The Flip Side: The New England Patriots

by Rupert, The Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

This is an idea we are throwing around for a regular feature. We’re going to take a look at a relevant topic in sports and essentially try to formulate a convincing argument that is the exact opposite of our actual opinion. Hopefully, by the end of the article, you’ll be pickin up what we’re putting down just in time for us to tell you what we really think. We’re hoping that in the process it’ll make for an interesting read and if nothing else, we’ll piss some people off. Without further ado…

In hopes of becoming some kind of Zen master, I just finished reading David Halberstam’s biography of Bill Belichick, The Education of a Coach. Well, it was a solid read, but let’s just say, I haven’t yet mastered my own destiny nor can I order a burrito with my mind. I’m not giving up hope yet though, as I’m likely headed over to Amazon after I finish this column to pick up a book about Phil Jackson.

Anyway, Halberstam takes a microscopic look at the development of Belichick’s coaching career and the intense work ethic, meticulous attention to detail, and passion for the game that he transplants into his players. Following in the footsteps of his father, Steve Belichick, a brilliant scout and respected coach – though not well-known outside the inner circles of the game - Bill developed a knack for studying game film, pouring hours and hours into the minutiae of the game. Belichick knew that he was at a disadvantage in chasing his dream of becoming an NFL coach, because he did not excel on the field, having only achieved high-school and minimal college success. Instead, he proved himself by widdling his way into unpaid internships and assistantships and investing every ounce of energy and passion into helping the team any way he could. He quickly became known as one of the most educated and dedicated young coaches in the game, because he spent 70+ hours per week looking at film and learning everything he could to help the team.

Fast forward to the nineties and this aforementioned dedication translated to the New England Patriots becoming one of the most storied NFL programs in sports history. Dare I say dynasty? The continuation of the story of the mad genius and his team-first philosophy tells how the Patriots won against better (arguably) teams, because Belichick instilled something bigger – a culture. Belichick’s Patriots have never been about having the most superstars in the league or compiling individual accolades.

Well, that’s not how the story ends. The story ends with Belichick throwing his ideals on the ground next to the Gatorade cooler and loading his team with a heaping helping of individual talent in the off-season. Now, nearly everyone has the Pats picked for the preseason Superbowl favorite. Not me. No way. I think this reeks of a certain baseball team from the Bronx and it is not going to end well. Belichick has seemingly aborted the team-first philosophy in favor of raw talent, coupled with the dreaded character issues.

Enter, Randy Moss. For a fourth-round draft pick, who can blame him, right? Wrong. This is a slap in the face of everything this team supposedly symbolized: teamwork, overcoming adversity, work ethic, and not smoking crack. Randy Moss is a specimen, but we all know he doesn’t try if things aren’t going well. I think a lot of people view this situation as a situation where “Belichick can whip him into shape.” But, isn’t Belichick meant to be the quiet, lead-by-example and earn-your-respect coach? What does bringing a pain-in-the-ass superstar and combining him with a deep receiving corps who will likely be bitching about who gets the most looks? The only one remnant of the original Patriots team in the corps, Troy Brown, is now reduced to riding the pine.

Also, what about teamwork and character guys who are supposed to be the Pats culture? Belichick picked up Brandon Meriweather in the first round, a semi-notorious character issue guy from the University of Miami who you might remember from the brawl last season. According to Belichick, he just made a mistake and he’s a good kid, but if you watch him play, you will notice that he opens his mouth after every single tackle.

Also, if I recall last season’s fantasy season, Donte Stallworth is pretty iffy as well in the character department. When it comes to assessing hurts versus injuries, he seems a little confused. Anyone who owned him on their team last season can remember the stress he provides. “Probable” and “questionable” tags on the injury report seemed to mean “sleeping in” and “I don’t really feel like it.”

What happened to the "no superstar" philosophy? Tom Brady has become a weekly fixture on the cover of US weekly. Come on Bill, he’s wearing a Yankees cap for Christ’s sake. I think if we Detroit fans caught Kitna was wearing a Cub’s cap, he’d be floating in Lake Michigan right now. Now you add Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, and Laurence Maroney to the spotlight seekers.

What does this mean? Is Belichick trying to cash in one more Super Bowl before skipping town? To be honest, I hope not. I can’t stand the Pats, but this is one of the great teams in the history of sports and it would be awful to see him on another team. The rumor mill is churning it out on sites like profootballtalk.com, because the contract is up in 2007 and the big off-season certainly raised some eyebrows. They even took it a step further to say that the Giants might be the logical choice. If this happens, he might as well share a three-bedroom with Johnny Damon and the devil.

Ultimately, I think Belichick is gone. He got frustrated by the rather paltry offense of last season – particularly the receiving corps – and broke the bank for his last hurrah when the opportunities arose. Just because he traded off a couple of draft picks for next year, I still believe he fully intended to stock the team for one last Lombardi in New England before he heads out of town. Unfortunately, this shift from the tried-and-true philosophy is going to leave the Pats riddled with problems this season and ultimately cause them to come up short. The Pats are not going to be like the teams Belichick has coached in the past and nor are they winning the Super Bowl. They will be a playoff caliber team, but distractions are going to prove too much for the mad genius. We’ll be hearing about “character” on a weekly basis by October and the Colts will send Bill’s boys home for the second year in a row.

What do we really think? Belichick is still the Zen master and this team is going to destroy everything that steps in its path. They are no doubt the favorites for Super Bowl champs. I do think the character issue talk will be around, but the talent far outweighs the issues. 16-0 alert.