When you look at the roster of the New England Patriots, you won’t find a superstar. To find one, you must look at the man who built the roster, coach Bill Belichick. The Patriots have solid players all over and some stars in the making, like Matt Judon and Christian Barmore, but there are no household names right now. Yet, all making their way into relevancy because of Bill Belichick‘s own stardom.
Bill Belichick’s Own Star Is Shining in 2021
A Classic Script for Belichick
In today’s NFL, it’s unthinkable that a team would win a game when the quarterback only threw for 139 yards, with one fumble, one interception, and a touchdown, but the Patriots did it. That can only be a product of excellent coaching and defensive game planning. The running game was strong; they controlled the clock, made great throws when they had to, the defense kept everything in front of them, and then clamped down in the red zone. Almost on cue, the other team imploded. This time, the implosion came from Sam Darnold, who threw a pass right to Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson who returned it 88-yards for a touchdown. It was Darnold’s only touchdown pass. Jackson would later make another interception in the end zone, crushing the hopes of a comeback for the Carolina Panthers. It was a classic script for Belichick.
“The Hoodie” is Beginning to Strike Back.
Belichick has faced heavy criticism since he let go of Tom Brady and made several questionable personnel moves. The latest was the Stephon Gilmore saga, and for a brief moment in this game, it came back to bite the team when Gilmore intercepted Mac Jones. However, the team was able to hold the Panthers to a field goal. Last season was not one to remember, and the slow start to this season led to many people questioning Belichick’s methods. Now, “The Hoodie” is beginning to strike back and prove his method still works. The Patriots have won 3 straight, bringing their record to 5-4. That has them tied for wins with the Buffalo Bills, who are 5-3 and on top of the division. During the Patriots Post Game Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Greg Bedard said it well, “The path is wide open in, the AFC and the AFC East; we got a football season in New England.”
Solid Halftime Adjustments
If the Patriots are going to compete with the better teams in the AFC, they will need to clean up the mistakes and take some shots downfield. Not throwing deep allowed the Panthers to smother the short passing game, and other teams will do the same. The first half of the game was sloppy; the Patriots committed four penalties in the first quarter alone. They also turned the ball over twice. These are things we are not used to seeing from a Belichick-coached team. They turned things around by the second half, though, and solid halftime adjustments are something we are used to seeing.
If the team’s identity wasn’t clear before, it certainly is now; It’s Belichick. He is the superstar. He’s able to morph his team into whatever they need to be to execute the game plan. Opponents are going to have a hard time planning against that. The coaching advantage was glaring once again, and it will continue to be. An old cliché is, “Belichick is playing chess, while everyone else’s playing checkers.” That has been scoffed at by some lately, but it has been evident the last three games. Now the division is in play, and the AFC is wide open. Bill Belichick’s star is shining bright.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
