For Belichick, Time To Change Is Now
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Bill Belichick is a great coach. He will one day take his rightful spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But, like all of us, he’s not perfect. And right now that imperfection is showing. But is he too stubborn to change his ways to make things better? That’s the million dollar question.
Back when he was defensive coordinator of the Giants and even in his early days as head coach of the Patriots, Belichick was known for having very good, if not great, defenses. In retrospect, it was a perfect combination of great players and great scheming.
Whether it was Lawrence Taylor, Pepper Johnson and Carl Banks in New York or Ty Law, Willie McGinest and Tedy Bruschi in New England, Belichick had some of the best playmakers in the game. With players like that, Belichick probably could have devised any type of defensive scheme and they would have made it work.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTStill, his genius was evident. Whether it was shutting down the Buffalo Bills high-powered K-gun offense in Super Bowl 25 or the Rams’ “Greatest Show On Turf” in Super Bowl 31, Belichick always had a trick up his sleeve. Don’t believe me? Ask Marshall Faulk who was hit by a Patriot defender on every snap of the football. It helped New England pull off one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history.
But times have changed. And so, too, has the talent level on Belichick’s defense here in New England. Gone are the aforementioned playmakers along with others like Rodney Harrison, Assante Samuel, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour.
And that’s not all that has changed. Teams have become wise to gimmick defenses and whatever tricks a team may have up their sleeve. The league has also become a pass-first league driven by great quarterbacks with five receivers and empty backfields designed to create difficult match-ups for opposing defenses.
And this is why Belichick has to change his ways.
While he will never admit it, Belichick’s defensive philosophy is essentially “bend, but don’t break.” He is not one who believes in blitzing a lot or having his defensive backs constantly play man coverage and press at the line of scrimmage. He implores his players to keep the play in front of them and to not give up the big play by getting beaten over the top.
His way of defense isn’t very effective anymore.
Maybe if he still had a Lawrence Taylor or Willie McGinest or Ty Law things might be different. But he doesn’t. And what has become painfully obvious is that his defense is woefully inadequate. And at the root of it all is their inability to pressure the quarterback.
Bill Belichick needs to change his defensive philosophy now. He needs to unleash his front seven. He needs to let them blitz more, stunt more and do whatever he can to put them in a better position to get to opposing quarterbacks quicker.
He needs to trust that his defensive backs can jam opposing wide receivers and cover them long enough for their pass rushers to get to the quarterback.
This may go against every fiber of Belichick’s being, but it needs to be done. And not just because it’s what the fans or the media want to see, but because it’s what some of his players want to do as well.
Yes, Bill Belichick is a great coach. He’s a stubborn one too. Let’s hope he’s not too stubborn to realize that the time is now to get aggressive on defense.
