Re: Bedard and Flowers.That’s the problem when none of your linebackers are athletic enough to cover RBs well, right? They can’t play 5 LBs/DEs/DTs against 11’s. Don’t they always essentially have to have at least two linebackers on the feild almost all the time? Well if that’s not the case just ignore this. But if it is the case then what was Belichick supposed to do about it given the people on his roster? If you have a QB who won’t progress to his 3rd/4th option maybe that works but if he isn’t pressured, is patient, and goes through his progressions I would assume if you simulated that this defense no matter who was on the field that night against the Eagles would get lit up.
The defense sucks. From both a personnel and game-planning perspective, the defense was just very simply lacking what it would have taken to win this game.
This should be obvious. It’s staggering that the GOAT has been handicapped with mediocre to horrible defenses ever since the Parcells core started aging and/or suffering strokes and has somehow managed to consistently overcome it, often almost single-handedly.
What’s more staggering is that there’s any debate to be had over who deserves the most credit for the dynasty.
The longer this goes on, it gets plainer and plainer that the credit goes to Brady. All the credit in the world to Belichick for having the balls to keep him in with Bledsoe healthy, but (hot-take alert) they never win a fucking thing w/o Brady. Brady still wins with random coach X, unless it's Ray Handley or something, but Belichick isn't winning dick with random QB X.
Too many stupid decisions, both in-game and as GM, for this genius crap to hold water. The defense is so fucking bad that Brady has to keep coming back from double-digit deficits (which almost NEVER happens, but Brady pulled it off 4 times in a row). You keep coming back from double-digit deficits and winning playoff games? That's on the QB, not the defensive genius coach. The fact that your aging QB couldn't pull it off a fifth time? That's on the fucking miserable prick of a coach and his horrific planning for this game.
Belichick is Lennon, older, tougher, less talented and happy to be known as the leader. Brady is McCartney. He’s the irreplaceable supernatural talent that made all the difference and made it happen.
It’s been a long week.