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Given that this is a mini-bye I thought I'd wait a few days and offer some thoughts and discussion points that didn't necessarily focus mostly on the game against the Dolphins. So lets get started.
1. It's taken me 16 years to finally get what BB has been evolving over these years (I think). Let me try and break it down. Also note that this hasn't happened overnight, it has been something BB has worked TOWARD over time and has finally reached
a. Semantics - It all starts with how effectively and efficiently you can communicate information to your players. Both the Pats offense and defenses are very complex and sophisticated. All you ever hear on both sides of the ball to describe reasons for success OR failure is the term, "communications" It all starts here.
b. Continuity - You don't get to have the versatility and flexibility that the Pats show every week if you haven't made a lot of mistakes in getting to where you are now. There have been OC's and DC's and position coach changes over the years just like with other teams, but over the years BB has developed a lot of the coaches you've seen on the sidelines from gophers to DC's like in the case of Matty P. He developed Josh, watched him go and welcomed him back. Guggs is almost the exception that proves the rule. Look at the staff and you'll see the great majority of it were small college smart guys who loved football and were willing to follow the same path BB traveled when he first started.
But ultimately the most import aspect of this "continuity" is the BB/Brady one. People forget that Brady's first QB coach was Bill Bellichick. He was Tom's first position coach and held that position for the first 2 formative years as a pro. That relationship has only grown as Tom has matured, until now it is more of a partnership between he, Tom, and Josh.
c. Team Building - Bill has, over the years, been an original thinker most of the time when building his roster. Over the years he found that "coachability" was a key element if he was to get to the place he wanted. No other coach demands more from his team mentally than BB. He has often said, "this place isn't for everyone". Players have got to accept hard coaching in order to keep improving. Talent will get you here, but you won't stay if you don't improve, and you won't improve if you are not coachable.
d. Other things we have noticed is how BB values certain positions over others. He will never pass up a DLineman early if he's there. Just as he never will take a WR that early. He always looks for the rarest finds, like the impact DLman, the tall CB, the game changing TE. Those picks don't always work out, or work out to the levels we hoped, but he believes you have to try. We've seen a lot of high end TE's come threw here (Graham and later Watson), before his flyer on Gronk proved to be what he's been looking for.
He is also different than most HC's on his belief in the importance of the kicking game. Not only was is FG kicker a relatively high draft kick, so is his snapper. Every year he goes out of his way to find 2 or 3 guys who will likely only help the team on ST's, and virtually every year he's rewarded with one of the best units in the league.
Finally he never stops looking. I remember from some clip on him describing his personnel philosophy was that it wasn't a 53 man roster, but you have build up a 65 man list of names you can call at any time to fill a role. Also, roster building never stops. All through our most successful years, key players have come to us after 9/1 by trades, PS call ups, and FA pick ups. The search for talented players NEVER stops here
2. So when you combine these things that have evolved by trial and error over 16 years what do you get that no other team can match.
a. A team that can completely change game plans on BOTH offense and defense on a weekly basis. You can have a team that can throw the ball 9o% of the team one week, then run it 60% the next. That is a HUGE advantage for the team that can do it. It will allow you to mask weaknesses and exploit advantages,
So why doesn't every team do it. It is simple. It is HARD. You need to have the semantic system in place so you can get all the different information every week to your players. You need the kind of staff that can teach it, And you the kind of players that can, and are willing to put in the work to learn it. And for that you need continuity and the right roster.
b. You get a team where putting the team above themselves isn't a cliche, but a fact. Of course it starts with Brady, but you hear the same message from Gronk, Jones, McCourty, etc. And like everything else it didn't start this year. It has been a present theme within the Pats locker room from McGinest, Bruschi, and Faulk, to this generation's players. It is now a part of the culture and those who don't embrace it, don't stay. (BTW- that doesn't make them bad people or players, just not right for here
c. You get a team that has the ability to give you full focus consistently from game to game, because they are all on same page. And that goes from the locker room, to the meeting rooms, to the coaches offices. That kind of focus makes doing completely different game plays possible, because there is little wasted time, and it take more time to implement different game plans
d. Being able to make adjustments as early as possible . Football is a game of adjustments. Most often the team that does it the best and earliest will win. Clearly BB has developed the semantics to communicate the adjustments that need to be made. He has a coaching staff that is trained in what to look for, so they can spot the weakness in their pregame plan, and know their system well enough that that they have a Plan B to go to. And finally you need the players who have been prepared well enough for situational change, so that they can take that information and execute the changes...,,and have the communications skills to make sure EVERYONE is on the same page.
Now it is never perfect, but it is successful enough that it allows for the Pats to do what no other team is able to do, and they will continue to do this as long as their competition still believes that it must be bugs in the locker room that lets them do it, instead of hard work and a better system.
3. Make no mistake that the talent of the players is what makes a team great. It is up to the coaches to put those players in the right position. The Patriots would have always been a good team without Tom Brady, but more on the lines of a Baltimore or Pittsburgh. Lots of playoff appearances, maybe a Lonbardi or 2, but never the dominant power we've become
I think over those first few years, Bellick made Brady a good starting NFL QB. I believe he could have done it with a number of equally talented and coachable guys. However it was Brady's own drive and obsessive competitiveness that made him into the GOAT.
People will always make the argument, who made who? Did Brady make BB, or did BB make Bellichick. It's almost like, which came first, the chicken or the egg. I decided long ago that there was no good answer, so I chose not to think about much, and my live has been better for.
However in those rare moments when I do, I tend to rate it 60-40 in BB's favor. Brady, if he ever got the chance, would have turned out to be a great QB, but never as good as he has been in his collaboration with Bill. At any rate it has been a match made in heaven, and we as fans have been the long term beneficiaries of that lucky marriage.
1. It's taken me 16 years to finally get what BB has been evolving over these years (I think). Let me try and break it down. Also note that this hasn't happened overnight, it has been something BB has worked TOWARD over time and has finally reached
a. Semantics - It all starts with how effectively and efficiently you can communicate information to your players. Both the Pats offense and defenses are very complex and sophisticated. All you ever hear on both sides of the ball to describe reasons for success OR failure is the term, "communications" It all starts here.
b. Continuity - You don't get to have the versatility and flexibility that the Pats show every week if you haven't made a lot of mistakes in getting to where you are now. There have been OC's and DC's and position coach changes over the years just like with other teams, but over the years BB has developed a lot of the coaches you've seen on the sidelines from gophers to DC's like in the case of Matty P. He developed Josh, watched him go and welcomed him back. Guggs is almost the exception that proves the rule. Look at the staff and you'll see the great majority of it were small college smart guys who loved football and were willing to follow the same path BB traveled when he first started.
But ultimately the most import aspect of this "continuity" is the BB/Brady one. People forget that Brady's first QB coach was Bill Bellichick. He was Tom's first position coach and held that position for the first 2 formative years as a pro. That relationship has only grown as Tom has matured, until now it is more of a partnership between he, Tom, and Josh.
c. Team Building - Bill has, over the years, been an original thinker most of the time when building his roster. Over the years he found that "coachability" was a key element if he was to get to the place he wanted. No other coach demands more from his team mentally than BB. He has often said, "this place isn't for everyone". Players have got to accept hard coaching in order to keep improving. Talent will get you here, but you won't stay if you don't improve, and you won't improve if you are not coachable.
d. Other things we have noticed is how BB values certain positions over others. He will never pass up a DLineman early if he's there. Just as he never will take a WR that early. He always looks for the rarest finds, like the impact DLman, the tall CB, the game changing TE. Those picks don't always work out, or work out to the levels we hoped, but he believes you have to try. We've seen a lot of high end TE's come threw here (Graham and later Watson), before his flyer on Gronk proved to be what he's been looking for.
He is also different than most HC's on his belief in the importance of the kicking game. Not only was is FG kicker a relatively high draft kick, so is his snapper. Every year he goes out of his way to find 2 or 3 guys who will likely only help the team on ST's, and virtually every year he's rewarded with one of the best units in the league.
Finally he never stops looking. I remember from some clip on him describing his personnel philosophy was that it wasn't a 53 man roster, but you have build up a 65 man list of names you can call at any time to fill a role. Also, roster building never stops. All through our most successful years, key players have come to us after 9/1 by trades, PS call ups, and FA pick ups. The search for talented players NEVER stops here
2. So when you combine these things that have evolved by trial and error over 16 years what do you get that no other team can match.
a. A team that can completely change game plans on BOTH offense and defense on a weekly basis. You can have a team that can throw the ball 9o% of the team one week, then run it 60% the next. That is a HUGE advantage for the team that can do it. It will allow you to mask weaknesses and exploit advantages,
So why doesn't every team do it. It is simple. It is HARD. You need to have the semantic system in place so you can get all the different information every week to your players. You need the kind of staff that can teach it, And you the kind of players that can, and are willing to put in the work to learn it. And for that you need continuity and the right roster.
b. You get a team where putting the team above themselves isn't a cliche, but a fact. Of course it starts with Brady, but you hear the same message from Gronk, Jones, McCourty, etc. And like everything else it didn't start this year. It has been a present theme within the Pats locker room from McGinest, Bruschi, and Faulk, to this generation's players. It is now a part of the culture and those who don't embrace it, don't stay. (BTW- that doesn't make them bad people or players, just not right for here
c. You get a team that has the ability to give you full focus consistently from game to game, because they are all on same page. And that goes from the locker room, to the meeting rooms, to the coaches offices. That kind of focus makes doing completely different game plays possible, because there is little wasted time, and it take more time to implement different game plans
d. Being able to make adjustments as early as possible . Football is a game of adjustments. Most often the team that does it the best and earliest will win. Clearly BB has developed the semantics to communicate the adjustments that need to be made. He has a coaching staff that is trained in what to look for, so they can spot the weakness in their pregame plan, and know their system well enough that that they have a Plan B to go to. And finally you need the players who have been prepared well enough for situational change, so that they can take that information and execute the changes...,,and have the communications skills to make sure EVERYONE is on the same page.
Now it is never perfect, but it is successful enough that it allows for the Pats to do what no other team is able to do, and they will continue to do this as long as their competition still believes that it must be bugs in the locker room that lets them do it, instead of hard work and a better system.
3. Make no mistake that the talent of the players is what makes a team great. It is up to the coaches to put those players in the right position. The Patriots would have always been a good team without Tom Brady, but more on the lines of a Baltimore or Pittsburgh. Lots of playoff appearances, maybe a Lonbardi or 2, but never the dominant power we've become
I think over those first few years, Bellick made Brady a good starting NFL QB. I believe he could have done it with a number of equally talented and coachable guys. However it was Brady's own drive and obsessive competitiveness that made him into the GOAT.
People will always make the argument, who made who? Did Brady make BB, or did BB make Bellichick. It's almost like, which came first, the chicken or the egg. I decided long ago that there was no good answer, so I chose not to think about much, and my live has been better for.
However in those rare moments when I do, I tend to rate it 60-40 in BB's favor. Brady, if he ever got the chance, would have turned out to be a great QB, but never as good as he has been in his collaboration with Bill. At any rate it has been a match made in heaven, and we as fans have been the long term beneficiaries of that lucky marriage.
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That seemed strange until I found out that in typical Jet fashion, they FIRED him before the superbowl. Well once again, their stupidity has been our good fortune. Some things never change.
