Good old time

Belichick and Patriots enjoyed team win vs. Jets

November 15, 2011|By Shalise Manza Young, Globe Staff

An important constant for Bill Belichick in New England has been the excellence… (Mike Segar/Reuters )

FOXBOROUGH - Bill Belichick has been criticized in recent weeks like never before in his Patriots tenure, with even some of his most ardent fans questioning his decisions.

As Belichick wears several hats - or hoodies, if you will - most of the criticism was directed at Bill the General Manager, who released solid contributors (James Sanders, Leigh Bodden) and brought in unknown castoffs (Sterling Moore, Antwaun Molden).

Time will tell if the changes lead to greater success for the Patriots, the first step being a win in the postseason.

But for Sunday night at least, some of the old magic was back, and for that, Bill the Coach probably deserves much of the credit. The 37-16 victory over the Jets was the type of team win that used to be commonplace for the Patriots; all that was missing was Rodney Harrison claiming that no one believed in them.

As long as New England has Tom Brady at quarterback, the offense will be fine. Brady brought a bunch of third- and fourth-string receivers such as Jabar Gaffney, Reche Caldwell, and Doug Gabriel to within minutes of the Super Bowl in 2006, and since then he’s had far better talent to throw to, leading to some explosive offenses. He has had down moments, but by and large, Brady’s excellence is a constant.

But the Patriots defense has been a different story.

Belichick didn’t earn the title of defensive genius because he had a team of superstars; he did it by finding smart, hard-working players and tailoring the game plan to their strengths while also taking away the strengths of the opponent. He also had assistant coaches who had been in the game for years, who knew what adjustments to make.

Many smart, gritty players have moved on, and so have most of the coaches who were in the defensive meetings. Too often, plays haven’t been made when needed, on-the-fly changes weren’t made, and opponents have been able to march on the Patriots at will in crucial moments.

And then there’s the near-constant lack of pass rush, which would cause even a secondary of four All-Pros to look ordinary.

Against the Jets, however, the Patriots of old were back. Belichick’s fingerprints were all over the defensive game plan. The line went back to being more physical, putting quarterback Mark Sanchez, who even on his better days can be skittish, into full “Happy Feet’’ mode. Receivers were re-routed.

The whole defensive unit played sound against a New York offense that had awakened over the last month.