Bill Belichick: Dominance Among Peers

shmessy said:

Well then BB was “not ready to coach” if he chose him to be dressed and active game day roster while sending Alan Branch to the Mall of America food court while the RB BB deeemed not worth $1.1 million ran 90 yards hat SB right up the guy on the Pats......

Click to expand...

He's still trying to find himself.

Malcolm Butler ready for a fresh start in Year 2 with Titans: 'I know Nashville and I know hot chicken'

Sicilian said:

I'm giving you an "agree" so you know I mean this in good nature: But are there any other traumatic moments you'd like to resurface right now? Jesus...

Click to expand...

Amen...

abdul7 said:

Actually my friend Faulk did make the First Down on the 4th and 2 ,,,I watched that play a million times,,,problem was we were out of timeouts which meant BB couldn't Challenge the Spot !!! It was a clear First Down,,,even Kevin showed his frustration on the Field.

Click to expand...

You are right in that Faulk made the first down. You are wrong in that this would have been reversed because it took a lot of comparison between different camera angles to definatively conclude that. As soon as the ref marked the ball way short (indicating he didn't have a clue what the forward progress really was), it was up to the defense.

shmessy said:

Well, benching a dressed and ready Butler in SB 52 comes to mind........I still want an explanation for that.

Click to expand...

It's interesting to note that through the first 8 games of the next season, Butler was rated something like 115th out of 120 cornerbacks.

Perhaps recognizing Butler's weaknesses before they became apparent to others was at least a part of the explanation. I tend to think so.

TruthSeeker said:

It's interesting to note that through the first 8 games of the next season, Butler was rated something like 115th out of 120 cornerbacks.

Perhaps recognizing Butler's weaknesses before they became apparent to others was at least a part of the explanation. I tend to think so.

Click to expand...

1) He played 97% of the D snaps in 2017 and the full game in the AFCCG. He was warming up with the first team during pregames at the SB and Eric Rowe was blindsided 5 minutes before the game with the news that he was replacing Butler.

2) Are we REALLY to believe that Eric Rowe and Richards the Accountant (sorry, I've already forgot his name, though he seemed a very nice young man) were a better option while Nick Foles and LeGarette Blount put up 40 points against us in the SB??????

3) Yes, you are right about the FIRST 8 games of the 2018 season. But why aren't you also referencing the last 8 games? Brady had some pretty bad stretches last year too. Why cherry pick?

Facts are fact and It is what it is.

.

Clonamery said:

He's still trying to find himself.

Malcolm Butler ready for a fresh start in Year 2 with Titans: 'I know Nashville and I know hot chicken'

Click to expand...

Pats put an end to the Jordan Richards error | NBC Sports Boston

robertweathers said:

Rowe had been lining up opposite Gilly all week.

Click to expand...

That's because Butler was sick earlier in the week.

Butler was lining up with the first teamers the day before and pregame. Hence:

Eric Rowe found out just before kickoff he was starting

.It is what it is.

Look, SB 36 and SB 53 are purely due to the genius of BB. SB 52 loss was purely due to his psyche.

I'll take win 2/lose 1 overall!

BB is the greatest ever and we are lucky Kraft got him. Greatest move in NFL history.

However, let's not be cultish - - the man is not perfect and has had a blemish or two - - he is human. I'll gladly take 2 more SB wins due to genius with 1 more SB loss due to hubris anyday of the week.

.

shmessy said:

That's because Butler was sick earlier in the week.

Butler was lining up with the first teamers the day before and pregame. Hence:

Eric Rowe found out just before kickoff he was starting

.It is what it is.

Click to expand...

I don't think the team proactively tells players they are starting during the week.
Pats' McCourty: Butler knew he wasn't starting

robertweathers said:

I don't think they team proactively tells players they are starting during the week.
Pats' McCourty: Butler knew he wasn't starting

Click to expand...

From your link:

".....As for Butler's lack of action, Rowe said at the Super Bowl that he was surprised Butler didn't play in the game. "That wasn't the plan," he said....."

So there was a plan and it was changed. It was the Super Bowl.

At the very least: Rowe should have been in pregame sets with the first team. Not Butler. Maybe someone screwed up the onfield pregame? Nope.

.

shmessy said:

From your link:

".....As for Butler's lack of action, Rowe said at the Super Bowl that he was surprised Butler didn't play in the game. "That wasn't the plan," he said....."

So there was a plan and it was changed. It was the Super Bowl.

At the very least: Rowe should have been in pregame sets with the first team. Not Butler. Maybe someone screwed up the onfield pregame? Nope.

.

Click to expand...

Why on earth would BB reveal days/hours before the SB he was benching Butler?

Butler is on record he wasn't dialed in and focused on the SB.

He left BB no choice but to not to play him but let's blame BB anyway....

mosslost said:

The SB 49 non-timeout was a brain fart by BB, one of his only major in-game Brain farts. He just got bailed out.

Click to expand...

Disagree.

He was doing what generals did in ancient times where upon reaching enemy territory they burned their own ships to cut off any retreat by their troops....the only way forward was to fight.

While BB had said he didn't call TO because he felt Seattle was a bit confused on the other side...I also think he did so because Brady had come back from down 20-10 with two 4th quarter TD drives...it was time for the defense to stand its ground. The Hightower stop was amazing....and if you go back and watch the video...Wilfork was not going to allow the ball to advance an inch anywhere along the D-Line.....

robertweathers said:

Why on earth would BB reveal days/hours before the SB he was benching Butler?

Butler is on record he wasn't dialed in and focused on the SB.

He left BB no choice but to not to play him but let's blame BB anyway....

Click to expand...

Not to the media, but yes to the player who is taking up the new role!!!!!!!!

There is an objective value to pregame onfield practice/drills - working out last minute communications with Gilmore, McCourty and Chug, etc. Praytell, what value did BB put on having Butler do that before the game??????

But really, you believe it was fine that Rowe had no idea of his role in that game and that Butler and not Rowe was practicing with first team minutes before the SB??????? That's some major league suspension of belief right there.....

Anyone paying more than a minute of attention to the management of Patriot coahing the past two decades understands that the focus has continually been about putting players in the best situations to succeed on the field. Not telling Rowe he was playing in place of Butler until 5 minutes before kickoff of the SB and not having him practice on field pregame with the first unit is 100% counter to the above dogma.

You are trying hard to believe your gut instead of cold hard facts.

Let go of the idolization. I'm catching hell in the Brady contract thread also from those who feel the Pats need to pay him whatever he wants instead of keeping an eye on the salary and his relative value at his age at this stage in his career. These aren't Gods. They are people.

BB is the greatest coach of all time in any sport. He's also human, not a God. Foles/Blount 40-Patriots 33. BB blew that one. Doesn't change the overall legacy. The truth will set you free.

.

.
.

It was definitely a major blunder to give up over 40 points in SB52 to a backup QB.

SBLIII said:

It was definitely a major blunder to give up over 40 points in SB52 to a backup QB.

Click to expand...

Not only that, but it wasn't as if that backup QB put those points up just at the end of the game. He was torching the secondary from the get-go. I could understand if BB was benching Butler for a quarter, like Welker in the Jets playoff debacle in Jan 2011, but Foles was gunning down the secondary over and over and over and BB had ample opportunity to make the adjustment to at least add Butler in to stop the bleeding. He never budged.

Why dress him??????

.
.

.

shmessy said:

Not to the media, but yes to the player who is taking up the new role!!!!!!!!

There is an objective value to pregame onfield practice/drills - working out last minute communications with Gilmore, McCourty and Chug, etc. Praytell, what value did BB put on having Butler do that before the game??????

But really, you believe it was fine that Rowe had no idea of his role in that game and that Butler and not Rowe was practicing with first team minutes before the SB??????? That's some major league suspension of belief right there.....

Anyone paying more than a minute of attention to the management of Patriot coahing the past two decades understands that the focus has continually been about putting players in the best situations to succeed on the field. Not telling Rowe he was playing in place of Butler until 5 minutes before kickoff of the SB and not having him practice on field pregame with the first unit is 100% counter to the above dogma.

You are trying hard to believe your gut instead of cold hard facts.

Let go of the idolization. I'm catching hell in the Brady contract thread also from those who feel the Pats need to pay him whatever he wants instead of keeping an eye on the salary and his relative value at his age at this stage in his career. These aren't Gods. They are people.

BB is the greatest coach of all time in any sport. He's also human, not a God. Foles/Blount 40-Patriots 33. BB blew that one. Doesn't change the overall legacy. The truth will set you free.

Click to expand...

If Rowe didn't hear about hi role, it's on Patricia but BB gets the blame. It is a failure of communication, organization.

I've moved on. You haven't, your post is hysterical....and I don't mean funny.

shmessy said:

Not only that, but it wasn't as if that backup QB put those points up just at the end of the game. He was torching the secondary from the get-go. I could understand if BB was benching Butler for a quarter, like Welker in the Jets playoff debacle in Jan 2011, but Foles was gunning down the secondary over and over and over and BB had ample opportunity to make the adjustment to at least add Butler in to stop the bleeding. He never budged.

Why dress him??????

Click to expand...

Who would he have dressed in his place?

shmessy said:

Not to the media, but yes to the player who is taking up the new role!!!!!!!!

There is an objective value to pregame onfield practice/drills - working out last minute communications with Gilmore, McCourty and Chug, etc. Praytell, what value did BB put on having Butler do that before the game??????

But really, you believe it was fine that Rowe had no idea of his role in that game and that Butler and not Rowe was practicing with first team minutes before the SB??????? That's some major league suspension of belief right there.....

Anyone paying more than a minute of attention to the management of Patriot coahing the past two decades understands that the focus has continually been about putting players in the best situations to succeed on the field. Not telling Rowe he was playing in place of Butler until 5 minutes before kickoff of the SB and not having him practice on field pregame with the first unit is 100% counter to the above dogma.

You are trying hard to believe your gut instead of cold hard facts.

Let go of the idolization. I'm catching hell in the Brady contract thread also from those who feel the Pats need to pay him whatever he wants instead of keeping an eye on the salary and his relative value at his age at this stage in his career. These aren't Gods. They are people.

BB is the greatest coach of all time in any sport. He's also human, not a God. Foles/Blount 40-Patriots 33. BB blew that one. Doesn't change the overall legacy. The truth will set you free.

.

.
.

Click to expand...

Rowe practiced all week with the starters. He played in 259 snaps in the reg season and played a ton in the 2 previous playoff games. He started 3 games. To say he wasn't prepared is crap and a insult to Rowe and the coaches. What you can say is he is a very average CB.

Malcolm wasn't ready nor focused on the game. Blame him. Not BB.

Clonamery said:

Who would he have dressed in his place?

Click to expand...

Branch, Britt.

I know, not great game changers at that point, but if you're not even going to play Butler under any circumstances whatsoever, throwing Branch out there to at least take up some room and change Blount's trajectory from his 90 yard rampage would have affected that game. Also, the Pats went into that game with 4 WRs. Kenny Britt would have made 5 and (hindsight is 20-20) necessary depth once Cooks went down early to concussion.

Both options infinitely better than dressing Butler up as a potted plant on the sideline.

.

robertweathers said:

Rowe practiced all week with the starters. He played in 259 snaps in the reg season and played a ton in the 2 previous playoff games. He started 3 games. To say he wasn't prepared is crap. HTo saw he wasn't prepared is an insult to Rowe and the coaches. What you can say is he is a very average CB.

Malcolm wasn't ready nor focused on the game. Blame him. Not BB.

Click to expand...

Once again, you ignore the pregame and the timing of communication with Rowe. That was a fundamental tenet of the New England Patriots for two decades. Putting players in the best position to succeed. They did not do that with Rowe given the warmups and the communication. BB had a "moment" that night and wasted a roster spot on Butler that could have been used otherwise.

Whatever, you want to idolize. I admire, while still seeing the human warts of reality. Babe Ruth fought unnecesarily with his coaches, Hank Aaron couldn't hit knucklers, Shaquille O'Neal couldn't hit free throws, Larry Bird was slow, Marilyn Monroe had that beauty mark/mole on her face. Greatness doesn't mean perfect.

Nick Foles torched the Pats and LeGarrette "not worth $1 million to us" Blount rampaged for 90 yards. Had the Pats merely held that legendary offensive greatness to 32 points that night, we (and the football world) are speaking, as you read this right now, about the chances for the Patriots of winning the 4th straight Super Bowl this year.

At the same time, without BB's genius, they probably lose SB 53 also.

So I gladly take BB's overall portfolio and appreciate it. I just don't have my eyes closed to the whole picture. He giveth and (very rarely) he taketh away.

It is what it is.