New England coach Bill Belichick has a simple defensive theory — figure out what the other team does best on offense, and take it away.
The Ravens run the ball much better than they throw it. And the Ravens ran the ball down the Patriots’ throats on Sunday in Foxborough.
So what went wrong?
They simply don’t have the talent on the defensive side of the ball to do what Belichick wanted to do to stop the Ravens’ ground game. It was no different than the November 30 game against the Saints, where the Pats couldn’t execute a game plan that could have kept the potent New Orleans passing game from lighting up the scoreboard.
Moving forward, the Patriots specifically need help at the linebacker position. Jerod Mayo, the 2008 NFL defensive rookie of the year, regressed in his second year, possibly due to an MCL injury suffered in Week One.
The Pats also need more experienced players, and they need to get rid of some of the guys who don’t have the same team-first/team-only attitude that characterized great Patriots teams of the past.
And the sooner they do it, the better. Eventually, the fans and the media will begin to clamor for change, especially since coach Bill Belichick’s public demeanor isn’t the kind of thing that will prompt folks to give him the benefit of the doubt in times of turmoil.
Yes, they need better players.
No, we will not begin to “clamor for change”. 3 Super Bowl rings…he can take the Joe Paterno route if he so desires to most of us fans.
SLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP
This is a ridiculous post, even for you Florio.
its the genius who traded seymour and vrabel away and didnt replace harrison or samuel.
Florio,
Please expand. Will they trade up or down? Will they package this for something else? Does the Seymore move have anything of relevance towards this?
Crap man,
I don’t want to look this up! This is why I visit here. MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY!
Can’t stay on top forever.They lost many great players. Welcome to NFL reality Pats!
this post makes sense to me any team that is not undefeated and never scored against and wins hte superbowl needs better players
Well, given their drafts from the last five or six years, it’s safe to say they better do it in free agency. I predict they’ll sneeze away all their early draft choices again on unresearched turds.
By the way, can you do the Bears next? You know, a random, pointless article like this one.
truth hurts…Look at the last 4 drafts…Not good at all…Yes, we got a 1st for Seymour, but u think we could of used him ??? The way Bill has drafted the last 4 yrs, I could care less how many picks we have..
and blackglass- I think the Pats won those Super Bowls fair and square, but the reality is Bill hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 5 seasons now. Could we please get a legit running back ????
Boston sports fans will drop the Patriots like a bad habit, again.
They also need to not threaten to kick fans out for shouting Brandon Merriweather is a F-ing pussy.
I flew up from Missouri, buy really expensive tickets off stubhub, and shout one little thing and next thing I knew there was security chewing me out.
But back to the topic:
Lets look at the pats and jets over the last 2 years.
Pats philosophy: Save money and keep playing for tomorrow. Don’t spend because the CBA might box us in.
Jets: If he is good, pay him.
Notice the Jets are still playing and the PATS are at home.
It pains me to say this but if both rosters are the same next year, the Jets will be the division champs and the Pats will be in 2nd place at best.
Better hidden cameras would help as well.
No Superbowl wins since caught cheating.
Keep telling yourselves you had a dynasty Pats fans.
Yes and no.
On defense, their roster was subpar from week 1, and scheming would only get them so far.
On offense the insistance on going with the spread offense and refusing to run the ball was stupid. Why we even bothered picking up Fred Taylor is beyond me, and the fact that Maroney was essentially benched for the last 3 weeks was absolutely FOOLISH.
This was a team that had serious identity issues all year long. They had depth at running back, and abandoned it anyway. They lost leads in the second half and their defense got exposed late in the season because those geniuses the plays couldn’t figure that you RUN THE BALL when you have the lead, not go three passes and out and give the defense more shots.
You dumb hilljack. If I want football theory, I’ll listen to people who have actually played. Or at the worst, Football Outsiders. This is lame. I come here for stolen news, dammit.
Absolutely correct, Florio.
Belichick could find out as a specialty (“defensive guru”) coach what Super Bowl winning coaches Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden found out when their teams ranked in the bottom half of the league offensively for several years running. People will tend to question specialty coaches when they don’t live up to their specialty. Lovie Smith appears to be running into similar troubles. As his Bears teams have now also ranked in the bottom half of the league defensively for 3 years now. Another year in the tank for the Bears defense and he could be gone.
Injuries be dammed as well as lack of talent…if you’re a specialty coach…you had better be able to live up to your name and specialty.
Outside of the 1st play from scrimmage (an 83 yard rush for a TD by Ray Rice), the Pats held the Ravens to 151 yards on 51 carries.
We failed in MANY other areas (4 turnovers by Brady), and the 1st play was devastating…but the Ravens didn’t “run the ball down the Patriots’ throats on Sunday in Foxborough”…maybe watch the game before writing an article on it, Florio.
My God…how does this guy still have a job?
I’d be surprised if Florio even knows what scheme the Pats run.
On while we’re on the topic of Belichick’s genius, let’s go ahead and stop perpetuating the story that he baited the Jets into taking Gholston. He’s lucky the Jets took Gholston. That’s who we wanted. He traded down when his guy was gone.
Now did Mangini take Gholston because Belichick wanted him? Yes
And I’m not a Pats hater.
I will give Bill credit for getting a 2011 1st rounder (in a year that will most likely have a rookie salary cap) for an aging defensive end.
and despite the proof of Spygate, I still give him credit for building a dynasty
and lastly, yes, the Patriots had an embarrassing lost, but this is a rebuilding year for the Pats. They’ll be back.
(and gets off his high horse, back to the regular scheduled comments)
Are you serious?
A multi-superbowl winning coach who assembled a dynasty during the salary cap era whose teams are routinely favored not just to go to the playoffs but to go DEEP into the playoffs, a coach who has despite running through over a dozen coordinators has consistently won games due NOT to talent but due to schemes, a coach who is known to be one of the top minds in football today if not ever, this is the guy you’re suggesting needs to worry about his job?
And the argument itself is baffling…
Patriots need better players (example Mayo isn’t the best middle linebacker) so coach better watch out…
Wouldn’t a person think that if the Patriots need better players but still managed to win there is some evidence that their coach knows what he is doing and letting him go to another team would be a bad idea?
First the Browns should go to the playoffs because they are plucky and won 4 (OMG 4) games near the end of the season based on something other than wins and now Patriots coach is in danger of losing his job?
I have recommended this blog to so many people why are you destroying MY credibility.
It’s the curse of Richard Seymore. Hope all you Bostonians enjoy the next 86 years without a Super Bowl victory!
The Pat fans were booing the team in the loss to Baltimore! What more proof is there that this article has credence. You Pats fans are just fair weather fans who never experience bad weather until now. Good riddance to Bellichick and the Kraft family.
they need to replace Brady he is married now and anybody that is married knows once your married your admitting your best days are behind you!
Speak for yourself and the Anti-Pats bandwagon, Florio. What you don’t understand is that we mean it when we say, “in Bill we trust.” We didn’t say that about Parcells, and no never heard people utter the phrase, “in Pete we trust!” (on a side, I’m drafting every 49er I can next year to face Carroll’s schemes twice). Bill is a human being, and unfortunately football is a business. As a result, the Pat’s had to make a lot of hard choices over the past couple years that have undermined the depth and talent of the D. You are correct that the schemes won’t work with the execution you saw from that team. Seymour was more important than we all realized, and the sound business decision was very painful. Mayo didn’t step back, he just wasn’t ready to step forward as much as they needed. With the injuries to the DL and the youth in the secondary, it was a hard year. Still the potential in that young secondary is scary!
With the exception of the Saints game, I’ll chalk off every loss to poor execution from the whole team (Ravens) and lack of depth (most other games we were winning until the last 5 minutes of the game when depth matters most). Take what you want from the Ravens game, but they won the last three quarters of the game. Perhaps some of that was the adjustment of the Ravens to a conservative clock-control game. But take away Brady’s 4 turnovers and it’s hard to argue that the rest of the team was the D was the problem.
Drop Moss and use the money to fund depth and you’ll see many of those problems go away.
Belichick has obviously done an excellent job winning and aquiring talent. But I think his head has gotten toobig. First he traded Seymour the main clog in the defense and then he told players to stay home for being late to practice ie Moss, which with Moss is dangerous or possibly even counterproductive. This last draft he was trying to trade down and then trade up like crazy. I thank him kindly for giving the Packers the rights to Clay Matthews.
I’m all for more experience, but not the Superstars….They still need to build through the draft. BB needs to draft the best players he can get. I hope he drafts a DE/OLB x2 in the first and second….
Mayo will be allright. He was dinged, I think?
It does take awhile to get over a serious knee injury!
They also need a 5 technique DT, if BB continues the 3-4. Can’t wait untill 2011 to replace Seymour.
Clearly Bob Loblaw, because Richard Seymour is the football equivalent of Babe Ruth.
Ahh, dcgioia, I’d like a silver lining as much as anyone … but there is no way the run defense in that game was anything other than horrible (whether or not the first play is included).
As just one example, the Pats punted the ball from mid-field with 2 minutes and change left in the first half. BB used a timeout after every run when needed to stop the clock, hoping to get a stop and get the ball back. Everyone in the stadium knew that Baltimore would run the ball three times — and they did — and the Pats couldn’t prevent a first down.
Whether it was a lack of talent, scheme, execution or passion, the Pats came up short in a fundamental aspect of the sport. They need to be honest in their assessments and fix what’s broken.
And whatever “benefit of the doubt” Florio is talking about, one thing’s for sure — BB has a ton more of it than the players do at this point.
The biggest problem for this team was their inability to play 60 full minutes. Indy. Miami. Houston. Denver. All games we should have won, but couldn’t close. Makes it hard to pinpoint just what’s wrong. while there’s no question we need more young players, this team was not far off, either. There’s a lot of work to do in Foxboro, with the hardest part being figuring out exactly WHAT to do.
Nobody gives a shit if the media wants change. And Pats fans love Belichick and in Bill we trust.
The Pats biggest problem is clearly the heart and soul of what they do on defense, their linebackers. When Bruschi retired and Vrabel was traded, it was clear that the team was gonna have troubles on D. Outside of Mayo, all the other spots are up for grabs.
Honestly, I was surprised when the Pats dropped down in last spring’s draft and allowed Green Bay to swoop in and pluck Clay Mathews, Jr., who seemed to fit the profile of the New England ‘backer. The team’s had an unusual penchant lately with trading down for quantity versus quality. Guess they really like having all those 2nd round picks.
The Pats need to try and trade up this spring, so that they can nab Rolando McClain. Paired with Mayo, the two would form the nastiest ILB combo in the league.
The Pats, though, are well setup to restock in the next year or two. At some point in time, there was going to be an eventual down period, as the core of the 3 SB Championship squads aged. Did they deal Seymour off too early? Perhaps, but they are trying to change on the fly.
I didn’t follow them as closely as in year’s past, but a few thoughts from what I saw.
OL – There’s likely going to be some changes in the near future. Vollmer looks solid enough to take over at LT or RT. LeVoir still feels like a backup. I don’t know their financial situation well-enough, but they don’t seem to have great interior depth on paper, and they seem quite likely to lose at least 1, if not 2, of their guards. Maybe Ohrnberger or someone steps up, but I imagine that somewhere in the first two rounds, they will snap up an OL guy. If they keep Light, I could see them ponder sliding Kaczur inside and starting Vollmer at RT.
WR/TE – Ben Watson isn’t nearly the player that they thought they were getting. They need to find some TE depth, someone for the future. While 3rd WR was an issue entering the year, I think Edelman is solid enough, and Tate will likely get a longer look. If they find an enticing WR sitting in the later rounds, I imagine they might pounce on it.
RB – I think it’s easy to forget that Laurence Maroney came out early. He’s young … only turning 25 in February. A lot of years left … but they don’t seem to have full confidence in him. Guys like Sammy Morris, Benjarvus Green-Ellis, and Kevin Faulk are solid backups, but at some point, if they aren’t confident in Maroney, they need to pop another back. Probably won’t be a high concern for them, though.
DL – They need to make an addition here. Wilfork, whether it’s franchise or not, will likely be back with Ty Warren. Guys like Pryor, Wright, Richard seem more like backup types. Jarvis Green is likely gone. I think they need to find out if Brace can be the backup, and they need another 3-4 DE that has starting potential. Penn State’s Odrick sounds like a good fit that could be available for them.
LB – What I think they really need is some toughness. Mike Reiss pointed out Vrabel’s toughness in setting the edge. I think they still need a Ted Johnson, intimidator type, along with an improved edge player. The problem with their changing on the fly is that, as Belichick fully acknowledges, he has a complex scheme for his LB’s, requiring them to learn a lot. I think Mayo will be fine (I think it was partly the injury, partly the increased defensive burden put on him with Bruschi gone, partly the lack of an interior presence next to him). If I’m Belichick and Caserio, I look for a big interior backer in FA. They might have a future ILB to pair with Mayo in Tyrone McKenzie, a physical 245-250 pound presence inside, but adding a veteran, a Hunter Hillenmeyer type (not that he’s a FA … just the type of player I think they should go after) would help. Then, using an early pick, they need to nab an edge backer (and search for one in FA). They don’t know what to expect from Crable, and Woods is still more intriguing than proven. Thomas is likely out the door, and Burgess may be as well. Bruce Davis and Rob Ninkovich aren’t answers to anything yet.
DB – I don’t think the situation is as bad the way their secondary was often torn up. Butler showed promise, and their safety future is likely with Meriweather/Chung. McGowan is a solid backup. Maybe a FS depth addition. I will be surprised if Sanders comes back. The cap number is quite high, and the younger guys are better. CB is a bit more problematic, but as noted, I think Butler showed promise, and Wilhite/Wheatley are still young. Resigning Bodden would be a good move, and they might make another move, but they need to give the kids a chance. Guys like Samuel and Hobbs were often helped by the superior play in front of them, which the Pats didn’t have to their past standards this year.
Overall, this is still, from the outside, one of the better run organizations in the league. They have to decide if O’Brien is fine for OC. If not, they need to find someone. I don’t know if it was injuries/age this year, or if O’Brien was a factor. At some point, there was going to be a dip. They still got into the playoffs, and they have a very promising future with all the picks (and I would imagine that Belichick will be wheeling and dealing again). Sure, maybe keeping Seymour pushes them a step further, but they probably weren’t a Super Bowl team, and the 2011 first was tantalizing, particularly since it seems likely to be a high first.
Cry patriots *** fans.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owzhYNcd4OM
What will come back to the Patriots is how they handled Seymore. He was a key member of their defense and their Superbowls and they disposed of him in what seems to be a very callous and unprofessional way.
How about letting Randy Moss go back to the Vikings?
Hey, it’s just an idea.
13F.
Cold.
Great day to run the ball. Predictably, teh Patriots were unable to run in the cold… had a QB with cracked ribs and finger who wanted to be in a dome.
They missed Welker.
Why is Wilfork playing in Seymour’s spot… and not on the NT? No surprise the Ravens ran the rock.
Flacco won’t last in Indy on 4 / 10 passing.
“I have recommended this blog to so many people why are you destroying MY credibility.”
It’s your own fault for not mentioning the CHEATING.
die
nasty
but, tom terrific did have a bad game
pats looked like they thought they would win easy
motivational issues?
Yeah. I don’t know if it’s better players per se, but more committed, definitely.
There aren’t many faces left from the last Super Bowl win. There will be a lot of new faces next year. The defense is young. It will eventually round out again.
I knew when they blew that game in Miami that this was a rebuilding year. I was hoping for a little January magic, but a lot of these guys need another training camp together and some more experience