Tweet
Coaches in full bunker mentality: But facts back conspiracy theory
By Michael Felger/ Patriots Insider
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
FOXBORO - The games are about to begin and the filters are on.
That means Bill Belichick isn't about to discuss his true feelings about the NFL's new emphasis on illegal contact in the secondary. That means the coaches that brought the emphasis to the league's attention - namely St. Louis' Mike Martz and Indianapolis' Tony Dungy - aren't about to stand and be counted. That means Colts general manager Bill Polian isn't about to express his thoughts regarding the officiating in last season's AFC Championship Game.
Dungy, as he did during a conference call, will point out he is no longer a member of the competition committee that formally ratified the emphasis - which, to put it kindly, is being obtuse. The NFL lists Dungy as the chairman of the coaches' subcommittee, although Dungy said his tenure has expired. Dungy will also fail to point out that Polian is a longstanding member of the competition committee on the executive level.
To get everyone's true feelings, you need to go back in time. Polian, for instance, was so incensed by the officiating in the Pats' 24-14 title game win that he sent 20 plays to the league office for review. Three days later, he lashed out during an online chat. The following quote has certainly found its way into the Pats' locker room.
``There were seven total penalties called,'' Polian said. ``They were all penalties that occurred before the ball was snapped. . . . Those officials, in the second-most important game of the year, did not call one foul that occurred during the course of play. In the average game, there are 15.75 penalties. I will say this: (Tight end) Marcus Pollard was interfered with on third down on the last drive. He was interfered with on fourth down. Those are the facts. We did not get any memo saying they were throwing away the rule book. If that was the case, both teams should have been notified.''
As a member of the competition committee, there's no disputing Polian was involved in pushing the new emphasis through the league. And there's also no disputing that Belichick fought against it during the owners' meetings in Palm Beach in March. In fact, Belichick blasted the new directive.
One of Belichick's biggest problems was that the on-field officials in charge of making the call are typically lined up 25-30 yards off the line of scrimmage and therefore won't be able to accurately gauge whether contact comes at 5 yards (legal) or 6 yards (illegal).
``I don't really understand what we're trying to do,'' Belichick said during a coaches breakfast. ``We sat in there and watched all the film. All the coaches were in there. When you put the films on and they say, `Here's a violation,' OK, clearly it's a violation. No problem.
``But then they put on (other) films and say, `This is a violation, too.' Well, what did the guy do wrong?'' Belichick added. ``What do you want him to do? What is the violation? `Well, he can't do this and he can't do that.' You've got a (referee) 25 yards away trying to determine that? The guy who stands 25 yards away on the sidelines? Was there contact at 6 or 5? How can he tell? Sometimes it did happen at 6, I'll give you that. But he still has the call. Nothing has changed. A guy is going to see it better than last year? Great.''
For all his bluster, Polian has always been quick to point out that the Pats' victory last January had nothing to do with lax rules in the secondary. Dungy has echoed similar comments. Martz, however, wasn't as clear in Palm Beach.
``There were some things in that game (the Pats' 20-17 win over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI) that probably would be related to that,'' Martz said. ``Is that why we lost the game? Probably not. Would it have affected it? I don't know. And you don't want to take away from their celebration, and their right to the championship. But the point is, there still needs to be attention in this area.''
Martz was added to the coaches' subcommittee in February, and by the owners meetings he had compiled the film that had Belichick shaking his head. Martz claimed the Pats' beat-down of St. Louis receivers Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce started a trend across the league.
``That's accurate,'' Martz said. ``There was a lot of that going on in that game. And after that game, people look at it and said that they didn't realize this was permitted, and it's escalated from that. Each year it gets (worse).''
Martz said the clutching of jerseys was perhaps the biggest issue.
``If Isaac wore a rubber jersey, he'd have been snapped clear to Bakersfield two years ago,'' he said.
By now, the Pats are well aware that their opponents will come at them from every angle this season. And as it turns out, that includes the inside of the committee chambers.
Inside job for Johnson
It will be interesting to see what the Pats' starting lineup looks like at inside linebacker tomorrow.
After the Pats were gashed on inside runs against Cincinnati in the second preseason game (Rudi Johnson ran 14 times for 71 yards and a 5.1-yard average in the first quarter), Belichick started Ted Johnson [news] over Roman Phifer the next week at Carolina and the Pats were considerably tighter up the middle (DeShaun Foster ran 10 times for 16 yards and a 1.6-yard average). Will that be the new depth chart heading into the season? Stay tuned.
Phifer became the starter last year after Johnson broke his foot in the opener at Buffalo, and he had an outstanding season. Phifer remains one of the Pats' best coverage linebackers. But when it comes to plugging the interior running lanes, Johnson is still the Pats' strongest presence. And while Keith Traylor may be adequate at nose tackle, he's no Ted Washington. That means the linebackers aren't going to find themselves with as much protection as last year.
The bottom line? Johnson's bulk is suddenly a valuable commodity again, and his ability to take on guards in the hole may earn him a return trip to the starting lineup.
Intercepted by the Law
You can forgive Ty Law if his eyes are as big as saucers heading into the season-opener, because if anyone has benefited from Peyton Manning's poor play in Foxboro over the years (0-5 as a starter) it's the Pro Bowl cornerback.
Manning has thrown 15 interceptions in his five New England starts, and Law has seven of them. That's right: seven interceptions in five games. As Belichick would say, not bad. In fact, Manning has never played a game in Foxboro in which he wasn't picked off by Law, having at least one pass land safely in the cornerback's arms in each of the five games. . . .
Key matchup: Jarvis Green vs. Jeff Saturday. Green exploited the interior of the Colts offensive line for three key sacks in last year's title game, including two in the fourth quarter to thwart a late Indy comeback. Green is once again penciled in for interior pass-rushing duty, and Saturday will certainly be on the lookout. . . .
On the hot seat: The Pats offensive line. For first time in Belichick's tenure, the line made it through camp without sustaining a key injury or retirement. The only problem was that the unit didn't take advantage of the cohesion, giving up 11 preseason sacks and opening up only marginal room in the running game. Starting running back Corey Dillon seemed to get tackled behind the line of scrimmage as much as he did beyond it. Tomorrow night, we'll find out if the line was just saving itself for the real games.
By Michael Felger/ Patriots Insider
Wednesday, September 8, 2004
FOXBORO - The games are about to begin and the filters are on.
That means Bill Belichick isn't about to discuss his true feelings about the NFL's new emphasis on illegal contact in the secondary. That means the coaches that brought the emphasis to the league's attention - namely St. Louis' Mike Martz and Indianapolis' Tony Dungy - aren't about to stand and be counted. That means Colts general manager Bill Polian isn't about to express his thoughts regarding the officiating in last season's AFC Championship Game.
Dungy, as he did during a conference call, will point out he is no longer a member of the competition committee that formally ratified the emphasis - which, to put it kindly, is being obtuse. The NFL lists Dungy as the chairman of the coaches' subcommittee, although Dungy said his tenure has expired. Dungy will also fail to point out that Polian is a longstanding member of the competition committee on the executive level.
To get everyone's true feelings, you need to go back in time. Polian, for instance, was so incensed by the officiating in the Pats' 24-14 title game win that he sent 20 plays to the league office for review. Three days later, he lashed out during an online chat. The following quote has certainly found its way into the Pats' locker room.
``There were seven total penalties called,'' Polian said. ``They were all penalties that occurred before the ball was snapped. . . . Those officials, in the second-most important game of the year, did not call one foul that occurred during the course of play. In the average game, there are 15.75 penalties. I will say this: (Tight end) Marcus Pollard was interfered with on third down on the last drive. He was interfered with on fourth down. Those are the facts. We did not get any memo saying they were throwing away the rule book. If that was the case, both teams should have been notified.''
As a member of the competition committee, there's no disputing Polian was involved in pushing the new emphasis through the league. And there's also no disputing that Belichick fought against it during the owners' meetings in Palm Beach in March. In fact, Belichick blasted the new directive.
One of Belichick's biggest problems was that the on-field officials in charge of making the call are typically lined up 25-30 yards off the line of scrimmage and therefore won't be able to accurately gauge whether contact comes at 5 yards (legal) or 6 yards (illegal).
``I don't really understand what we're trying to do,'' Belichick said during a coaches breakfast. ``We sat in there and watched all the film. All the coaches were in there. When you put the films on and they say, `Here's a violation,' OK, clearly it's a violation. No problem.
``But then they put on (other) films and say, `This is a violation, too.' Well, what did the guy do wrong?'' Belichick added. ``What do you want him to do? What is the violation? `Well, he can't do this and he can't do that.' You've got a (referee) 25 yards away trying to determine that? The guy who stands 25 yards away on the sidelines? Was there contact at 6 or 5? How can he tell? Sometimes it did happen at 6, I'll give you that. But he still has the call. Nothing has changed. A guy is going to see it better than last year? Great.''
For all his bluster, Polian has always been quick to point out that the Pats' victory last January had nothing to do with lax rules in the secondary. Dungy has echoed similar comments. Martz, however, wasn't as clear in Palm Beach.
``There were some things in that game (the Pats' 20-17 win over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI) that probably would be related to that,'' Martz said. ``Is that why we lost the game? Probably not. Would it have affected it? I don't know. And you don't want to take away from their celebration, and their right to the championship. But the point is, there still needs to be attention in this area.''
Martz was added to the coaches' subcommittee in February, and by the owners meetings he had compiled the film that had Belichick shaking his head. Martz claimed the Pats' beat-down of St. Louis receivers Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce started a trend across the league.
``That's accurate,'' Martz said. ``There was a lot of that going on in that game. And after that game, people look at it and said that they didn't realize this was permitted, and it's escalated from that. Each year it gets (worse).''
Martz said the clutching of jerseys was perhaps the biggest issue.
``If Isaac wore a rubber jersey, he'd have been snapped clear to Bakersfield two years ago,'' he said.
By now, the Pats are well aware that their opponents will come at them from every angle this season. And as it turns out, that includes the inside of the committee chambers.
Inside job for Johnson
It will be interesting to see what the Pats' starting lineup looks like at inside linebacker tomorrow.
After the Pats were gashed on inside runs against Cincinnati in the second preseason game (Rudi Johnson ran 14 times for 71 yards and a 5.1-yard average in the first quarter), Belichick started Ted Johnson [news] over Roman Phifer the next week at Carolina and the Pats were considerably tighter up the middle (DeShaun Foster ran 10 times for 16 yards and a 1.6-yard average). Will that be the new depth chart heading into the season? Stay tuned.
Phifer became the starter last year after Johnson broke his foot in the opener at Buffalo, and he had an outstanding season. Phifer remains one of the Pats' best coverage linebackers. But when it comes to plugging the interior running lanes, Johnson is still the Pats' strongest presence. And while Keith Traylor may be adequate at nose tackle, he's no Ted Washington. That means the linebackers aren't going to find themselves with as much protection as last year.
The bottom line? Johnson's bulk is suddenly a valuable commodity again, and his ability to take on guards in the hole may earn him a return trip to the starting lineup.
Intercepted by the Law
You can forgive Ty Law if his eyes are as big as saucers heading into the season-opener, because if anyone has benefited from Peyton Manning's poor play in Foxboro over the years (0-5 as a starter) it's the Pro Bowl cornerback.
Manning has thrown 15 interceptions in his five New England starts, and Law has seven of them. That's right: seven interceptions in five games. As Belichick would say, not bad. In fact, Manning has never played a game in Foxboro in which he wasn't picked off by Law, having at least one pass land safely in the cornerback's arms in each of the five games. . . .
Key matchup: Jarvis Green vs. Jeff Saturday. Green exploited the interior of the Colts offensive line for three key sacks in last year's title game, including two in the fourth quarter to thwart a late Indy comeback. Green is once again penciled in for interior pass-rushing duty, and Saturday will certainly be on the lookout. . . .
On the hot seat: The Pats offensive line. For first time in Belichick's tenure, the line made it through camp without sustaining a key injury or retirement. The only problem was that the unit didn't take advantage of the cohesion, giving up 11 preseason sacks and opening up only marginal room in the running game. Starting running back Corey Dillon seemed to get tackled behind the line of scrimmage as much as he did beyond it. Tomorrow night, we'll find out if the line was just saving itself for the real games.
Comment