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Yeah, too bad Mazz isn't still around to join in our celebration of Bill Belichick.
Well, can I celebrate Bill a little on the Brady forum or will I gat ass-clowned?Yeah, too bad Mazz isn't still around to join in our celebration of Bill Belichick.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Imagine, for a moment, what the reaction might have been on Monday night had the host Buffalo Bills scored a go-ahead-for-good touchdown against the New England Patriots on either of their fourth-quarter drives that advanced inside the red zone.
"What was Bill Belichick thinking?"
"Let Mac cook!"
"Why was N'Keal Harry back there returning punts?"
"The first coach to try to win a game without a quarterback."
"Is Belichick trying to send football back to a different era?"
Instead, after a 14-10 win in which rookie quarterback Mac Jonesattempted a franchise-record-low three passes in wind gusts of 40 mph, some are referencing a masterpiece by New England's coach; how his keep-it-on-the-ground strategy was a slice of game-planning brilliance.
In a sports media landscape filled with extremes, here's a thought: Could we possibly spot the football closer to the 50-yard line -- somewhere in the middle -- and appreciate what unfolded Monday by looking at it through a different lens?
This, as much as anything, was a reflection of Belichick's conviction to win games no matter how odd it looks. In some ways, it's the unconventional fourth-and-2 call from Indianapolis in 2009 all over again ... but this time with a better result for New England.
Again, consider the reaction in the aftermath had things not worked out. There is little doubt Belichick would have been crushed, like fourth-and-2, which is why some other coaches might be more apt to stay with the conventional thinking.
Not Belichick.
As his former receiver Julian Edelman tweeted late Monday night, there is an easy way to sum up why the Patriots threw just three passes.
Belichick’s outside-the-box approach also showed up in going for a 2-point conversion after the Patriots’ first touchdown -- a successful run by running back Brandon Bolden -- giving the team an early 8-0 lead.
Kicker Nick Folk said the Patriots determined before the game the 10-yard line was as far out as they would kick to the non-tunnel side because of the wind, which proved to be critical with the Bills missing a fourth-quarter 33-yard attempt to that side. In retrospect, had the Patriots not converted the 2-point conversion, the Bills might have approached their fourth-quarter drives differently.
Belichick detailed more of the Patriots' thinking on Tuesday morning, saying during his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI: "If it had been a different type of game and we had needed to throw there in the fourth quarter, we would have thrown. We were able to manage the game the way we did and that worked out all right for us."
Belichick sometimes references the book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu as one in which he sees great lessons that apply to coaching, and you could make a connection with how he approached Monday's game. One tenet is to recognize strategic opportunities and not create opportunities for the enemy. In other words, playing it safe can sometimes be the smartest tack.
"The score definitely helped, no question about it," Belichick said. "If the situation had been different, we'd have to look at what that was. But the way the game played out, playing from ahead, and with the conditions being what they were, I thought we played a pretty good complementary game."
It's similar to what offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels referenced last week when he said of the offense: "Sometimes you have to understand what could have been in terms of worse scenarios to kind of appreciate how a possession ended the right way."
Some of that applies to the Jones-directed Patriots offense having 3 of 10 possessions result in points while going 2 of 12 on third down. But there is also room for improvement after a performance that would have had the second-guessers out in full force had a play or two gone in a different direction.
That's why, more than anything, what unfolded Monday night is best defined as bold.
And oh-so Belichick.
I'll watch that occasionally. I must have missed his mea culpa. Strangely, I heard Perry say Jones has a "below average" arm on the radio, pre game, Monday night. I couldn't believe it, since I consider Perry non-trollish and good.You don't need to be in market. He and Phil Perry have Tuesday and Thursday podcast "Patriots Talk."
Oh, she's around...believe me...Yeah, too bad Mazz isn't still around to join in our celebration of Bill Belichick.
This is why Bill is so good. He sticks to his convictions and does not check scared. Mike Reiss is right, if the Bills had scored to win the game, the criticism of Bill's game plan would have been off the charts.
Patriots' win in Buffalo latest example of Bill Belichick's bold approach
The coach risked heavy criticism with a plan that featured three passes in Buffalo, a reflection of his conviction to win no matter how it looks.www.espn.com
In the universe of NFL starting QBs, Mac's arm is almost certainly below average. That doesn't mean it's not strong enough to do the job at an extremely high level, and it doesn't mean it won't be average or better when it is more fully developed. But this group has extremely strong arms, obviously, and there are a few outliers that skew the average higher than the 16th best arm would be. From the hip, I'd say Mac is probably in the 3rd quartile in terms of arm strength - in the #17-24 range. If he's smart and dedicated to developing his technique and body his ceiling is maybe in the #8-12 range, maybe a bit above average.I'll watch that occasionally. I must have missed his mea culpa. Strangely, I heard Perry say Jones has a "below average" arm on the radio, pre game, Monday night. I couldn't believe it, since I consider Perry non-trollish and good.
I wouldn't put it past NBC to start to coach one guy to say one thing and the other to start playing another role of antagonist. Mac Jones's arm is good and will get better. There's nothing "below average" about it.
I don't agree. If it was below average, he wouldn't have made a lot of the throws he's already made. Brady had the same knock back in the day, too. It's lazy analysis. You don't beat out 5 star recruits at Bama and win a title with a below average throwing arm.In the universe of NFL starting QBs, Mac's arm is almost certainly below average. That doesn't mean it's not strong enough to do the job at an extremely high level, and it doesn't mean it won't be average or better when it is more fully developed. But this group has extremely strong arms, obviously, and there are a few outliers that skew the average higher than the 16th best arm would be. From the hip, I'd say Mac is probably in the 3rd quartile in terms of arm strength - in the #17-24 range. If he's smart and dedicated to developing his technique and body his ceiling is maybe in the #8-12 range, maybe a bit above average.
But as long as the arm strength is at or above a minimum threshold, it shouldn't be a limiting factor.
It's the reason (and perhaps the only significant reason) that he wasn't a 5 star recruit himself. His arm is plenty good enough. But in the group of, say, 36 NFL starters? He's not in the top half of that group. Many/most of whom were 5 star recruits and/or top 10 picks themselves.I don't agree. If it was below average, he wouldn't have made a lot of the throws he's already made. Brady had the same knock back in the day, too. It's lazy analysis. You don't beat out 5 star recruits at Bama and win a title with a below average throwing arm.
What about Phillip Rivers for example? The guy looked like he was in the middle of a shotput competition every time he threw. I was never a fan, but look at his career. Outside of his god awful postseason record and loserdom status, he had a nice productive career who knew how to throw based on his motion. I didn't think he'd make it, but he didn't have a strong arm.It's the reason (and perhaps the only significant reason) that he wasn't a 5 star recruit himself. His arm is plenty good enough. But in the group of, say, 36 NFL starters? He's not in the top half of that group. Many/most of whom were 5 star recruits and/or top 10 picks themselves.
You don't become an NFL QB with a below average throwing arm, so you're talking about one single attribute up against a pool of the extreme high-end on that specific attribute. Don't know what else to say. I guess we could go through a list of the starting QBs and you tell me where he ranks?
Look, as far as I'm concerned it's a badge of honor. Doing what he has done - already! - would be amazing if he had a lightning bolt attached to his shoulder. He's done it without that, relatively speaking. His arm is absolutely good enough to be wildly successful - it won't be a limiting factor. He's not post-surgery Pennington. But he's not Cutler, Rodgers, Mahomes, Allen, Vick, Cunningham in terms of arm strength. He's just not. We saw one situation where that will impact him on Monday. Cutting through high winds is hard. Allen could do it because of arm strength and experience doing it. All available evidence points to Mac not being able to do so well/consistently. That doesn't mean he can't ever be successful in a windy game, and it doesn't even mean he couldn't do it later this year. It just means it's not a strength you want to lean and rely on.
Mac is amazing. That doesn't mean every single thing about him is amazing, or even above average. He doesn't seem to have any obvious fatal flaws, and he's off the charts on the things that matter most.
Good post.It's the reason (and perhaps the only significant reason) that he wasn't a 5 star recruit himself. His arm is plenty good enough. But in the group of, say, 36 NFL starters? He's not in the top half of that group. Many/most of whom were 5 star recruits and/or top 10 picks themselves.
You don't become an NFL QB with a below average throwing arm, so you're talking about one single attribute up against a pool of the extreme high-end on that specific attribute. Don't know what else to say. I guess we could go through a list of the starting QBs and you tell me where he ranks?
Look, as far as I'm concerned it's a badge of honor. Doing what he has done - already! - would be amazing if he had a lightning bolt attached to his shoulder. He's done it without that, relatively speaking. His arm is absolutely good enough to be wildly successful - it won't be a limiting factor. He's not post-surgery Pennington. But he's not Cutler, Rodgers, Mahomes, Allen, Vick, Cunningham in terms of arm strength. He's just not. We saw one situation where that will impact him on Monday. Cutting through high winds is hard. Allen could do it because of arm strength and experience doing it. All available evidence points to Mac not being able to do so well/consistently. That doesn't mean he can't ever be successful in a windy game, and it doesn't even mean he couldn't do it later this year. It just means it's not a strength you want to lean and rely on.
Mac is amazing. That doesn't mean every single thing about him is amazing, or even above average. He doesn't seem to have any obvious fatal flaws, and he's off the charts on the things that matter most.
The experts are obsessed with arm strength. Accuracy and intelligence are more important imo. Who cares if someone can chuck a ball 90 yards if they can't hit the broad side of a barn, arm strength is useless. If you can't read a defense, arm strength won't help you. The experts, I take what they say with a grain of salt.Good post.
I don't recall Joe Montana have a reputation as possessing above average arm strength. He was able to have a modicum of success in the league.
Arm strength is certainly overrated. He kind of reminds me of Chad Pennington before the shoulder injuries, from what I remember anyway, and he didn't have a great arm to begin with. Montana didn't have that great of an arm compared to his peers either, he did OK, and it's even easier to pass now.
Edit: I honestly didn't see TipRoast's post before mentioning Montana, great minds
They're technically obsessed with whatever they can spin to attempt to make BB look bad.The experts are obsessed with arm strength. Accuracy and intelligence are more important imo. Who cares if someone can chuck a ball 90 yards if they can't hit the broad side of a barn, arm strength is useless. If you can't read a defense, arm strength won't help you. The experts, I take what they say with a grain of salt.
Yeah, but to say "below average" means the person has no idea what they are talking about when it comes to understanding what really is below average. Tim Tebow was below average for crying out loud.I agree with this.
Essentially, arm "strength" shouldn't be the main factor in determining whether an arm is any good. Mac's accuracy trumps guys that can whistle it over somebody's outstretched arms 50 yards downfield on any day ending in a "y".
Mac is amazing. That doesn't mean every single thing about him is amazing, or even above average. He doesn't seem to have any obvious fatal flaws, and he's off the charts on the things that matter most.