in the first half, I kept thinking that at these moments, a #1 burner/big WR would force safety/CB coverage and eliminate one more pass rusher. Plus our receivers were sitting in space instead of crossing patterns. Just one successful crossing pattern for good yardage would be more effective than 6 yd stop and turn patterns in front of the zone.

Lesson to opponents...never stop pressuring Brady. He is the ultimate mechanics passer.

PS...who ever thought Matt Light was so important to the offense

 

[Wax Frog]

I guess what Patters is getting at is, why is it that the flat play always seems to last roughly one half? It's been a pattern (no wordplay intended). Is 25-30 minutes - or perhaps the average number of drives that happen in that span - some sort of 'magic' threshold for sufficient intel gathering?

 

[LetsGoPats36]

Makes adjustments and he doesn't do them sooner because he hasn't seen what the opposition is going to do for a full half or had much time to talk to other coaches yet

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I think yesterday the adjustments were largely internal as in gut check and the players probably through the core leaders challenged each other to get their heads out of their asses and play like potential champions... I wouldn't doubt that Bill didn't have a few choice words for their effort as a group, but I think it was the potential outcome staring them in the face that drove the turnaround almost like the proverbial light switch clicking on.

That is what both Brady and Welker (who was pretty hard on himself in assessing the first half offensive performance) seemed to articulate. You can only coach 'em so far and it comes down to players on both sides of the ball consistently winning their individual matchups and stepping up to make plays.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

I guess what Patters is getting at is, why is it that the flat play always seems to last roughly one half? It's been a pattern (no wordplay intended). Is 25-30 minutes - or perhaps the average number of drives that happen in that span - some sort of 'magic' threshold for sufficient intel gathering?

Flat play isn't about scheme, it's about intensity and focus and executing consistently.

 

[BingoBrown]

Because one has to see the thrust before they can parry.

 

[Tunescribe]

I really can't see BB delivering the sort of pep talk at half time that going to change a bad team into a good one, but he surely does something. What can he possibly do in the short half time break that he can't do sooner?

Here's what happened: losing Light and Mankins threw the offensive line into disarray. The protections were all messed up and hence the offensive game plan had to be adjusted on the fly. That's why things were so out of sync in the first half. They finally got settled down in that area and amazingly scored enough points to win with some timely help from the defense. The coaching staff deserves HUGE credit for this win, but the offense would've been more productive in the first half with Light and Mankins in place as planned.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

I really can't see BB delivering the sort of pep talk at half time that going to change a bad team into a good one, but he surely does something. What can he possibly do in the short half time break that he can't do sooner?

It's not what BB does at half time, it's what Ernie Adams does at halftime.

Actually, I think someone here hit it on the head. They all go in the locker room and are basically all in there together as a group (instead of congregating in specialty groups on the sideline). Here, the veterans and core leaders can make direct challenges to the group and inspire them to "do better".

I'm sure this happens in "most" if not all locker rooms, but in this particular locker room, the message resonates and people pick up their play. I think this is a group that honestly believes that no lead is insurmountable and no odds to great.

As frustrating of a team as it is to watch at times, it's one of the things that makes this group so special. Sure, the defense isn't the most talented, and gives up some boneheaded plays, but damn if they don't have the heart of a champion and the offense can turn from mediocre to all-world inside of 2-3 plays.

It's one of the funnest rides I can remember.

 

[cavtroop]

Dont forget the DEN game where we made those adjustments about 12 mins in or so, and didn't wait for half time.

 

[RayClay]

I really can't see BB delivering the sort of pep talk at half time that going to change a bad team into a good one, but he surely does something. What can he possibly do in the short half time break that he can't do sooner?

Adjust to what the other team did in the first half, McFly?

 

[Wax Frog]

Flat play isn't about scheme, it's about intensity and focus and executing consistently.

Which leaves the core of my question unanswered - why always roughly a quarter to a half [amending my statement after reviewing recent games]? During the current win streak, whenever things looked grim early, I've increasingly been unable to shake the feeling that a different Pats team, particularly on offense, would come out in the second half. It's happened several times, and it's bizarre for its obviousness. I can't recall ever seeing this degree of contrast in the quarter century (!!! ) I've been following the Pats, never a squad win games so... weirdly... As if a switch is being flipped (on more than one occasion, I've gotten chuckles and 'likes' in gameday threads for my little joke about the offense finally going into Surgery Mode...)

Adjust to what the other team did in the first half, McFly?

This, along with the posts about "everyone getting together in one room and being rallied by the leaders", and maybe the effect of the hurry up, are the answers I'll embrace until/unless someone comes up with more specifics

 

[Wax Frog]

I know stats can be misleading, and it's possible I misplaced a number somewhere, but just to kill time and satisfy my curiosity I did up a table showing the scoring differential vs. opponents for each of the last seven games:

1st qtr. Last 3 qtrs.
..6................21
.-3................31
.-3................21
..3.................4
..4.................3
.-6................24
-17...............20

I suspect a chart broken down by number of possessions might be more telling, but it'd be a beast to look up for a lazy holiday frog

 

[Fencer]

It's different every year. Some years the Patriots seem to score a TD on most opening drives; other years the drives usually fizzle. For a while some years ago the always seemed to score on the last drive of the first half. We've suffered for a while with the team building significant leads and melting down; now it's almost the opposite.

It's possible that none of these mini-trends require an explanation deeper than "small sample size."

 

[Lavictoire]

At least they are making adjustments this year as opposed to not doing so in the playoff game against the Jets!

 

[mrscruff]

Belichick lockerroom blast woke up Patriots | National Football Post

“It’s probably not even legal for me to say it right now, so I won’t,” said linebacker and captain Jerod Mayo of Belichick's speech via the Boston Herald. “I’m not even going to censor it. Too many bleeps. But just know, we needed to come out and play better.”

 

[CheeseMonkeys]

Just goes to show how important it is to know the schemes and gameplan. It was the injuries that threw us off. The offensive line must play tough if we want to run the ball well or give Brady enough time to make plays. I wouldn't be opposed to the Patriots drafting another offensive lineman in one of the first few rounds next year for a little more cushion.

 

[Joker]

Belichick lockerroom blast woke up Patriots

I thought using illegal drugs was a no-no in the NFL???