The Patriots Are Soft! And It Starts At The Top.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Soft. That’s what the 2011 New England Patriots are in so many ways.
This isn’t to suggest that they’re not a good football team capable of winning the AFC East and making it to the postseason. But, if you’re hoping for another championship from the Patriots, don’t bet on it this year.
How are the Patriots soft, you ask? Let’s count the ways.
1.) It starts with the head coach. Bill Belichick is a Hall of Fame coach, but he has a defensive philosophy which requires his players to keep the play in front of them and avoid giving up the big play. That’s all fine and dandy if your defense can get off the field on 3rd down which, clearly, they have trouble with. Belichick is also more vanilla than a lot of other coaches in that he rarely has his linemen stunt like the Steelers did on Sunday. He also rarely has his defensive backs press opposing receivers and play man coverage. He may think that he doesn’t have the talent to stunt or jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. In my opinion, his “sit back and wait for the other team to make a mistake” mentality is hurting this team more than it is helping it.
2.) When the Patriots won their 3 Super Bowls last decade, they were nowhere near the pass-happy offense they are today. Antwain Smith and Corey Dillon played significant roles on those balanced offensive units. For the past 4-5 years, they have morphed into the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts. That’s the same Colts offense that Belichick’s Patriots used to give fits as they beat them regularly when it mattered most. Now, Tom Brady is Peyton Manning and opposing defenses are finding ways to frustrate him on occasion. Yesterday, the Steelers rarely blitzed, but they were able to put pressure on Brady with just 4 pass rushers. Furthermore, their secondary played man coverage jamming Patriot receivers at the line making life difficult for them and the entire New England offense.
3.) Tom Brady, himself, used to be a fiery leader in his younger days. Now, he sits stoically on the sidelines after every failed offensive drive. It’s not exactly the stuff great captains and leaders are made of.
4.) It would be easy to blame many of the players on the Patriots defense for being soft, but I’m not so sure that’s the case. And even if it were, that would be another indictment on Belichick because, ultimately, he is the one responsible for “shopping for the groceries.” I believe that a change in mentality from Belichick allowing for a more aggressive style of play might benefit this group. It may prove costly at times, but it can’t be any worse than what’s going on right now.
Yes, the New England Patriots are a good football team, but they are a soft team. And unless that changes between now and January, it will be their undoing once again.
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