Bill Belichick stormed off the field, after his decisive loss by the Baltimore Ravens, without giving an interview to CBS. A Hall of Fame football star now analyst and a current NFL football star denounced the arrogance and rightfully so. Compare the behavior of Bill Belichick's to that of Peyton Manning's; bringing his family to the Raven's locker room to bid farewell to Ray Lewis.
Terrell Owens competitively screamed give me the ball on the sidelines and received the err of the country for being troublesome in the locker room, while Belichick and Brady exhibit worse behavior and it's chalked off as being overly competitive.
The look on Belichick's and Brady's faces was the dazed look of disgust and amazement at the same time; after all they have capitalized off the NFL's rule changes. They even coined a rule after Tom Brady called "The Brady Rule" to denote the NFL's staunch protection of immobile pocket passers.
Compare Brady to the quarter backs before him; those that had to be real athletes, by being elusive in the pocket and making plays with their arms and legs if need be. Brady has received over 300 sacks during his NFL tenure to John Elway and Brett Farve's over 500 sacks virtually the same period of time due to the NFL's alteration of the sport.
One would have to come away thinking the frustration exhibited by Belichick was the result of not only yesterday's shellacking, but an understanding that they no longer have the arsenal to impose their will in big games anymore. Brady has been a field general who has lost a lot of close matchups since "Spygate". Just ask Terrell Suggs.
I wonder what the conversation was like when Chip Kelley came to New England and dissected his Read Option System for Belichick. Belichick have been a great strategist in football. He's had the advantage of being up close and personal with football since childhood. In this long off season, will he think about the advantages of the Read Option System and how it catapulted three rookies to post season play? After all if there was any coach in the league to introduce a successful offensive system in the pros why it wasn't Belichick? Huh?
His offense appeared tired and confused out there playing a one dimensional system without "The Gronk". There was nothing left to give in the fourth quarter. The New England Patriots racked up the score against the best teams in the league this season only to be stunned in the game that counted a lot more.
Sean Payton had to forfeit 5.8 million in pay for the 2013 season for his part as head coach in the bounty scandal to Belichick's mere $500,000, by comparison, in the video-tapping scandal. Some have asked why. Others have alleged Brady and the Patriots are the leagues poster child.
During the off season, when the film is dissected over the course of several post seasons, one of the greatest strategist in the game of football might realize the league's coattails can no longer protect you against true athleticism in the likes of Ray Lewis, the Rices, Suggs and the Boldins of the world.
Some have shouted the flaws of the read option by saying it jeopardizes the QB, coordinators will pick it apart in the off season... To all of them I say ignore this explosive system at your peril. The New England Patriots have missed the opportunity several times too many, they're quickly becoming old relics of the past.
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