Two undefeated teams with incredible systems, yet there's a great contrast and irony between the Pats and the Colts that I haven't seen discussed.
It seems clear to me that the Patriots off-season moves were to build themselves a Colts-caliber offense...but not an imitation!!
There remains a fundamental difference: despite the Patriots makeover, the Pats remain a game plan team: slavish film study every week and customized O and D for each opponent. Dungy disdains both aspects of the Patriots approach. He wants his players to have a life away from football; excessive study time is a sign of misguided priorities to him. And he preaches one basic O and D, relying on speed, reflexes, and practice-makes-perfect to out-execute the opponent regardless of who they are and what they throw at Indy.
BB's motto might be "Knowing your opponent + versatility = success"
Dungy's motto might be "Knowing yourself + perfect execution = success"
Who's right? I'm a connoisseur of the Patriots approach, but I respect the incredible consistency the Colts have achieved over the past few years too. Personally, I'm with the humble pie on all the Pats/Colts smack talk and I'll be fascinated to see how these two radically different approaches work out in the weeks and years ahead.
Your thoughts?
It seems clear to me that the Patriots off-season moves were to build themselves a Colts-caliber offense...but not an imitation!!
There remains a fundamental difference: despite the Patriots makeover, the Pats remain a game plan team: slavish film study every week and customized O and D for each opponent. Dungy disdains both aspects of the Patriots approach. He wants his players to have a life away from football; excessive study time is a sign of misguided priorities to him. And he preaches one basic O and D, relying on speed, reflexes, and practice-makes-perfect to out-execute the opponent regardless of who they are and what they throw at Indy.
BB's motto might be "Knowing your opponent + versatility = success"
Dungy's motto might be "Knowing yourself + perfect execution = success"
Who's right? I'm a connoisseur of the Patriots approach, but I respect the incredible consistency the Colts have achieved over the past few years too. Personally, I'm with the humble pie on all the Pats/Colts smack talk and I'll be fascinated to see how these two radically different approaches work out in the weeks and years ahead.
Your thoughts?