NE chopped and diced the Texans last night on MNF. NE moved the ball at will and seemed to score the same way. Brady was pinpoint on his throws most of the time.

Some sports pundits say it's the NE system. That's how they can re-hire a guy like Dante Stallworth and have him perform brilliantly.

Well...if NE has a "system", and they have been able to get good players to play brilliantly, then every NFL team should be studying NE's system. Success over and over sooner or later becomes the benchmark. The benchmark system, if there is one, must be emulated.

Since no team seems to be able to emulate what NE does, that leads me to believe there isn't a system, just an uncanny ability for the front office and coaching staff to get good players to over achieve consistently.

NE is one of the best coached teams in the league. Too many bone headed penalties or lapses of smart game speed decision making and, come Monday, your agent will be on the phone trying to find work for you.

Part of their 'System' is that the refs kept two of their first 3 drives alive with VERY subjective PI calls on 3rd down. The NFL has become the NBA.

IN all honesty though Belicheat, the tool he may be, knows how to get the goods out of the talent he has. The Pats have won with great D and iffy D, with a strong running game and with a mainly passing offense. Brady has been the constant. If he goes and Bellicheck continues to have success there, In my mind that will put him in league with the greats. We'll see.......

It just goes to show you it's all about matchups. Houston beat us pretty good with great defensive play (and a few lucky bounces).

NE did the same to Houston (lucky bounces/calls as well) but Miami gave NE a better fight than Houston. Even though we gave them the ball in the redzone on a ST fumble.

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“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

eesti Wrote:
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> It just goes to show you it's all about matchups.
> Houston beat us pretty good with great defensive
> play (and a few lucky bounces).
>
> NE did the same to Houston (lucky bounces/calls as
> well) but Miami gave NE a better fight than
> Houston. Even though we gave them the ball in the
> redzone on a ST fumble.

A good coach can see the matchup advantages and a good team can adjust their game plan to take advantage of those matchups AT GAME TIME. We have been poor in this department for the better part of a decade. TO me Wanny was the most glaring example of this. He assembled some pretty decent teams but he was a poor game time coach.

That's a great idea IF you actually have the players that can actually matchup and make plays.

I am not thrilled with the coaching lately but I will reserve judgement until they add a few more pieces.

Bill Belichick is about the only coach I have seen that can win with inferior players....consistently.

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“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

it's not the system, it is the players. just look at our team. we've run 3 pretty different systems the last 3 years (Dan Henning, Brian Daboll, Philbin/Sherman) and the results have been essentially identical. Put Josh McDaniels running our offense and it would look like it did when he ran the Rams and Broncos. Put Philbin running the Packers, and the results would look pretty much like they did when he ran the Packers

our.players.are.just.not.good.enough

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The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Yeah, berk, but how do you explain how CLOSE we get in each game?

footnote: For those who want to ask me about my passionate defense of Tannehill and ask if I am contradicting myself by excusing RT's performance based on the rest of the team but criticizing the coaching because they lose when we are close, there is no contradiction.

A COACH AND A TEAM SHOULD win when they are close.

If a quarterback or any particular player does not succeed, that rule does not apply because FOOTBALL IS A TEAM SPORT and the play of one player is USUALLY interrelated to the play of his teammates. For example, a running back depends on blockers, a QB depends on blockers AND receivers, a cornerback depends on pass rushing, etc.

A playcaller depends only on himself.

Doesn't he depend on his players to execute? Essentially he depends on all 11 guys.

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“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

berkeley223 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> it's not the system, it is the players. just look
> at our team. we've run 3 pretty different systems
> the last 3 years (Dan Henning, Brian Daboll,
> Philbin/Sherman) and the results have been
> essentially identical. Put Josh McDaniels running
> our offense and it would look like it did when he
> ran the Rams and Broncos. Put Philbin running the
> Packers, and the results would look pretty much
> like they did when he ran the Packers
>
> our.players.are.just.not.good.enough

It's been more-or-less the same from a W/L perspective, but statistically we're very different. Passing stats are way up this year, and running is way down. Under Henning and Daboll we were one of the best rushing teams in the league.

ChyrenB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah, berk, but how do you explain how CLOSE we
> get in each game?
>
> footnote: For those who want to ask me about my
> passionate defense of Tannehill and ask if I am
> contradicting myself by excusing RT's performance
> based on the rest of the team but criticizing the
> coaching because they lose when we are close,
> there is no contradiction.
>
> A COACH AND A TEAM SHOULD win when they are
> close.
>
> If a quarterback or any particular player does not
> succeed, that rule does not apply because FOOTBALL
> IS A TEAM SPORT and the play of one player is
> USUALLY interrelated to the play of his teammates.
> For example, a running back depends on blockers,
> a QB depends on blockers AND receivers, a
> cornerback depends on pass rushing, etc.
>
> A playcaller depends only on himself.

the games are generally close bc our D keeps us in them. We are scoring like 18 pts a game, the only reason we are in so many is bc our D is pretty solid in terms of points given up.

________________________________________________________
The beatings will continue until morale improves.

I have been studying the Pats for several seasons now. One of the key factors in their player selection is that player football IQ > player's football physical numbers. In other words every single guy on that team is very intelligent, it is the first requisite of becoming a Patriot. Once those smart players are identified and selected, they are drilled and prepared for every possible game situation. It is no accident or luck that they tend to get the bounces or land on the fumbles all the time. Their players are trained to think as a unit so all 11 players know exactly what is going on in the heads of their fellow on-field unit at all times, in other words a patriot knows what his fellow players are thinking and doing before a play or while a play is unfolding every single time. This might seem like over achievement to the rest of the NFL, but it is what it is..just a solid strategy for player selection.

On the coaching/defensive side, there is Belichick and he does the same thing he has been able to do since the 80s. Identify patterns of behavior of the opposing team and throw a monkey wrench into those patterns. If you are a team with a great QB-WR connection, hello double-triple coverage on your best receiver. If you are a team with a scrambling QB....that QB will be contained in the pocket. If you are a team with a solid running game, your RB will be shut down by 8 in the box if your QB is not worth his salt.

I won't comment too much on Patriots offense...but it's strength mostly comes from having its coordinator on the field in the form of TFB. He basically reads the play before the ball is snapped and gets his guys to the right places on the field where he knows the weaknesses in coverage will be. An average-below average defensive coach stands no chance versus Brady.

Belichick is probably the best ever when it comes to preparation and in game adjustments. I cringe every time I see him huddled with players looking at game pics.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

I think there are a few factors contributing to NE's long phase of success.

1) They have a franchise QB - that means wasted fewer draft picks and Salary CAP $$ trying to find one...which means they can use them to develop the rest of the team.

2) Scott Pioli was their GM and has a good eye for talent and valued intelligence as a measureable. During their almost undefeated season New England had more players who completed their Degree than any other team in the league. Smart players can execute a more complex play-book, audibles, etc.

3) Bill Belicheat....cheated. There were rumours of on-field microphones to capture opponent audibles. there were rumours of interfering with opponent 2-way radio communication, there were rumours of spying on opponent pre-game sessions, they got caught cheating. I doubt that that was the only acusation that was true. This year the clock operator 'helped them' beat the Jets. So they cheat at home...still.

4) The refs have for the past 10 years given them phantom calls...or not called holding when it was evident. I don't know why...hopefully it ends when Brady loses a step or two...but we all see it.

It is starting to look like Pioli was probably good at scouting the talent and putting th info in front of Belichick for him to make a decision. he has not done as well when he has to make the final call.

2012 1 1 11 11 Dontari Poe DT Memphis
2 2 12 44 Jeff Allen T Illinois
3 3 11 74 Donald Stephenson T Oklahoma
4 4 12 107 Devon Wylie WR Fresno State
5 5 11 146 DeQuan Menzie DB Alabama
6 6 12 182 Cyrus Gray RB Texas A&M
7 7 11 218 Jerome Long DT San Diego State
8 7 31 238 Junior Hemingway WR Michigan
2011 1 1 26 26 Jonathan Baldwin WR Pittsburgh
2 2 23 55 Rodney Hudson C Florida State
3 3 6 70 Justin Houston DE Georgia
4 3 22 86 Allen Bailey DE Miami (FL)
5 4 21 118 Jalil Brown DB Colorado
6 5 4 135 Ricky Stanzi QB Iowa
7 5 9 140 Gabe Miller LB Oregon State
8 6 34 199 Jerrell Powe DT Mississippi
9 7 20 223 Shane Bannon RB Yale
2010 1 1 5 5 Eric Berry DB Tennessee
2 2 4 36 Dexter McCluster RB Mississippi
3 2 18 50 Javier Arenas DB Alabama
4 3 4 68 Jon Asamoah G Illinois
5 3 29 93 Tony Moeaki TE Iowa
6 5 5 136 Kendrick Lewis DB Mississippi
7 5 11 142 Cameron Sheffield LB Troy
2009 1 1 3 3 Tyson Jackson DE Louisiana State
2 3 3 67 Alex Magee DT Purdue
3 4 2 102 Donald Washington DB Ohio State
4 5 3 139 Colin Brown T Missouri
5 6 2 175 Quinten Lawrence WR McNeese State
6 7 3 212 Javarris Williams RB Tennessee State
7 7 28 237 Jake O'Connell TE Miami (OH)
8 7 47 256 Ryan Succop


There are A LOT of misses in his picks with the Chiefs.... and the inability to find a starting QB and HC. He got hoodwinked in the Cassel trade (34th overall pick).

Those drafts are far worse than anything Ireland has done.

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“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

True...but KC was a big mess when he went in...and...he doesn't have a QB...so he is screwed until he does.

I'm not saying he is magic...but when you have a good QB it makes other players better.

OL seem better because the QB makes a quick read and quick throw when they don't block well.

They make WR's seem better because they deliver the ball in stride and the guy becomes a game changer when with an average QB he is getting hit as the ball arrives late or behind etc.

average RB's look like great RB's because there are 7 in the box and the defence is trying exotic things to get at or fool the QB.

Then your offence puts up points which has other teams playing catch up, making it easier for your defence.

I don't think Pioli found Brady...I don't think anyone can take the credit for finding a franchise guy in the 6th round.

Once Pioli find a franchise QB I think he will be successful in finding talent around him.

I could same the same thing about Ireland and just about any GM not living in San Diego.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers