This loss is mostly on the coaches

[1960Pats]

I've always believed that coaches don't win games, players do. Coaches can only lose them. This game was a great example.

First let's start with the play call on 3rd down from the 4 yard line with a two point lead and under a minute left. If the Pats go for the TD there and succeed the game is over, end of story. However, rather than go for the win they run the ball on a day when they can barely eek out a couple of yards and concede the TD. All to gain what, 20 seconds off the clock for just a 5 point lead?

Then there's the absolute stupidity of using the hail mary defense against a QB who's so gimpy that he can barely get any pass off, let alone one of 75 yards. I bet half the fans here knew that they weren't going to throw a bomb there.

I'm sure there were other boneheaded decisions by the coaches but those two stuck out to me. Feel free to point out any that I missed here.

 

[sambam94]

disagree with the first..yes a TD wins it, but you can't risk an incompletion there. It's more like 40 seconds not 20. Mia had 7 seconds left from their own 30..that was played perfectly.
Gronk in on last play was stupid...agreed

 

[Jimke]

I've always believed that coaches don't win games, players do. Coaches can only lose them. This game was a great example.

First let's start with the play call on 3rd down from the 4 yard line with a two point lead and under a minute left. If the Pats go for the TD there and succeed the game is over, end of story. However, rather than go for the win they run the ball on a day when they can barely eek out a couple of yards and concede the TD. All to gain what, 20 seconds off the clock for just a 5 point lead?

Then there's the absolute stupidity of using the hail mary defense against a QB who's so gimpy that he can barely get any pass off, let alone one of 75 yards. I bet half the fans here knew that they weren't going to throw a bomb there.

I'm sure there were other boneheaded decisions by the coaches but those two stuck out to me. Feel free to point out any that I missed here.

A good summation of the situation. Why was a gimpy Gronkowski in there instead
of a healthy McCourty. Most fans in this forum are loathe to direct the blame to BB.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Agree on both counts, though the final play was about 1000x worse than the decision to kick a field goal. I also wanted them to run one more time and go for the TD, with field position as a huge consolation. But I understand the flip side. On the final play, no professional, collegiate, or high school coach should ever use that personnel of just replacing McCourty with Gronk. One of the dumbest play calls ever. They would have been better served with a full on kick/punt return unit than that pathetic grouping.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Playing for the FG there was perfectly fine, given the time remaining and Miami out of timeouts. Even moreso after a beautifully-executed squib kick.

Problem was having Gronk (or any offensive player) in there when you know the ball isn't going to the endzone and therefore speed, pursuit, and tackling skills are all-important.

 

[Bonzo]

The final defensive playcall was downright abysmal, no question. And I don't think Gronk deserves very much of the blame for that. (But not zero percent, either - maybe like 5%?) But I think, had the last play gone differently, we'd all be celebrating the "headiness" of exchanging 4 points for 40 seconds of clock. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the percentages agree with the decision to rush there: either go up by 9 (it's not like they didn't want Sony to score), or go up by 5 along with killing most the time left on the game clock when Miami had no timeouts remaining.

As for "all on the coaches"... I mean, there was an avalanche of blunders, in all three phases, starting from the first very first series of the game. The kicking operation left four points on the board; Brady lost track of the timeouts at the end of the first half (and admitted to as much in his presser); the running game laid a complete egg; the defense got trampled in both the passing and running game. (On the road. Again.) Plenty of blame to go around in my view...

 

[XLIX]

There's a lot of blame to go around. Brady for squandering a scoring opportunity at the end of the first half. Gostkowski for being Gostkowski. And yes, the coaches for having Gronkowski in on that final play. There was no way in hell a gimpy Tannehill was going to throw the ball 70 yards in the air. They needed tacklers, not jumpers.

 

[Doctor DDS]

Running to ball 3 times is really the only play. Cannot afford for the clock to stop on an incomplete pass. It would not have been crazy to go for it on 4th and goal from the 2 but bleeding the clock down to 16 seconds up 5 was logical. A defensive lapse on the last play and Gronk slipping made the decision look worse than it was. Defensive play call works 99% of time. Just had to make a stupid tackle.

 

[dtbrks]

Sorry, the defense was soft today and didn’t want to tackle anyone. Brandon f@cking bolden ran over their arsss.

Sure, the coaches sucked today but players have to want to tackle and they shied away from contact.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Does McDaniels know the clock runs as long as you stay in bounds? You don’t need to run into the teeth of the defense - up the middle - a failing proposition for the entire game. Tell me three Brady sneaks doesn’t get you a TD from that distance.

 

[PatriotSpy]

For me it all comes down to one play. You simplify everything until you come to that final play. Miami at their 31 yard line with 7 seconds to play. You stop them from scoring and you win, you don't and you lose. No matter what happened before has no relevance. It's that simple. 499 out of 500 times, teams will prevent the opposing team from scoring there, unfortunately questionable coaching decisions and terrible pursuit and effort by the players contributed to allowing miami to score therefore BOTH the players and coaches are to blame for this loss.

 

[LivinLovin&Breathin_Brady]

I've always believed that coaches don't win games, players do. Coaches can only lose them. This game was a great example.

First let's start with the play call on 3rd down from the 4 yard line with a two point lead and under a minute left. If the Pats go for the TD there and succeed the game is over, end of story. However, rather than go for the win they run the ball on a day when they can barely eek out a couple of yards and concede the TD. All to gain what, 20 seconds off the clock for just a 5 point lead?

Then there's the absolute stupidity of using the hail mary defense against a QB who's so gimpy that he can barely get any pass off, let alone one of 75 yards. I bet half the fans here knew that they weren't going to throw a bomb there.

I'm sure there were other boneheaded decisions by the coaches but those two stuck out to me. Feel free to point out any that I missed here.

I agree all the way through. They played "not to lose," against some sorry MIA team, and they lost, and they want to talk about Mike McCarthy.

 

[TBR]

What a disgusting loss. Belichick's coaching has been f*cking abysmal for 2 years straight and it was on full display with this historically embarrassing loss. Right up there with last February.

It wasn't Patricia's fault last year and it isn't Flores' this year. Belichick is the problem with this putrid, wildly shaky defense. Whether it's game-planning or off-season building (draft, free agency).

2 TDs including a 54 yarder to Brandon Bolden? Embarrassing. And a 38 year old Gore gashing the "greatest defensive coach of all time"'s defense? With a hobbled QB? Utterly pathetic.

 

[scott99]

Have to agree, the coaching was horrendous. To have Gronk out there on that last play, was one of the dumbest coaching moves of the Belichick era. Just extremely dumb.

Also, Belichick is the king of 2nd half adjustments, get out scored 13-6 in the 2nd half. Bad coaching.

 

[Kdo5]

Running the ball on third down and taking the FG was the smartest strategy. How often does a team score a 75 yard TD against a prevent defense with 7 seconds on the clock.

Almost never.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I'm just glad this wasn't a playoff game or Super Bowl.

 

[scott99]

What a disgusting loss. Belichick's coaching has been f*cking abysmal for 2 years straight.

It wasn't Patricia's fault last year and it isn't Flores' this year. Belichick is the problem with this putrid, wildly shaky defense. Whether it's game-planning or off-season building (draft, free agency).

2 TDs including a 54 yarder to Brandon Bolden? Embarrassing. And a 38 year old Gore gashing the "greatest defensive coach of all time"'s defense? With a hobbled QB? Utterly pathetic.

The defensive weaknesses aren’t coaching, its talent. And with that, you can blame Belichick the GM for terrible drafting the last 5 years. Not one defensive stud.

 

[TBR]

Have to agree, the coaching was horrendous. To have Gronk out there on that last play, was one of the dumbest coaching moves of the Belichick era. Just extremely dumb.

Also, Belichick is the king of 2nd half adjustments, get out scored 13-6 in the 2nd half. Bad coaching.

He hasn't held the crown of "king of 2nd half adjustments" for 2 years.

 

[1960Pats]

The final defensive playcall was downright abysmal, no question. And I don't think Gronk deserves very much of the blame for that. (But not zero percent, either - maybe like 5%?) But I think, had the last play gone differently, we'd all be celebrating the "headiness" of exchanging 4 points for 40 seconds of clock. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the percentages agree with the decision to rush there: either go up by 9 (it's not like they didn't want Sony to score), or go up by 5 along with killing most the time left on the game clock when Miami had no timeouts remaining.

As for "all on the coaches"... I mean, there was an avalanche of blunders, in all three phases, starting from the first very first series of the game. The kicking operation left four points on the board; Brady lost track of the timeouts at the end of the first half (and admitted to as much in his presser); the running game laid a complete egg; the defense got trampled in both the passing and running game. (On the road. Again.) Plenty of blame to go around in my view...

I was going to redo the title to say that the coaches were mostly at fault instead of all at fault. I just didn't feel like changing it and still don't.

The Brady blunder at the end of the 1st half was definitely a factor. Had they come up with even 3 points there it would have meant a lot, both mentally and score-wise.

Speaking of the Brady blunder, I heard that he said he thought they had a timeout left there. If so why didn't he signal for one?

 

[mcmurtry86]

The defensive weaknesses aren’t coaching, its talent. And with that, you can blame Belichick the GM for terrible drafting the last 5 years. Not one defensive stud.

Trey Flowers

The awful whiffs on Easley and Brown, and no attention to LB has been the big issue. And 2 1st rounders spent on Wynn and Michel instead of D...