Let me start this off by saying I am by no means a fan of the New England Patriots. Quite the contrary actually. If the team were to disappear in the Bermuda Triangle, there would be no calls from me for a search party. But what I do have for the organization is the utmost respect. I have that because in a sport where parity is king and the simple is over-complicated, the Patriots have emerged as royalty. Jacoby Brissett’s performance against the Texans on Thursday Night Football is the latest example. Despite all the obstacles the league, and the injury bug, throw in their path, New England still continues to shine.
There was noticeable trepidation from the football watching public about the Patriots chances going into Thursday night’s proceedings. A third string quarterback, and a rookie no less, facing three time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and the undefeated Texans would normally be a recipe for disaster. Pundits and bar patrons alike all jumped off the Patriots bandwagon once New England’s four day long ruse about Jimmy Garoppolo fell by the wayside. (Quick aside: I still don’t think I’ve spelled Jimmy G’s last name right the first time, like ever.) So it was time for Jacoby Brissett to make his full debut in front of a national audience. And to be honest I can’t say I was surprised with the results.
It was made painfully clear on the telecast that quarterbacks making their debut under Bill Belichick had yet to be beaten. Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, and Jimmy Garoppolo all were victorious. Hell, even the immortals Eric Zeier and Todd Philcox were winners during their NFL bows in the Hoodie’s ignominious Cleveland tenure. Why has this been the case when the NFL norm is for debutantes, especially at the game’s most important position, is for a painstaking struggle? It is a simpler answer than you’d think. It is because Bill Belichick is maybe the least ego driven man in the sport.
The sport of football is simple in its nature. Throw or run the pigskin into the other team’s endzone and stop your opponent from doing likewise. Over time, it has been turned into sport calculus through schemes, systems, packages, and hot reads. Yes, Bill Belichick has a system in place with the Patriots. In fact, it is that system that has garnered him the majority of his accolades in Foxboro. But while so many others become enamored with their creations, and beholden to them, Bill Belichick uses it as a template, not gospel.
Take how he shaped Thursday’s gameplan for both the Brissett-led offense and the Brock Osweiler-stopping defense. Brissett’s strength does not lie in timing routes and threading the needle through coverage. That is Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo’s game. However, Garoppolo’s version of the Brady attack was itself an abridged version. But what Belichick concocted to highlight Brissett’s skill set was remarkable. Designed runs, slot reverses, and option plays made the Patriots look like they were ripped out of the SEC or Big XII. But alas that is what the situation called for. That was what his rookie quarterback was most comfortable with. And that ability to cater to what he had at his disposal broke the Texans spirit almost immediately.
This isn’t rocket science people. It should be common practice to work to your strengths and neutralize the opponents. But alas, it is not. And that was no more evident than when Houston had the ball.
Brock Osweiler burst on the scene last year as Peyton Manning’s interim apprentice in Denver. His signature performance was against New England, erasing a two touchdown deficit twice to win in overtime. The book on Osweiler became clear, but Denver threw old nemesis Peyton Manning back at them in the AFC Championship rematch, nullifying that “research.” But Thursday night was proof that the club didn’t forget what they learned last year. They forced the cannon armed Osweiler to play the underneath game. They gave him DeAndre Hopkins as an option, but not deep as he would have preferred. Throw after throw had zero touch on it and either ricocheted off his receivers or zoomed past them dangerously into coverage. Unlike his former mentor, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien couldn’t adapt and the game slowly got out of hand.
Jacoby Brissett will more than likely be a one and done performer in 2016. Garoppolo should return next week and Tom Brady returns from suspension shortly thereafter. But this is something that we will surely see again during Bill Belichick’s rule as supreme strategist of the NFL. I’ve tried to bring attention to things that fall under the umbrella of the “Patriot Way” in the past, but that seemed to go on deaf ears. Maybe Jacoby Brissett’s performance on Thursday night will open those ears again. I doubt it though, and the Patriots will continue to keep themselves a cut above.