Lombardi @The Ringer . on why Pats are hard to beat

[long distance]

some great stuff here . as always:
How to Beat the Patriots
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quotes:

Since 2001, the Pats are 37-15 in the first month of the season. Meanwhile, they’re 58-10 during the month of December.
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A few years ago, I was talking to a president of an NFL team who wanted to know about Belichick and his obsession with special teams. This executive was highly engaged in analytics and based on his research of the core special teams numbers, he saw no real correlation between having great special teams and a winning record. Yes, he acknowledged making field goals mattered, and he understood the value of field position. However, the time spent by Belichick’s team and allocation of cap resources to special teams for him far outweighed the gains. He kept asking, “Why would he risk playing highly paid players on coverage teams?” And this executive — an analytically inclined type — could care less how many titles the Patriots had won; his data did not support the value Belichick placed on the kicking game. And you know what? The value isn't in the data; it lies in the culture. Building a team’s toughness and quality of execution can't always be quantitatively measured.
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The Patriots love to defer the toss and love to receive the ball to start the second half. Why? Because Belichick lives for in-game adjustments. He views the second half as an entirely new game — last season, they scored 55 points on their first drive of the second half, no. 1 in the NFL. You know what else they excel in? Getting the lead in the first half, one of the most important statistics in football. Last year, the Patriots led the NFL with a plus-133 point differential in the first half. The Falcons finished plus-101, the Cowboys at plus-91, and Seattle at plus-52. The first half for the Patriots is about getting the lead; the second half is about adjustments.

 

[BlacknGold77]

yup, and deferring has become the trend around the NFL now, more and more teams are doing it.

Bill LOVES to get the "wrap around scores" to break teams backs. Its a psychological and scoreboard killer to give up points right before and right after halftime

 

[oldrover]

Also, Belichick doesn't mindlessly lock into any one set or play or style or strategy.

If it's working, he uses it. If it worked once, a while ago, but didn't work subsequently, he'll try it again eventually. (double-pass!)

If it's not working, or just causing him or the team too much aggravation, no matter the consequences...

...he moves on.

 

[qbno12]

Lombardi and Ringer should slow down a bit. There are too many articles and podcasts on Pats from Ringer these days.
Articles are very well written though.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

I appreciated the stuff about special teams, especially. It fits really well with the anecdote about the Giants in the 2nd superbowl loss.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Lombardi and Ringer should slow down a bit. There are too many articles and podcasts on Pats from Ringer these days.
Articles are very well written though.

It's "Patriots Week" there.

 

[signbabybrady]

So what was Lombardi's record vs BB?

 

[jmt57]

For those interested this is "Patriots Week" at The Ringer. Based on the headline titles I am not going to read all of the columns, but I just finished "The Last Bad Patriots Team", which I thought was very good.

Patriots Week - The Ringer


edit to add:

I either never realized or completely forgot that Bobby Grier had anything at all to do with the drafting of one Tom Brady. I was under the impression that was strictly a combination of Bill Belichick, **** Rehbein and Scott Pioli.

In May 2000, three months after he hired Scott Pioli as New England’s director of pro personnel, Belichick fired Bobby Grier. Since Parcells’s departure, the longtime Patriots executive had served as the team’s vice president of player personnel. “This,” Belichick said in a statement, “is an unpleasant thing for me to do.”

Before departing, Grier laid the groundwork for a move that altered the course of football history. If that sounds like an overstatement, consider this: There is a 48-minute documentary about the transaction. The Brady 6, named for the six quarterbacks taken ahead of Tom Brady in that April’s draft, premiered on ESPN in 2011. In the film, the future Hall of Famer’s coach at Michigan, Lloyd Carr, claims that a single league executive called him to ask about his signal caller: Grier. The Patriots ended up stealing Brady, whom then–New England quarterbacks coach **** Rehbein also endorsed, with the 199th pick.​

 

[RedSleevesPinkStripes]

yup, and deferring has become the trend around the NFL now, more and more teams are doing it.

Bill LOVES to get the "wrap around scores" to break teams backs. Its a psychological and scoreboard killer to give up points right before and right after halftime

Back when I used to Madden online a lot, I would always defer. You don't know how many back to back scores I got because of it. Even in a "simple" game of madden, the impact was obvious and was usually the difference in a lot of those games.

 

[borg]

And you know what? The value isn't in the data; it lies in the culture. Building a team’s toughness and quality of execution can't always be quantitatively measured.

BB's message: Everything matters.
From the smallest detail .........to special teams (approximately 30 plays/game)
No days off / no plays off

NE ......in 2016 (per game)
6.0 kick offs
2.1 FGs
4.4 punts
3.3 EPs
________
15.8 special teams plays while kicking, another 15 or so defending/receiving on special teams
Total....30

 

[tasmlab]

The Patriots Week logo is funny. Sad Jet fan.

 

[mosi]

I appreciated the stuff about special teams, especially. It fits really well with the anecdote about the Giants in the 2nd superbowl loss.

Very telling and I wonder if a smart coach like Tom Coughlin knew this as well.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

For those interested this is "Patriots Week" at The Ringer. Based on the headline titles I am not going to read all of the columns, but I just finished "The Last Bad Patriots Team", which I thought was very good.

Patriots Week - The Ringer

Enjoyed that one. Nice to be reminded of Chris Slade.

 

[SteveKiner]

I appreciated the stuff about special teams, especially. It fits really well with the anecdote about the Giants in the 2nd superbowl loss.

Can you summarize the special teams anecdote about the 2nd Giants super bowl loss. I don't think I know that one.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Why are the Pats hard to beat? I've read other teams message boards (Colts, Steelers, Jets, Bills), and they claim it is 100% due to cheating.

They also think that they make strong cases for a flat Earth.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

Can you summarize the special teams anecdote about the 2nd Giants super bowl loss. I don't think I know that one.

The unsung hero of the game was Giants punter Steve Weatherford. The Patriots had the ball for nine drives — two below their average for any game — and Weatherford had four punts, three of which pinned the Patriots inside the 20. New England was unable to return any of his four punts, and Weatherford forced the Patriots to play on an extended field all game. Their average starting position was their own 16-yard line — their best was their own 29-yard line.

^ That's the meat of it from the story. Their kicking game made essentially no mistakes and forced the Patriots offense to go the whole length of the field against their strong defense to score any points.

 

[Wheelman]

Lombardi and Ringer should slow down a bit. There are too many articles and podcasts on Pats from Ringer these days.
Articles are very well written though.

Links to podcast on pats, please?

 

[doesntmatter1]

In sb46 we lost an offensive series to a safety largely in part because their punter pinned us near our own endzone. With the game being so close, that was one of the biggest reasons for our loss.

 

[farn]

Analytics aren't as solid as that unnamed individual wants to believe... I love math as much (likely more) than the next guy, but if analytics actually lead to proven results, there would be more "geniuses" working the sidelines.

Perhaps risking key personnel sometimes bites you, but NE has been so effective on STs the last three years (especially). And with their results since 2014, it seems foolish to think that STs hasn't contributed, at least some, to this many victories.

 

[fourhour]

yup, and deferring has become the trend around the NFL now, more and more teams are doing it.

Bill LOVES to get the "wrap around scores" to break teams backs. Its a psychological and scoreboard killer to give up points right before and right after halftime

Works for me too!