Why I Love the 'Blueprint' talk and the so-called weaknesses exposed

[Ring 6]

If every analyst, 'expert', coach, GM, owner, etc gathered for meetings, Bill Belichick would be the smartest man in the room.
If others are perceiving weaknesses in the Pats, Belichick is not only one step ahead of them in assessing those weaknesses, but he is 3 steps ahead of them in addressing and overcoming them.

If there were to be a game played where it was blatantly obvious what the other team needs to do to beat the Patriots, I think there is absolutely no way the Patriots would lose, because while the opponent is determining what will work based on what happened before that game, Belichick will have a gameplan in place to prevent it IN that game.

I love when the Steve Youngs, Merrill Hoges, etc of the world think they know how to beat the Patriots, because when the time came to do it, exactly what they think they are supposed to do is exactly what BB would be wanting them to do, and have already gameplanned to stop. Its like your refrigerator repairman debate Albet Einstein on the flaws in the theory of relativity.

 

[Patriots Nation NY]

Call me crazy.. But I'm thinking BB is holding a bunch of exotic stuff back..

 

[apricissimus]

I think the Eagles and the Ravens showed that if you can pressure Brady, and if you can run the ball, then you have a shot against the Patriots. This is not rocket science. It's a matter of execution, not game planning. That's why all the talk of a "blueprint" is absurd, and all just ESPN spin.

 

[IcyPatriot]

The best gameplan against us since we won the Super Bowl in 2003 has been to pressure Brady. It was the main reason Belichick upgraded the O-Line and drafted LoMo ... to take pressure off of Brady. It's why we brought in Kyle Brady to replace Graham ... we needed a blocker and not a receiver.

This blueprint talk is killing me ... the good coaches have known this for the last few years ... pressure Brady up the middle ... no science here. So either these writers and analysts think they've discovered something or nobody has been paying attention. It's old news to me.

 

[Seacoast Fan]

And...when talking about a "blueprint"....a blueprint for what? Losing a close game? This isn't auto racing where if you are close to the leader at the end, you get points too....lol

 

[bclaff]

Call me crazy.. But I'm thinking BB is holding a bunch of exotic stuff back..

Can't players on IR come back for the playoffs if they are healthy?

Imagine Colvin and Morris coming back? That would be great.

 

[Ring 6]

I think the Eagles and the Ravens showed that if you can pressure Brady, and if you can run the ball, then you have a shot against the Patriots. This is not rocket science. It's a matter of execution, not game planning. That's why all the talk of a "blueprint" is absurd, and all just ESPN spin.

My point is that if we enter the playoffs with teams thinking they have a chance to beat us by bringing pressure on Brady and running the ball, BB is 3 steps ahead of them, and they will never succeed at it.

In some ways, I think BB WANTS there to be a preceived blueprint TODAY, so that by playoff time, he knows how he will be attacked.

I would not be surprised if over the next 4 games, we throw an awful lot against teams that blitz heavily, and we play defense that doesn't make any overcommitment to stopping the run.

 

[Ring 6]

Can't players on IR come back for the playoffs if they are healthy?

Imagine Colvin and Morris coming back? That would be great.

No they cannot.

 

[bclaff]

And...when talking about a "blueprint"....a blueprint for what? Losing a close game? This isn't auto racing where if you are close to the leader at the end, you get points too....lol

It's a blueprint for not losing by 20+ points.

 

[Ring 6]

And...when talking about a "blueprint"....a blueprint for what? Losing a close game? This isn't auto racing where if you are close to the leader at the end, you get points too....lol

Well, the idea is if the Eagles and Ravens can play us close, a better team playing the same style would have a better chance of winning.
Its moronic, but thats how it goes.

 

[ATippett56]

My point is that if we enter the playoffs with teams thinking they have a chance to beat us by bringing pressure on Brady and running the ball, BB is 3 steps ahead of them, and they will never succeed at it.

Don't see it your way whatsoever. Football is a game won in the trenches. In the last two games, the Patriots offensive line and Patriots defensive line has not played up to their potential. Face it, the Patriots have hit a lull in their season and hopefully injuries are not wearing down the Patriots defense.

 

[ClevTrev]

It's no different than when the Pats beat the Rams in the Super Bowl. All the analysts were enthralled with BB's game plan against the Rams, and they called it a blueprint. In that case, the blueprint was real, as the Rams had a tough 2002 season going 7-9 and getting their offense smashed in the mouth by many opponents using the Patriot's Super Bowl blueprint.

Now we have the Patriots vying for lofty status, so when an opponent even gets a sniff of a close game, it becomes the blueprint for beating the Pats.

I agree AJ, that the main difference between the 2007 Patriots and the 2002 Rams is the coaching and the ability to adjust to opponents. This team is a chameleon, as it morphs into whatever strategy is necessary to prevail. The Rams were unable to do that, and the rest is history. Now, there could be an opponent this year with the "perfect storm" where all strategy and execution come together in a way that gives them the advantage in the key match ups. If that happens, the Patriots will lose their first game.

 

[spacecrime]

I love when the Steve Youngs, Merrill Hoges, etc of the world think they know how to beat the Patriots, because when the time came to do it, exactly what they think they are supposed to do is exactly what BB would be wanting them to do, and have already gameplanned to stop. Its like your refrigerator repairman debate Albet Einstein on the flaws in the theory of relativity.

Comparing refrigerator repairmen to Merrill Hoge is an insult to the refrigerator repairmen of the world.

 

[zarakotas5]

I'm torn in my beliefs between:

1) The team is holding back/experimenting/using the opportunity to test themselves/getting complacent/etc.

and

2) I think BB is actually a pretty stubborn guy and a little too confident sometimes and the team just isn't hitting on all cylinders. Regardless, never losing is close to impossible.

Either way, "blueprint" talk is obsurd. If the generally myopic fans of teams can see what is wrong and what to do, it stands to reason professional football savants aren't getting their light bulbs illuminated all of a sudden.

 

[chrisfx811]

I can appreciate Belichik's greatness as a coach, but let's be honest...
This team has weaknesses, and they will continue to be exposed as the season wears on and games carry more meaning.
Pitt has the balanced offense to take better advantage of a bad game by the Patriots.

What worries me about these last 2 games, is how few turnovers we committed, and barely won. If we play another game like the last 2, and have a rash of turnovers, it's lights out.
Brady threw 3 or 4 balls that could have been intercepted last night, but the Ravens only got 1. Teams won't keep dropping those.

The defense is in disarray right now. Holding or not, they are not stopping the run, and are chasing too much in the pass defense.
Basic plays are going for big gains.

The offense isn't polished, which is to be expected of a first year group of receivers. As cold weather approaches, catches are tougher to make, hits hurt more, the game slows a bit... our offense needs to become more fluid.

Not trying to be a chicken little here, but I think Belichik's trying to do a lot of smoke n mirrors to cover up holes, more so than he's hiding some secret plan.

Maroney's not going to suddenly bust through huge holes and become a vertical, downfield runner. He's quick, but his instincts tell him to dance and move side to side.
The LB's are not suddenly going to start flying around sticking TE's and slot guys. They're savvy, but old.
The o-line is not suddenly going to be equally adept at run blocking as they are at pass protection. They don't hold their blocks long enough, and don't overpower d lines.

I hope it's just an issue of refocusing and getting extra rest, but I try to watch the games objectively, and that's what I see.

 

[spacecrime]

Don't see it your way whatsoever. Football is a game won in the trenches. In the last two games, the Patriots offensive line and Patriots defensive line has not played up to their potential. Face it, the Patriots have hit a lull in their season and hopefully injuries are not wearing down the Patriots defense.

Yeah, but you are assuming that there is nothing the Pats and/or BB can or will do about it.

"Pats were susceptible to the run on Dec 3, therefore they will be susceptible to the run on Dec 9, Dec 16, Dec 23 and Dec 29. And in the playoffs, too.

How many times have you seen a team have a bad game or a good game? Cowboys gave up almost 50 points to us. How did that affect Cowboy games since then?

 

[IcyPatriot]

Belichick banked on a big offense this year ... and he was right. This post assumes that Belichick was ignorant as to our defensive capabilities. Why not consider that he knew our weaknesses very well, and decided that we would need to score more points this year if we were to compete in the Super Bowl. That's the 1st thing that came to my mind when we went big on offense this year.

BTW we are 5th in points against this year ... that really sucks now doesn't it? Teams have won Super Bowls being 10 and even 15th on defense ... so I think 5th is really, really good.

 

[chrisfx811]

Belichick banked on a big offense this year ... and he was right. This post assumes that Belichick was ignorant as to our defensive capabilities. Why not consider that he knew our weaknesses very well, and decided that we would need to score more points this year if we were to compete in the Super Bowl. That's the 1st thing that came to my mind when we went big on offense this year.

BTW we are 5th in points against this year ... that really sucks now doesn't it? Teams have won Super Bowls being 10 and even 15th on defense ... so I think 5th is really, really good.

True, but we're moving in the wrong direction.
The Ravens were last in the AFC in offensive yards, but they moved the ball pretty well, and put up 24.
The Eagles put up quite a few as well, with a back up qb.
Hopefully it's just a mid season glitch like the Colts had last year.

 

[PatsSteve1]

From what I've heard about the so-called "blueprint" wouldn't it work against just about any team with a good QB and passing game? Getting a good pass rush and being physical will work against any team.

 

[ClevTrev]

Belichick banked on a big offense this year ... and he was right. This post assumes that Belichick was ignorant as to our defensive capabilities. Why not consider that he knew our weaknesses very well, and decided that we would need to score more points this year if we were to compete in the Super Bowl. That's the 1st thing that came to my mind when we went big on offense this year.

BTW we are 5th in points against this year ... that really sucks now doesn't it? Teams have won Super Bowls being 10 and even 15th on defense ... so I think 5th is really, really good.

Good post! Excellent points!