The Patriots' Offense (1 Viewer)

[timschochet]

A few weeks ago I went on a trip to New York City, and I visited the Museum of Modern Art for the first time. There, I stood in front of one of Pablo Picasso's most famous paintings, which depicts a woman looking at her reflection in the mirror. I stared at that masterpiece for about fifteen minutes, marveling at the color, form, and use of light. It was a special and unique experience for me.

It occurred to me in the back of my mind that I had read long ago that Picasso was a total ******* during his life: a cheat, a theif, and a womanizer, and someone who betrayed his friends and loved ones time and again. But none of that mattered in the face of this amazing work of art. Those anecdotes that I recalled were overwhelmed by the beauty before me.

And that is the best analogy that I can give for what I'm starting to feel about watching this Patriot offense. As I watched on Sunday night, there were (and still are) so many reasons to root against that offense:

1. I can't stand Bellichick or Moss.

2. I believe Bellichick is a bad man.

3. At the time, I thought the Pats were running up the score (although I have since changed my mind about this.)

4. Spygate.

5. I was jealous of the Pats' success in the past, often at the expense of my Steelers.

6. I was chagrined by the arrogance of certain obnoxious Patriot fans on this website; I wanted them to suffer (sportswise.)

7. A New England championship would mean that, once again, my own team would NOT win a championship.

And as the game went on, none of that mattered in the face of the Patriots' offense. Tom Brady's passing game is such a thing of beauty that it completely overwhelmed the negativity I was feeling. I found myself actually rooting for the Patriots, in this sense: I wanted to see another beautiful pass, another great reception, another touchdown. And I really enjoyed it.

For true football fans, this offense is magnificent, and it will be remembered long after all of the bad stuff is forgotten, just like that Picasso painting I described. Though in the coming weeks I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the Patriots lose, I think I am also going to enjoy watching them win.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

I believe Bellichick is a bad man.

How well do you know him? If you don't really know him, what is it about yourself that makes you form such judgements?Ponder this.

 

[Max Power]

what ever happened to the *****Offical****** Pats thread?

 

[timschochet]

I believe Bellichick is a bad man.

How well do you know him? If you don't really know him, what is it about yourself that makes you form such judgements?Ponder this.

Of course I don't know him at all personally. But it's nothing about myself that makes me think this. It's what I read from other NFL coaches and reporters that put him in a bad light to me. It's from a lot of different sources that I form this opinion. Of course, one's opinion of any public person might be flawed. But if so in this case, that would mean that several different writers and NFL personalities are being deliberately misleading, and that is hard to believe.

 

[Footballg]

And as the game went on, none of that mattered in the face of the Patriots' offense. Tom Brady's passing game is such a thing of beauty that it completely overwhelmed the negativity I was feeling. I found myself actually rooting for the Patriots, in this sense: I wanted to see another beautiful pass, another great reception, another touchdown. And I really enjoyed it.

we don't judge here.

 

[OneEastRiver]

#1 February 25, 2007 -- New England Patriot coach Bill Belichick has been supporting his alleged mistress - a New Jersey housewife in the midst of a divorce - by sending her envelopes stuffed with cash and buying a secret $2.2 million Park Slope town house for her use, court papers allege.

#2 February 2, 2007, 10:17 PM ET NEW YORK -- Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.

#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwDJ_7L8zi0

 

[timschochet]

And as the game went on, none of that mattered in the face of the Patriots' offense. Tom Brady's passing game is such a thing of beauty that it completely overwhelmed the negativity I was feeling. I found myself actually rooting for the Patriots, in this sense: I wanted to see another beautiful pass, another great reception, another touchdown. And I really enjoyed it.

Oh please. You're going to make me dislike him all over again...

 

[timschochet]

#1 February 25, 2007 -- New England Patriot coach Bill Belichick has been supporting his alleged mistress - a New Jersey housewife in the midst of a divorce - by sending her envelopes stuffed with cash and buying a secret $2.2 million Park Slope town house for her use, court papers allege.

#2 February 2, 2007, 10:17 PM ET NEW YORK -- Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.

#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwDJ_7L8zi0

I really don't want to see this thread hijacked into a "Bellichick is a jerk" thread. I think he is, but that's not the point of this thread...

 

[BigTex]

And as the game went on, none of that mattered in the face of the Patriots' offense. Tom Brady's passing game is such a thing of beauty that it completely overwhelmed the negativity I was feeling. I found myself actually rooting for the Patriots, in this sense: I wanted to see another beautiful pass, another great reception, another touchdown. And I really enjoyed it.

A man singing about another man?!?! How gay is that!?!

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

I believe Bellichick is a bad man.

How well do you know him? If you don't really know him, what is it about yourself that makes you form such judgements?Ponder this.

Of course I don't know him at all personally. But it's nothing about myself that makes me think this. It's what I read from other NFL coaches and reporters that put him in a bad light to me. It's from a lot of different sources that I form this opinion. Of course, one's opinion of any public person might be flawed. But if so in this case, that would mean that several different writers and NFL personalities are being deliberately misleading, and that is hard to believe.

Really? Are you sure?You find it difficult to believe that writers and NFL personalities have allegiances and agendas?

Here is the list of coaches, past or present, that I have seen make "negative" comments about spygate and/or previous Belichick "antics" at one point or another:

Tomlin, Dungy, Childress, Wade Phillips, Shula.

Can you add to that list, with links?

Pretty much every other soundbite I have heard from other past or present coaches has been dismissive of spygate, asterisks, running up the score, etc.

Here is the list of players, past or present that I have seen make "negative" comments about spygate and/or previous Belichick "antics" at one point or another:

Hines Ward, Chris Collingsworth, Jerome Bettis, Steve Young, and one Redskins linebacker.

Pretty much every other soundbite I have heard from other past or present players has been dismissive of spygate, asterisks, running up the score, etc.

Can you add to that list, with links?

Are you familiar with the relevant comments on these topics made by individuals including Mike Martz, Bill Parcells, Mike Ditka, Jon Gruden, Jason Taylor, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, etc., etc., etc.?

Are you hearing what you want to hear, and only what you want to hear? Are you being played by the Greg Easterbrook? How does Bill Polian feel about what is happening? How about Jets ownership? How about Steelers ownership?

Wake up.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

#1 February 25, 2007 -- New England Patriot coach Bill Belichick has been supporting his alleged mistress - a New Jersey housewife in the midst of a divorce - by sending her envelopes stuffed with cash and buying a secret $2.2 million Park Slope town house for her use, court papers allege.

#2 February 2, 2007, 10:17 PM ET NEW YORK -- Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.

#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwDJ_7L8zi0

Clearly he's a bad man. The pushing of a photographer is the most damming element of your evidence. Well done.

 

[thehornet]

dude, honestly, stop starting threads about the pats. you're pathetic.

 

[MDSkinner]

You really do start an insane number of Patriot threads. Obsess much?

That said, I agree with the point of your post. I hate the Pats as much as the next guy, but their offense is amazing. They can do whatever they want whenever they want. People think they have no running game, yet they rank 5th in rushing offense. From a fantasy perspective their team consists of 2 of the top 10 WR's and the hands down #1 QB. They are an amazing thing to watch, that is a fact.

But seriously, you don't need to start any more Patriot threads.

 

[Finless]

Would you quit starting these ridiculous threads? No one care if you can't hate the Patriots.

 

[Das Boot]

Would you quit starting these ridiculous threads? No one care if you can't hate the Patriots.

No no, he doesn't hate them - that's the important point of this thread.Now if we only knew what the OP thinks about the Pats uniforms....

 

[The Man Who Met Andy Griffith]

Dude, this forum is not your own personal blog.

 

[timschochet]

A good article by Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated says well what I've been trying to say now in two different threads, but obviously haven't done it very well in either of them, judging from the response:

This was going to be an assault, a full-on, guns blazing attack on the New England Patriots and the unsportsmanlike, classless way in which they have run up the score on a host of opponents this season. The next several paragraphs were going to set a world record for synonyms for arrogant. They were going to rip Patriots coach Bill Belichick for his lack of sportsmanship, vilify receiver Randy Moss for stealing paychecks from the Oakland Raiders the past few seasons only to come back to life for the Pats and excoriate quarterback Tom Brady for ... well, we were going to think of something.

But upon further review, as an NFL referee might put it, we just can't do it. We can't work up a decent amount of outrage over the way the Pats are rubbing other teams' noses in it, as they did in their 56-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. Truth be told, we're actually kind of enjoying it. When New England piled it on, bypassing a field goal attempt on fourth-and-goal with a 35-7 third-quarter lead and threw for another touchdown, it was like Bill Gates stealing some kid's lunch money -- not just mean, but ridiculously unnecessary. The Patriots are so amazing to behold, though, so nearly flawless, that we have to forgive them their excesses. We can't hate them, because they're beautiful.

That's why the complaints about their lopsided victories and Belichick's penchant for leaving his starters in the game long after it's been decided have never really gained traction. A few critics have called for more compassion, but there hasn't been much of a backlash against the Pats. Notice how New England engenders very little booing on the road? That's because even opposing fans can't help but admire this team.

The Pats' games seem less like competitions than performances, or maybe even lab experiments set up to determine just how far superior one NFL team can be to another. If Brady closes his eyes, could he still hit Wes Welker in stride? Could Moss stop in the middle of his route, do the Soulja Boy, and still get open for a touchdown pass? How many points does New England have to score before the opposing defensive coordinator comes down from the coaches' box and tries to strangle Belichick with the strings of his hoodie?

The Patriots make all of that seem possible with their precision and their relentlessness, especially on offense. It's hard to criticize Belichick for leaving the Brady Bunch in longer than necessary when it's so entertaining to watch them perform. The New England offense scored on each of its first seven possessions against Buffalo. The last two of those drives were purely showing off (the Pats scored their final TD on a fumble return), but when the show is great, no one minds when it runs a little long.

That doesn't mean that the Patriots' cold-blooded behavior is the wisest way to go, however. It only takes one ticked-off blitzing linebacker, sick of looking like the Washington Generals next to New England's Harlem Globetrotters, to take a garbage-time cheap shot at Brady and change the course of the Patriots' season. The reason there are rules against taunting and unwritten ones against running up the score are not so much to spare the feelings of the losers -- this is the NFL we're talking about, they're big boys -- but to keep the peace. Disrespecting the opponent tends to lead to retaliation, and that seems to be the only thing that can stop the Patriots' locomotive.

But if Belichick is willing to expose his stars to such potential harm, that's his prerogative. Our only request is that he and his players stop with the disingenuous explanations for beating teams into submission. Don't tell us that the Patriots only know one way to play, or that they keep the pedal to the metal because they want to work on their execution or keep the edge. Just once we'd like to hear a Patriot tell the whole truth: "We humiliate teams because we can. One of these days we might break 100, because we're badass like that. And instead of whining about whether we're winning politely, you should thank your lucky stars that you have the privilege of watching us do our thing."

That would no doubt bring on another wave of criticism, but not from this corner. As much as we disapprove of what the Patriots sometimes do, we can't help but be fascinated by the way do it.

 

[DropKick]

#1 February 25, 2007 -- New England Patriot coach Bill Belichick has been supporting his alleged mistress - a New Jersey housewife in the midst of a divorce - by sending her envelopes stuffed with cash and buying a secret $2.2 million Park Slope town house for her use, court papers allege.

#2 February 2, 2007, 10:17 PM ET NEW YORK -- Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said coach Bill Belichick subjected him to hard hits in practice while he was recovering from a concussion -- against the advice of the team's top trainer.

#3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwDJ_7L8zi0

A lot (if not all) of the Ted Johnson comments have little credibility based on his erratic behavior, back peddling, and many contrary statements by Pat's players at the time of the allegations.Personally, I like BB. I've heard him interviewed many times and appreciate his focus and commitment to the game. That said, he is a lightening rod and its easy to see why fans of other teams find something to hate.

 

[thehornet]

A good article by Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated says well what I've been trying to say now in two different threads, but obviously haven't done it very well in either of them, judging from the response:This was going to be an assault, a full-on, guns blazing attack on the New England Patriots and the unsportsmanlike, classless way in which they have run up the score on a host of opponents this season. The next several paragraphs were going to set a world record for synonyms for arrogant. They were going to rip Patriots coach Bill Belichick for his lack of sportsmanship, vilify receiver Randy Moss for stealing paychecks from the Oakland Raiders the past few seasons only to come back to life for the Pats and excoriate quarterback Tom Brady for ... well, we were going to think of something.But upon further review, as an NFL referee might put it, we just can't do it. We can't work up a decent amount of outrage over the way the Pats are rubbing other teams' noses in it, as they did in their 56-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. Truth be told, we're actually kind of enjoying it. When New England piled it on, bypassing a field goal attempt on fourth-and-goal with a 35-7 third-quarter lead and threw for another touchdown, it was like Bill Gates stealing some kid's lunch money -- not just mean, but ridiculously unnecessary. The Patriots are so amazing to behold, though, so nearly flawless, that we have to forgive them their excesses. We can't hate them, because they're beautiful.That's why the complaints about their lopsided victories and Belichick's penchant for leaving his starters in the game long after it's been decided have never really gained traction. A few critics have called for more compassion, but there hasn't been much of a backlash against the Pats. Notice how New England engenders very little booing on the road? That's because even opposing fans can't help but admire this team.The Pats' games seem less like competitions than performances, or maybe even lab experiments set up to determine just how far superior one NFL team can be to another. If Brady closes his eyes, could he still hit Wes Welker in stride? Could Moss stop in the middle of his route, do the Soulja Boy, and still get open for a touchdown pass? How many points does New England have to score before the opposing defensive coordinator comes down from the coaches' box and tries to strangle Belichick with the strings of his hoodie?The Patriots make all of that seem possible with their precision and their relentlessness, especially on offense. It's hard to criticize Belichick for leaving the Brady Bunch in longer than necessary when it's so entertaining to watch them perform. The New England offense scored on each of its first seven possessions against Buffalo. The last two of those drives were purely showing off (the Pats scored their final TD on a fumble return), but when the show is great, no one minds when it runs a little long.That doesn't mean that the Patriots' cold-blooded behavior is the wisest way to go, however. It only takes one ticked-off blitzing linebacker, sick of looking like the Washington Generals next to New England's Harlem Globetrotters, to take a garbage-time cheap shot at Brady and change the course of the Patriots' season. The reason there are rules against taunting and unwritten ones against running up the score are not so much to spare the feelings of the losers -- this is the NFL we're talking about, they're big boys -- but to keep the peace. Disrespecting the opponent tends to lead to retaliation, and that seems to be the only thing that can stop the Patriots' locomotive.But if Belichick is willing to expose his stars to such potential harm, that's his prerogative. Our only request is that he and his players stop with the disingenuous explanations for beating teams into submission. Don't tell us that the Patriots only know one way to play, or that they keep the pedal to the metal because they want to work on their execution or keep the edge. Just once we'd like to hear a Patriot tell the whole truth: "We humiliate teams because we can. One of these days we might break 100, because we're badass like that. And instead of whining about whether we're winning politely, you should thank your lucky stars that you have the privilege of watching us do our thing."That would no doubt bring on another wave of criticism, but not from this corner. As much as we disapprove of what the Patriots sometimes do, we can't help but be fascinated by the way do it.

and to think some people cant comprehend why this is must see tv. im speaking of the people who are bored over in the "pats are boring to watch" thread. did you start that one too?

 

[MDSkinner]

Good article. It definitely makes the point clear.

You still need to settle on the Pats obsession though. It is getting a little scary.