The Patriot Way

[ViriLudant]

A very interesting and well-written article.

I agree with almost everything but the comment about Vollmer. Vollmer is a legit Pro Bowl (or will be from now on) RT.

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/2011-new-england-patriots-preview/

August 16, 2011, 6:00 am

2011 New England Patriots Preview

By ANDY BENOIT

Andy Benoit is previewing all 32 N.F.L. teams. He completes the A.F.C. East with the Patriots today.

Earlier, he analyzed the Jets, the Dolphins and the Bills.

New England Patriots

We’re always hearing about The Patriot Way. By now, we understand what it means. The Patriot Way is the embodiment of every cliché known in sports: no “I” in team; let your play do the talking; one step at a time; just trying to get better, doing whatever it takes to win. It’s pretty straightforward stuff that trickles down from the owner Robert Kraft to Coach Bill Belichick to everyone else.

Belichick’s Patriots are so business-oriented that they themselves rarely even talk about The Patriot Way. The phrase is mainly the outside world’s way of explaining the culture of this very successful organization.

When we see the Patriots take a flier on baggage-toting stars like Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco, we cite The Patriot Way. When this team dumped another one of those stars in the middle of last season and instantly remodeled much of its offense, we marveled at its league-best 14-2 record and again credited The Patriot Way. When classic underdog players – your Wes Welkers, your Danny Woodheads – become stars in New England, or when single drafts produce legions of core players overnight (like the ’10 class: Devin McCourty, Brandon Spikes, Jermaine Cunningham, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski – starters all) we just shake our head and continue to laud The Patriot Way.

But focusing on The Patriot Way is like classifying a car by its color. Sure, it counts for something. And it’s nice that everyone can see and understand it. But it’s not the make or model. Locker room chemistry and teamwork and all those convenient Disney movie elements are great, but in the end, football is about the battle that takes place on that 100×53 piece of turf. And those battles often don’t come down to “wanting it more” or “overcoming adversity” – they come down to out-scheming and out-executing the enemy.

To the Patriots, this is The Real Patriot Way. Here’s how it works:

Offense

Unlike with most teams, the Patriot offense is built primarily on principles, rather than players. But the paradox is it’s only built this way because of one particular player. You can probably guess who.

Most N.F.L. offenses build a majority of their systems off their personnel. But having Tom Brady under center gives New England the enormous luxury of reversing that formula. Because Brady is Mensa quality when it comes to dissecting a defense at the line of scrimmage, and because he has arguably the best pocket mechanics in football, the Patriots are able to first create a system and then find the players to run it. This is why they’re so good at surviving injuries, incorporating newcomers and, most overlooked, grooming young talent.

More on Brady’s specific impact momentarily. First, let’s examine what, exactly, is New England’s system. In short, it’s a precision-passing game based on horizontal option routes. Most offenses build their passing attack on timing and stretching the field. The Patriots – especially in this post-Randy Moss era – are the opposite. The patterns their receivers run are often determined by what the defense shows. It’s up to the receiver to correctly assess the coverage – often on the fly – and execute accordingly. Because of this, the Patriots don’t look for size and speed at wide receiver; they look for intelligence and precise route running. Thus, wideouts like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Deion Branch – guys who possess very average natural ability but have outstanding fundamentals – become stars in this system. (It’s no accident that Welker and Branch were far less effective players for the Dolphins and Seahawks.)

This is why the Patriots don’t have to worry about newcomer Chad Ochocinco being 33 and slowing down. Physically, Ochocinco still executes the breaks in his routes with superb quickness. He doesn’t have to stretch the field or win a jump ball on every down (the Pats can turn to to third-year pro Brandon Tate for those infrequent assignments); he just has to take what the defense allows him. Ocho drew criticism for not always running the right routes in Cincinnati. But the Bengals had a rudimentary system that afforded little to no freedom for their frequently double-teamed receivers. That won’t be the case here.

The approach is similar for New England’s sensational second-year tight ends, Rob Gronkowski (an improving route runner and firm blocker) and Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez is a tight end with true wide receiver skills. That’s nightmarish for defensive coordinators, who must always ask themselves, ‘With Hernandez on the field, do I use my base personnel and risk having him run routes against my safety or linebacker, or do I go to nickel and risk the Patriots putting two tight ends on the line of scrimmage and ramming the ball down our throats?’

New England’s style of option route running is uncommon because it requires the quarterback to see the route develop and react, rather than anticipate and throw to a window. Thus, the quarterback is forced to hold the ball a split second longer. Not many can survive this pressure. Tom Brady, however, has an uncanny ability to instantaneously reset his feet and gather his throwing mechanics while in a crowd. And you almost never see him throw off balance. These rare attributes form the foundation of New England’s passing attack.

They also deflate the theory that Brady lacks toughness. True, Brady gets a bit jittery after an accumulation of hits, but that’s only because he’s a.) human and b.) concerned with protecting possession. When your passing attack specifically emphasizes your being able to throw the ball right before taking a hit, you naturally become more aware of potential hits.

A slower-developing, horizontal aerial attack also demands a little more from the pass protectors. The Patriots acknowledged this when they drafted Nate Solder in the first round. This was a response to 33-year-old Matt Light no longer being a sure thing when it comes to handling elite edge-rushers one-on-one. If the lockout hadn’t prevented Solder from practicing, he’d most likely be starting opposite right tackle Sebastian Vollmer (a solid but unspectacular third-year pro – flawed second-team All-Pro accolades aside). Instead, Light – who, to be clear, has great chemistry with Brady and can certainly be more than adequate for one more year – is back.

So is All-Pro left guard Logan Mankins, fresh long-term contract and all (finally!). Mankins, who will line up next to rock-steady center Dan Koppen and smart but middling right guard Dan Connolly, is the key to New England’s power run game. No guard in football pulls with such consistent force.

Brady-centric as this offense might be, the Patriots are still willing to attack opponents on the ground. In BenJarvus Green-Ellis the Pats have a traditional runner who will gain whatever yardage the play has to offer. He’s not a creator, but the Pats don’t need him to be. That’s what Danny Woodhead is for. If not for having the physical appearance of a busboy, Woodhead’s name would come up in a lot of top 10 running back discussions. Truly. He has incredible lateral agility and quickness, and he’s marvelous in all phases of the passing game.

Despite Woodhead’s emergence and having a 36-year-old surgically repaired right knee, Kevin Faulk recently received a one-year contract for the veteran minimum ($910,000). His role in 2011 may simply be to tutor second-round rookie Shane Vereen and third-rounder Stevan Ridley. Vereen is an all-purpose back from California; Ridley is a workhorse out of L.S.U. If having five quality backs weren’t enough, the Patriots also have veteran Sammy Morris on the roster.

Defense

Everybody wants to know if the 2011 Patriots defense will be a 3-4 or a 4-3. The answer is it will be neither and both. It’s understandable that people would want to pigeonhole this defense and find a crystal clear image of the depth chart and gameplan. But the reason Bill Belichick has a reputation for directing versatile, ever-changing units is because he does not view defense in broad strokes of black and white.

Instead of seeing one defensive unit on the field, Belichick sees 11 defensive pieces. His mantra is to find the best role for each of those pieces on each play. While most coaches emphasize exotic blitzes and creative disguise, Belichick is more inclined to preach simple fundamentals and assignments. Often, the Patriots run a surprisingly basic defense, but they create complexity by mixing basic concepts. There are 11 guys executing assignments on each play. Some of those assignments might be 3-4-centric, while some could be 4-3-centric. Collectively, it doesn’t matter. All that matters to Belichick is that each guy is executing his specific assignment. When that happens, the defense naturally works.

The droves of Albert Haynesworth watchers can assume that Belichick will have the star defensive lineman often playing the one-gap concepts he grew to love in Tennessee’s 4-3. Belichick knows that’s the best way to use his Haynesworth piece. Nose tackle Vince Wilfork will most likely play a majority of 3-4 technique simply because, being an explosive 350-plus-pounder, he’s going to command double teams anyway. Along the rest of the defensive line, ex-Jet Shaun Ellis is experienced in all systems and plays with great power in the trenches. He should be more effective late in the season than he was a year ago now that he is sharing the load with jack-of-all-trades Mike Wright. Rounding out the front, backups Kyle Love and Gerard Warren are spacious players who provide sound depth.

The Patriots’ defensive alignments will usually be determined by whatever gives them the best pass rush. Defensive end Andre Carter can turn the corner coming out of a two- or three-point stance. In terms of speed, he’s an upgrade over Tully Banta-Cain, but the Pats will need another edge player to step forward. Jermaine Cunningham showed gradual improvement as a second-round rookie last season, but he’s more of a strongside 3-4 outside linebacker than a true edge rusher. Mark Anderson has startling speed around the corner but can’t seem to stay on anyone’s roster. Eric Moore is just a guy.

Linebackers Rob Ninkovich, Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes and Gary Guyton are all better read-and-react players than attackers. Of the bunch, Mayo is the star. He’s the N.F.L.’s reigning tackle leader and, thanks to good instincts and anticipation, plays with excellent range against both run and pass. Spikes, an intriguing second-year pro, can be a good interior thumper, but in the short term he’ll probably take a backseat to the speedier Guyton in nickel packages.

New England’s mixture of defensive techniques is most prevalent in the secondary. Belichick loves matchup zone concepts that require players to use man-techniques in defending an area. It’s not easy, which is part of the reason the Patriots have had a revolving door at the right cornerback position. They’re hoping that a healthy Leigh Bodden can stabilize this spot. They learned last season that Kyle Arrington lacks the necessary ball skills to survive in this role. Before that, similar conclusions had already been made about Darius Butler and Jonathan Wilhite.

No such worries on the left side. Devin McCourty is coming off one of the great rookie seasons for a cornerback. The lanky 5-11, 193-pounder from Rutgers has an almost eerie ability to backpedal with receivers screaming down the field. Also, he’s shrewder than most tenured veterans when it comes to using the sideline to his advantage. And by recording seven of New England’s league-high 25 interceptions last season, McCourty obviously has phenomenal ball skills.

There’s potentially a stellar long-term cornerbacking tandem in place with McCourty and this year’s 33rd overall pick, Ras-I Dowling. But if Bodden holds up outside, Dowling may not see much action if the coaches decide they can’t resist the physicality that safety Patrick Chung brings to the nickel slot. Chung, however, can be attacked in man coverage. He will line up at strong safety ahead of steady but mundane veteran James Sanders in base packages. (Sanders will assume the safety duties in nickel and dime.) At free safety will be dynamic playmaker Brandon Meriweather, assuming he doesn’t again drive coaches nuts with mental gaffes and freelancing.

Special Teams

Stephen Gostkowski was a top-five kicker before tearing his right quad last season. The sixth-year pro is back to kicking without reservations. Zoltan Mesko will be entrusted with the punting duties again. Wes Welker or Julian Edelman (or whoever can be counted on to make a fair catch, as Belichick’s goal with special teams is usually just to break even) will field punts. Brandon Tate brings explosiveness to the kick return game.

Bottom Line

The system is outstanding. The talent stocking it is equally impressive. It’s just a matter of whether the Patriots can do something they surprisingly haven’t done well in recent years: hold serve in big games.

Predicted Finish: 1st A.F.C. East

[-JJ-]

Interesting.

It contrasts what a lot of pats fans though the system was built around the players...not the other way around.

Finally a good analysis of the true passing game...being in route rather than windows and timing.

thanks for posting

[hurricane1122]

blah blah because no other team in nfl or pro sports knows what it takes to win and make good teams. yawn.

[-JJ-]

blah blah because no other team in nfl or pro sports knows what it takes to win and make good teams. yawn.

I didn't see anything that said it was the best or only way to win...did You?

I saw a description of a system.

[hurricane1122]

I didn't see anything that said it was the best or only way to win...did You?

I saw a description of a system.

everyone makes it seem like the patriots system is the best system. always. its ridiculous.

[-JJ-]

everyone makes it seem like the patriots system is the best system. always. its ridiculous.

Well that's the talking heads. Clearly since other teams win, a system alone doesn't win or better than another.

I found it interesting in that the system was more revealed in exactly how they do things.

It's certainly complicated and not one I'd want to run but obviously its one that Belichick can run. Others have different systems and I don't think one is better than the other..although I will give Belichick a higher mark than others in how he builds a team EACH year utilizing the CAP. The so called retooling each season.

Having said that I think there are a lot of things they do well. The rhetoric "of they signed this washed up WR" makes more sense when yeah he's washed up in going fast and deep but not washed up in what he was brought in for...such as the example with Chad.

[hurricane1122]

Well that's the talking heads. Clearly since other teams win, a system alone doesn't win or better than another.

I found it interesting in that the system was more revealed in exactly how they do things.

It's certainly complicated and not one I'd want to run but obviously its one that Belichick can run. Others have different systems and I don't think one is better than the other..although I will give Belichick a higher mark than others in how he builds a team EACH year utilizing the CAP. The so called retooling each season.

even this year? eagles did better by leaps and bounds. eagles arguably had the best off season ever in terms of signing excellent talent with hardly any long term risk.

[-JJ-]

even this year? eagles did better by leaps and bounds. eagles arguably had the best off season ever in terms of signing excellent talent with hardly any long term risk.

we'll see but again its not about just pure talent as so many fans think aka madden style if you permit me to equate. It's about use of a certain talent even if that talent wasn't what it was..thus a different role.

That's what interested me..even though common sense told me they didn't sign Chad for this long deep threat high jump of what he was when he was young. I thought how they want to use this talent in a particular system not only made sense but it was revealing about the system

[P-Money]

Someone's obviously jealous of the Patriots. Nothing wrong with that but you have to respect the organization. That's why we have to cherish every game we defeat them in. The Colts, Steelers and Patriots all run on different winning formulas witch have been the best of the league for the past 8 or 9 years. Lets hope they can continue this for a few more years.

[allcolts]

I know everyone gives a lot of credit to Belichick but dont forget he loooooooves to cheat .I mean they won three superbowls by 3 only three points all that while cheating! he got fined half a mill for christ sake ...and stripped of their 1st pick! Yet everyone forgets, the commentators the analysts ,just cracks me up. When they win something while not cheating i will pay attention but until then they have not won anything in my eyes. Of course the nfl n the patriots want that to be sweaped under the rug but i dont forget n neither should anybody. Go colts!!! ....Oh i almost forgot, i wouldnt be surprised if the players that sign cheap to play for the pats get the rest of the money under the table. Then in a few years that might pop up n it will be a scandal for a few months but no one will remember.......and theyll say the Belichick is a genius! hahaha....dumb a****! GO COLTS!

[ViriLudant]

even this year? eagles did better by leaps and bounds. eagles arguably had the best off season ever in terms of signing excellent talent with hardly any long term risk.

Define "better."

Because they signed more big names? That doesn't make a team "better".

The Eagles won't even make it out of the NFC this year.

[ViriLudant]

I know everyone gives a lot of credit to Belichick but dont forget he loooooooves to cheat .I mean they won three superbowls by 3 only three points all that while cheating! he got fined half a mill for christ sake ...and stripped of their 1st pick! Yet everyone forgets, the commentators the analysts ,just cracks me up. When they win something while not cheating i will pay attention but until then they have not won anything in my eyes. Of course the nfl n the patriots want that to be sweaped under the rug but i dont forget n neither should anybody. Go colts!!! ....Oh i almost forgot, i wouldnt be surprised if the players that sign cheap to play for the pats get the rest of the money under the table. Then in a few years that might pop up n it will be a scandal for a few months but no one will remember.......and theyll say the Belichick is a genius! hahaha....dumb a****! GO COLTS!

Wow, classy.

Grow up.

Even Dungy and Polian said that what the Patriots did was of no consequence, just as many other NFL experts (you know, people who know football, unlike yourself).

You do know that Tom Moore is considered to be one of the best sign-stealers in the NFL?

The only reason why "Spygate" was as big as it was was because Goodell wanted to send a message that he was a tough guy.

As for your other theory... well, that just proves your intelligence.

[P-Money]

Wow, classy.

Grow up.

Even Dungy and Polian said that what the Patriots did was of no consequence, just as many other NFL experts (you know, people who know football, unlike yourself).

You do know that Tom Moore is considered to be one of the best sign-stealers in the NFL?

The only reason why "Spygate" was as big as it was was because Goodell wanted to send a message that he was a tough guy.

As for your other theory... well, that just proves your intelligence.

Well said Viril. Some people have no clue.

[-JJ-]

Another thing that this article pointed out that bears out what I've said so many times is that these additions are unkown to us fans.

It's not that fans are stupid...it's football is incredibly complex and secretive.

So we guess. I tend to say nothing about x player added to a team. I have no idea because I don't know the specifics and never will..unless the coach tells me.

So the Colts add a DE and people say well he's this and that, we got too many, he's washed up, or he's blown his knee etc when in reality you know nothing.

You don't know the health because you're not the doctor examining him.

You don't know the talent because you don't know how he will be used and what a coach knows and you don't

Many of these additions don't even make the final roster and brought in to see.(some have to stay or risk dead cap).A coach's job is to assemble as many options as he can.

Moral of the story..we're not informed enough to comment:)

[BOTT]

to summarize...bill belichick is really good. see what i did there?

[allcolts]

Wow, classy.

Grow up.

Even Dungy and Polian said that what the Patriots did was of no consequence, just as many other NFL experts (you know, people who know football, unlike yourself).

You do know that Tom Moore is considered to be one of the best sign-stealers in the NFL?

The only reason why "Spygate" was as big as it was was because Goodell wanted to send a message that he was a tough guy.

As for your other theory... well, that just proves your intelligence.

Yea..yea..yea... they cheated n you know it and as to my other theory i wouldnt be surprised if that was the case n i know you wouldnt be surprised either.

[BOTT]

Wow, classy.

Grow up.

Even Dungy and Polian said that what the Patriots did was of no consequence, just as many other NFL experts (you know, people who know football, unlike yourself).

You do know that Tom Moore is considered to be one of the best sign-stealers in the NFL?

The only reason why "Spygate" was as big as it was was because Goodell wanted to send a message that he was a tough guy.

As for your other theory... well, that just proves your intelligence.

while i agree the whole spygate debacle was hugely overblown, there is a difference between being smart enough to steal signs on game day and illegally taping a team. plus, i thought it was howard mudd not tom moore.

[P-Money]

If it wasn't for Kraft we wouldn't even be talking football right now. The CBA would still be unresolved. No way does Kraft pay players under the table. lol

[-JJ-]

while i agree the whole spygate debacle was hugely overblown, there is a difference between being smart enough to steal signs on game day and illegally taping a team. plus, i thought it was howard mudd not tom moore.

It was Mudd.

To me taping is just more convenient than writing them down while spying with binocs. Barring some tin foil conspiracy that some hitech soace machine is relaying to the QB during the game:)

Teams change their signs each game so you might get tendencies but the results are the same whether on tape or in notes. Clearly tapes is easier..or less work:)

[21isSuperman]

That was a very interesting article, thanks for posting!

[eaglejoe8]

Wow, classy.

Grow up.

Even Dungy and Polian said that what the Patriots did was of no consequence, just as many other NFL experts (you know, people who know football, unlike yourself).

You do know that Tom Moore is considered to be one of the best sign-stealers in the NFL?

The only reason why "Spygate" was as big as it was was because Goodell wanted to send a message that he was a tough guy.

As for your other theory... well, that just proves your intelligence.

Agreed. Jimmy Johnson also said Howard Mudd was one of the best at doing it when he was in Kansas City.

[12>18]

AllColts, you do realize this is a Colts forum and still nobody agrees with you. Stop making yourself look foolish by repeating what you heard from your brother/father/friend/sister/boyfriend who also doesn't know anything about football. Putting go Colts at the end of your message in all caps doesn't make you smart or correct.

More importantly, thanks for posting this article.

[-JJ-]

Agreed. Jimmy Johnson also said Howard Mudd was one of the best at doing it when he was in Kansas City.

Agreed. Howard Mudd is old school but he was good. I have a lot of respect for him.

He was the main reason the colts oline was so good all those years too.

[eaglejoe8]

Agreed. Howard Mudd is old school but he was good. I have a lot of respect for him.

He was the main reason the colts oline was so good all those years too.

Yep. Reid knew that too, which is why he talked him out of retirement. Now I hope our line reaps the benefits. The right side of our line was a major weak spot late last year, which is not good considering that's Vick's blindside. We'll likely have a rookie RG in Danny Watkins, and possibly a rookie center in Jason Kelce. Both are said to be Mudd type players.

[21isSuperman]

I see the Patriots as a very fluid team. They don't have a set philosophy that they live by, they adjust based on what they see. They adjust their offense based on what the opposing defense does and they adjust their defense to stop what the offense does. They aren't strictly a 3-4 or a 4-3, they run packages to take out the offense's best weapons. Many teams focus on exposing weaknesses when playing defense, but from what I've heard/read, the Pats try to attack the opponents' strengths. That is part of the reason why they are such a successful franchise

[-JJ-]

I see the Patriots as a very fluid team. They don't have a set philosophy that they live by, they adjust based on what they see. They adjust their offense based on what the opposing defense does and they adjust their defense to stop what the offense does. They aren't strictly a 3-4 or a 4-3, they run packages to take out the offense's best weapons. Many teams focus on exposing weaknesses when playing defense, but from what I've heard/read, the Pats try to attack the opponents' strengths. That is part of the reason why they are such a successful franchise

Agree.

What struck me I didn't know was the WR adjusts their routes on their own(as opposed to window throws). That explains Brady holding the ball a second or two more which he can do as opposed to say a sanchez who buys time to get tackled.

While I almost always stay out of the BvM fights and when I do tend to give the nod to PM...that is a pretty impressive feat when you add in it's not always the same WRs on the team.

I often wonder why a lot of NE avg WRs get open..duh..they adjust routes on purpose. Naturally the QB has to hold the ball longer to see what is their adjustment. Pretty interesting.

[cokomenow]

This is why I have so much respect for the Patriots Franchise - they try to best accommodate the talents of the players, rather than the other way around. A simple concept, but one that makes a whole lot of sense and brings out the best in players. That is how you develop a player such as Wes Welker and Matt Cassell