The President of the United States has a cabinet made up of 37 advisors. The White house staff is made up of roughly 1,700 people. That’s 1,737 men and woman who have one goal in life: to help the president perform at the top of his game. In football, there are ten other athletes whose singular goal on the football field is to allow the quarterback to play the best he can possibly play. Receivers must run precise routes and have the ability to make difficult catches. Running backs need to have a nose for the hole, always push forward, and be able to pick up the blitz. The offensive line must understand who they’re blocking and execute. Tight ends must be able to run a great route and catch a tough ball one play then block the next. When everyone does their job, all the quarterback needs to do is understand the situation and throw the football.
When everyone isn’t on the same page, more falls on the quarterbacks shoulder—more than any one man is capable of. Football is the penultimate team sport, there are no one man wrecking crews. How can a QB complete a pass when the intended target doesn’t turn around? How can the quarterback function when a 330 pound behemoth breaks through the line play after play? In a sport as team oriented as football, everyone needs to function as one. The quarterback signs the bills, but there are many people that make it happen.
All season the Patriots had us fooled. They looked to be the most balanced New England team since their Super Bowl winning years. An improving defense, the first 1K rusher since Corey Dillon, a stable of wide receivers, a dangerous special teams unit, a mistake free squad…wasn’t this team made for the Super Bowl?
They had us fooled.
Tom Brady threw the ball 45 times Sunday night—a season high. Balance, what balance? The offensive line couldn’t block Shaun Ellis and Mike DeVito to save its life (or the life of its quarterback for that matter). Deion Branch flat dropped the biggest catch of the season on 4th and 13 late into the game. Woodhead and Green-Ellis badly missed several blitz pickups. An offense that has performed like a well-oiled machine for the past eight straight games looked like they just met and challenged the neighborhood bad boys to a pickup game.
Perhaps the biggest factor in Tom Brady’s success this season was the balance and depth at every position along the offense. And better yet…they were all on the same page—unlike last year. It came crashing down Sunday night as Brady was forced to carry an impossible load. He was sacked five times and hit even more. How is that supposed to not affect him? Pundits and fans alike are questioning Brady’s once prodigious “clutchness”. This isn’t Brady people, this is an offensive line that was confused and pushed around all game. This was a group of receivers that weren’t running precise routes or making the tough catches. Yeah, Brady’s pick was bad. But they recovered, and the turnover resulted in zero points. Tom put it behind him, drove his team the length of the field, and fired a perfect pass to Alge Crumpler for a touchdown—only to have the veteran drop it.
In a sport where success is determined by the team as a whole, the Patriots relied too heavily on their all-pro quarterback. Take a page from the Jets, talent--sometimes--beats scheme.
A run-down of how the Pats lost, the way I see it:
1. Wide Receivers couldn’t get open
There were times when Brady had all day-I counted two plays in which he had five seconds to throw-and he still couldn’t find an open receiver. Darelle Revis is almost like a defensive back in Madden. Branch broke left; Revis was one step ahead of him. He ran a dig to the middle, Revis sniffed it out. He was so good it sometimes looked like pass interference because you couldn’t imagine how a human got so close to another human without making contact. A video game corner made flesh…
2. Offensive Line got destroyed
You know that one scene in Deliverance, the one the film is most famous for: “Squeal like a pig”? The New England Patriot’s offensive line was unfortunately on the receiving end of that awful incident. The most shocking part? There were times when New York only sent three guys—and they still would get to Tom-not-so-terrific. ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports that New York blitzed only six times. SIX TIMES!!! The look on Brady’s face for most of the game was terrifying for Patriots fans, and shocking for the rest of America. Again, nothing special by the Jets, just Shaun Ellis and Mike DeVito dominating a line known as one of the best in the league.
3. Emotions favored the Jets
Not the most definitive of factors, but here me out. Wes Welker’s foot filled press conferences was humorous, but it might have swung the emotional energy the Jets way. New York seemed particularly fired up that Wes had taken shots at Ryan’s wife, an off limit topic to the Jet’s players. If you haven’t heard Bart Scott’s postgame comments yet, it’s a must-see: http://espn.go.com/new-york/video/clip?id=6028527.
Vince Wilfork admitted Monday that he didn’t agree with Welker’s benching for the first drive of the game…did other teammates feel that way? Probably, considering Wilfork is one of the leaders in the locker room. I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine that the benching of one of the team’s most popular players put everyone in the wrong frame of mind.
Welker’s antics didn’t result in the Patriot’s poor execution across the board, but it may have affected the unity of the team. As the Jets were slapping helmets and having a good time, New England seemed tight and nervous. Remember that Pittsburgh game week ten? As New England got off to a bad start Brady could be seen screaming at his offensive counterparts like Al Pacino from Any Given Sunday. That’s the version I like to see—not “deer in the headlights” Brady.
A note on New York’s prolific trash talk:
It was obnoxious, belligerent, rage inducing…and brilliant. Mark Sanchez, fresh off a poor performance against the Indianapolis Colts figured to be a fixture in the national spotlight leading up to the game…and not in a good way. But, instead of “How can the Jets beat the 14-2 Patriots with an erratic quarterback like Sanchez” it was “What we’ll Rex Ryan come up with next?” You barely heard a peep about New York’s wildly inconsistent quarterback; instead, you couldn’t get through five minutes of Sports Center without a clip of Ryan’s many press conferences.
The Jets made this one personal. It wasn’t just your average playoff game; it was a chance to avenge a week eleven embarrassment and to vanquish their arrogant foes. They didn’t approach Sunday night with quiet determination, but rather loud bellicosity. This wasn’t just a game, a vessel to entertain millions and earn a paycheck—it was war. Don’t you get the feeling the Jets really do hate the Patriots? Bart Scott scares me. If you gave him a club, tied Brady to a chair, and informed Bart that he would only serve six months in prison for beating the snot out of Tom…I don’t think he would do it. But he would think about it. He’s a scary individual.
Rex Ryan masterfully played the 45-3 beating into the Jets favor. They weren’t intimidated by the Pats, only pissed and ever so confidant. For all of Ryan’s sloppy appearance and seemingly silly demeanor, he is a master manipulator and tactician. He worked his team up to a “Norse berserker” like frenzy and formulated a game plan that put a choke hold on the league’s top offense.
Ryan said this battle was “all about Belichick vs. Rex Ryan”. He said this was personal. And he said after the game that no one out-coaches Bill Belichick.
Rex, for once you have all the right in the world to be brash.
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