Heading to the Super Bowl on Tuesday, so the posts will probably have a football slant. I am working on a monster baseball draft post, but it might never get done. Meanwhile, here’s a little Belichick because I suspect nobody will be writing about the guy this week.
The interesting thing to me about Bill Belichick’s coaching time in Cleveland is that it was, at first, wildly underrated. People seemed to think Belichick was a complete disaster as coach of the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990s, and I don’t think that’s right. He did some good things, as we will see. He showed some of his coaching brilliance.
Then, after Belichick started winning a lot, people started reevaluating Belichick’s career in Cleveland and, suddenly, he became wildly overrated. That’s just how it goes when you win. In the upcoming draft post, I point out that in the 1990s everybody looked at the Atlanta Braves as a “model franchise,” when, in fact, their drafts were almost always crappy and they did a relatively poor job of developing talent. But, when you have a little money to spend, and you have the Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz/Chipper train running, people will think a lot of you.
Anyway, once Belichick started winning, lots of people started saying he was actually a really good coach in Cleveland and that he put together the core of the team that would win the Super Bowl in Baltimore and that, if Art Modell had not moved the Browns, everything would have worked out. That’s not really right either.
Here, as a starting point, are Belichick’s records for his five years as coach in Cleveland:
1991: 6-10
1992: 7-9
1993: 7-9
1994: 11-5
1995: 5-11
As you can see — it ain’t great. Overall, he was 36-44 in Cleveland, and had only the one winning record. Beyond that, I don’t think it would be rewriting history to say that he was absolutely despised — more than just about any coach I can remember. That’s probably not hard to imagine: He isn’t exactly Tom Hanks now, and that’s with four Super Bowls under his hoodie.
Still, you can multiply those feelings about about 20. People really hated this guy in Cleveland, and he earned a lot of it. He was, as ever, disdainful of the press and fans. He famously cut favorite son Bernie Kosar and slammed him immediately afterward with his “diminishing skills” comment. Unlike Roger Clemens, Kosar never really was able to find a cool, age-repellent split-fingered fastball and prove Belichick wrong. His skills really were diminishing. Still, it was a pretty cold-hearted thing to say and do in the middle of a lousy 1993 season (Though it did lead to one of the great headlines I’ve ever seen in a newspaper: “They cut me, Dad”).
The incident I remember most when Belichick was coach in Cleveland happened when I went up to do a column of some kind, and they had us working in this press area that overlooked the field. Just as the players were about to go out to practice, someone announced, “SHADES!” and Browns minions walked around and violently pulled down all the shades so that we would not be able to see anything that was happening during practice. Hey, lots of coaches close practice, but I can’t forget the disdain on the faces of the Browns employees pulling the shades. It was about a step below being taken hostage.
Anyway, it’s easy to deduce that Belichick was a complete waste in Cleveland — but that wouldn’t be fair. He really took over an ancient team living on past glories which, as Herm Edwards will tell you, is about the worst kind of team to inherit. Those first three years were dreadful, but I’m not sure there was much that could have been done. Kosar really was diminishing, Belichick was just trying to fill the void with old Giants (Joe Morris anyone? Mark Bavaro?).
But in 1994, Belichick really showed his defensive genius at work. Few people realize this, but that Browns team allowed only 204 points — second fewest in the 1990s (big bonus points if you can name the team that allowed the fewest points in the 1990s). That was a truly great defense — they allowed 10 points or less in seven games that year, only once gave up more than 20 (and that was at Denver where Elway torched them like he always did). And they did it with paperclips, duck tape and pieces of string. Belichick took a couple of ancient Giants linebackers (Pepper Johnson, Carl Banks), unleashed free safety Eric Turner (who had nine interceptions) and made a fifth-round pick, Rob Burnett, into a pass-rushing dynamo.
That was a helluva coaching job, and even though the offense was very limited — as it will be when your starting quarterback is an even-then creaky Vinny Testaverde and the leading running back is Leroy Hoard — the Browns went 11-5 and won a playoff game before being pounded to dust by the Bill Cowher Pittsburgh Steelers.
The next year, the Browns started out 3-1, they were playing good defense, and then the team started losing, and then Art Modell announced that he was about to commit football’s high crime, and everything fell apart. The team moved, Belichick was fired, etc. So, you could say that he never really got a fair shot at the end.
But then people start idealizing Belichick’s time in Cleveland — that’s not right either. First off, let’s be clear to say his time in Cleveland had almost no bearing at all on the 2000 Super Bowl Ravens. The only starters from his last team that were on the Super Bowl Ravens were Burnett and kicker Matt Stover. The best players on that Ravens team — Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Chris McAlister, Jon Ogden, Jamal Lewis — were all taken with high picks after the Ravens got to Baltimore. Belichick had nothing to do with that team at all.
Also, you can’t just give him a pass for those four out of five losing seasons. He alienated one of the greatest groups of football fans in America. He turned Cleveland Stadium — one of the great home advantages in football — into nothing; his home record was a blah 19-21 (the previous six seasons — including the 1987 strike season — the Browns won at home 63 percent of the time). He refused to take a chance on a young quarterback (being one of I believe the two remaining members of the Eric Zeier could have been a great NFL quarterback club, I cannot forgive this). He had a very shaky draft record (Touchdown Tommy Vardell?). And in 1995 things started falling apart BEFORE word leaked out about the move to Baltimore.
After all that, Belichick became an assistant coach again, grumbled, took the Jets job, resigned from the Jets job, went to New England and inherited a pretty good team — or at least a pretty good defense with Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy and an offense that had good receivers, a young Kevin Faulk, the nucleus of a good offensive line and Drew Bledsoe at quarterback. That team went 5-11. It didn’t look good for Belichick. The next year, famously, they started out 5-5, and seemed headed for nowhere until Belichick made the monumental decision to make Tom Brady the quarterback. They won six in a row, won the tuck game, he outsmarted Mike Martz, the Patriots went on the most dominating NFL run since the merger, and all that. And they now save a spot in the Smithsonian for Belichick’s brain.
I think the guy’s a terrific coach. I say that without reservation. I really don’t care how he treats us in the media, and I was more amused than bothered by the whole cheating incident — I think it showed Belichick’s Nixon side — and while I don’t get the feeling that Belichick would be an especially good BFF, I suspect I won’t ever have to find out. The guy can really coach.
But I also think that he was more bad than good in Cleveland. Maybe he learned key lessons about being a head coach there. For a Browns fan who had to watch that team wither and die, that ain’t much consolation.
* By the way, the 1992 New Orleans Saints had the best defense by points in 1990s — they allowed 202 points. They promptly gave up 36 points in a loss to the Randall Cunningham, Herschel Walker Philadelphia Eagles. So go figure.
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55 Comments, Comment or Ping
Jeff P.
I liked Eric Zeier at Georgia, I always felt he would have been productive as a starter in the NFL. Not being a Browns/Ravens fan I never understood why he wasn’t given a full season to show what he could do.
Jan 28th, 2008
Paul White
Hey, it happens. With very few exceptions, even the greatest coaches ever have gone through multi-year stretches where they produced a lot of mediocre football. Don Shula had a four-year stretch with a 30-33 overall record and zero playoff appearance when he had one of the greatest QB’s in the history of the sport. From 98-00, Bill Cowher’s teams were 22-26. Tom Landry was 25-53-4 for his first six years, and 17-30 for his last three. Chuck Noll was 93-91 with the whopping total of 2 playoff wins for the final dozen years of his career.
All Belichick’s bad years in Cleveland mean is that he’s just like nearly every other great coach in the history of the sport. Sorry if that had to happen at the expense of the Browns.
Jan 28th, 2008
Dan S.
Belichick didn’t decide to start Brady. Brady was unknown, not highly-regarded, not much physically and an unused rookie backup. In a game against the Jets, Bledsoe was hammered by Mo Lewis and suffered something like a lacerated kidney. Bill was forced to use Brady, who defined “staying within himself” for the rest of the season (dinks and dunks) and forced the end of Bledsoe’s career in New England while Brady’s team won their first SuperBowl.
If I recall, the next year Brady wasn’t even that good either, and the Pats didn’t make the playoffs. When forced to throw, Brady was not very accurate, although he still played the short game well. It was the following season Brady began coming of age.
Would Brady have found his way to be an elite QB without Mo Lewis? Maybe Belichick always knew what he had, but I doubt it.
I recount all this as a bitter Jets fan.
Jan 28th, 2008
Joe K.
The Tampa Bay Rays fan wants to read a post about the draft, considering that’s how we’re staging our revival (there’s no such thing as a “vival,” is there?).
Jan 28th, 2008
Steve
Dan S.’s recollections are a little off. Brady was a second year player in 2001 when he replaced Bledsoe. In addition, while 2002 was the only year that New England didn’t make the playoffs in the last seven, it was mostly due to the fact that Cloris Leachman could have lined up in the backfield and gone for 100 yards against their defense. Brady led the entire NFL in TD passes in 2002; he still has improved since but he’s been an excellent evolving into elite quarterback ever since Mo Lewis changed history.
Jan 28th, 2008
Rick
Belichick moved Brady to the #2 QB after the preseason and decided to stick with him after Bledsoe came back. The coach did a lot to make Brady the QB, even if you don’t believe the whispers that Belichick was considering Brady as the starter before the start of the season. (I don’t believe that, but the rumors are out there.)
As for 2002, Brady led the league in TD’s and had pretty much the same stats as the previous year. The defense stunk.
Jan 28th, 2008
JT
“They promptly gave up 36 points in a loss to the Randall Cunningham, Herschel Walker Philadelphia Eagles. ”
A team coached by the immortal Rich Kotite. Mora’s 0-6 playoff record was strictly on merit.
Jan 28th, 2008
Aaron B.
The defense to give up the fewest points in the 1990s? I would guess the ‘91 Eagles
Jan 29th, 2008
Aaron B.
damn, didn’t read the end of the post, hahhaha
Jan 29th, 2008
Josh
Haha… thats funny… though I would have never guessed the 1992 Saints either… I would have probably named 20-30 teams (at least) first…
Jan 29th, 2008
Jeff P.
Good players make a coach better.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan S.
Brady may have led the league in TDs in 2002 with 28 (I looked it up) but also had the lowest yards per completion of his career and QB rating (by a hair). As I maintain, he was a dink and dunk guy at that point. He did not throw an accurate long ball. He was not yet an excellent QB.
Further he only threw 37 completions for over 20 yards (2nd lowest of his career, in a career high 603 attempts - yes, more than this year) and only 3 completions for over 40 yards (by far the lowest of his career). Nothing wrong with any of that for a 3rd year player, but far from great. 6th best QB rating in the AFC.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan
From all accounts I have read, Brady was going to take over for Bledsoe probably later on in the season, all of the coaching staff saw that and knew that he was the QB of the future.
BB didn’t get “lucky” or anything when Mo lewis hit Bledsoe
Jan 29th, 2008
Weeb Eubank
I’ll take the Giants and offer ya 17 1/2 points, at 2-1.
Jan 29th, 2008
Brian
Dan S. ~ I don’t think Joe got the details wrong. I just think he put them in the wrong order chronologically.
He said: “The next year, famously, they started out 5-5, and seemed headed for nowhere until Belichick made the monumental decision to make Tom Brady the quarterback. They won six in a row, won the tuck game, he outsmarted Mike Martz, the Patriots went on the most dominating NFL run since the merger, and all that.”
He should have said: “The next year, famously, they started out 5-5, and seemed headed for nowhere until they won 6 in a row, then Belichick made the monumental decision to keep Tom Brady at quarterback even though Bledsoe was healthy again. They won the tuck game, he outsmarted Mike Martz, the Patriots went on the most dominating NFL run since the merger, and all that.”
That would have been more accurate. Because he did make a monumental decision in regards to Brady/Bledsoe. He was one of the 1st coaches to say that the “you don’t lose your job to an injury” rule is stupid and makes no sense.
Jan 29th, 2008
Byron
The decision to name Brady the starter in 2001 was gigantic. As someone who lived through five straight months of Bledsoe/Brady talk on sports radio and in the papers, you were on one side or the other.
And choosing Brady was not a slam dunk. Not a lot of people trusted a sixth-round pick (”If he was so good, why did every team pass on him five times?”) and felt that if a player gets injured he should have the right to win his job back.
Mo Lewis was the catalyst, but Bledsoe wouldn’t have been starting for much longer. There’s no doubt about that, Belichick never really believed in Bledsoe and his style of play.
Jan 29th, 2008
Paul White
As long as you’re dissecting Brady’s 2002 season, it seems only fair to note the general lack of offensive weapons around him. The running game consisted of a 30-year old Antowain Smith and his 3.9 yard average. The leading receiver was 31-year old Troy Brown, with the other starter being journeyman David Patten. The only real deep threat on the team was a rookie, Deion Branch. Prior to this season, do you know how many Pro Bowl or All-Pro seasons were posted by Patriot players on the offensive side of the ball, besides Brady himself, during his years as a starter? Four.
2001 - Troy Brown
2002 - Damien Woody
2003 - None
2004 - Corey Dillon
2005 - None
2006 - Matt Light
Four guys in six years. Compare that to the first six years for a few other good/great modern QB’s:
Troy Aikman: 24
Drew Bledsoe: 13
John Elway: 6
Brett Favre: 9
Jeff Garcia: 12
Trent Green: 22
Jim Kelly: 18
Peyton Manning: 9
Dan Marino: 21
Donovan McNabb: 11
Warren Moon: 10
Joe Montana: 17
Kurt Warner: 17
Steve Young: 24
With the exception of Elway, no one was even close to Brady in terms of a lack of top-end talent on offense. Brady unequivocally did far more with far less than just about any other QB in modern football. That has to be factored into the equation before labeling him “far from great”.
Jan 29th, 2008
AK
Dan S. - what’s your point? A third year quarterback with one year playing under his belt had the second-worst QB rating of his career while playing with a horrendous defense? Gee, let’s crucify the guy because he wasn’t an elite quarterback in his second playing year. How dare he. HOW DARE HE.
Jan 29th, 2008
Guelphdad
In 1992 the Saints sent all four linebackers (Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson) to the Pro Bowl. They were my first guess.
Having to watch that team fold in the playoffs year after year was heartbreaking though.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan S.
AK & others, my only point was that Belichick didn’t choose Brady over Bledsoe, as much as Brady was thrust upon him. Secondarily, Brady wasn’t looking like a franchise QB those first two full playing seasons.
2002 was Pennington’s first playing season and Brady’s second, and Chad wasn’t surrounded by Hall of Famers either. Chad, statistically, had a much better season then Brady and led his team into the playoffs (and a blowout victory over Manning’s Colts). Brady’s Superbowl winners didn’t make the playoffs.
In my view, Brady threw a highly inaccurate medium to deep ball at that point in his career, and Belichick mostly kept him under wraps by limiting the offense. Did he know what he had in Brady? He didn’t coach like it.
Jan 29th, 2008
Guelphdad
I watch way less football than I did 15+ years ago.
My neighbour is a huge New England fan though and has always said prior to this year that Brady made his receivers much better than they were, but wait until he has some actual receivers to work with.
Just curious, where do you guys slot Brady in terms of all-time QBs considering what he’s had to work with talent wise?
Jan 29th, 2008
Mike
Maybe I’m forgetting something, but didn’t Bledsoe lead them to a win in the AFC championship game after Brady got hurt?
Then there was a lot of controversy over starting Brady over Bledsoe in the Super Bowl.
Jan 29th, 2008
Byron
“AK & others, my only point was that Belichick didn’t choose Brady over Bledsoe, as much as Brady was thrust upon him. ”
Dan, you’re wrong about this. As I and others have shown you, Belichick was not going to keep Bledsoe around much long. Yes, the Mo Lewis hit accelerated his plan, but I can guarantee you that Tom Brady was not going to be on the bench for much longer.
As for the evidence look to where Belichick and Pioli sent him after the 2001 season, to the Buffalo Bills. A team that New England plays twice a year. If Belichick had any fear/confidence in Drew Bledsoe he would’ve sent him outside his division.
And for the record, Santana Moss, Lauvarneus Coles and Wayne Chrebet (three of Pennington’s targets early in his Jets career) were much better than what Tom Brady had up until 2007.
Jan 29th, 2008
Byron
Edit: not to mention the strong running game of Curtis Martin. So don’t try and tell me that Pennington had the football equivalent of the Bad News Bears.
And even if he did, he lead them to won playoff win. The Patriots won the Super Bowl the year prior.
Jan 29th, 2008
Greg P.
Byron’s right. Brady was going to be the quarterback sooner or later and Mo Lewis made it sooner.
I live in Maine and am a huge Giants fan, but I would take Brady in a heartbeat over any other quarterback that I’ve seen (and I’m 48).
Jan 29th, 2008
Paul White
“2002 was Pennington’s first playing season and Brady’s second, and Chad wasn’t surrounded by Hall of Famers either. Chad, statistically, had a much better season then Brady and led his team into the playoffs (and a blowout victory over Manning’s Colts). Brady’s Superbowl winners didn’t make the playoffs.”
Comparing Chad Pennington to Tom Brady was at least good for a chuckle, so thanks for that.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan S.
Byron: To say Belichick lacked confidence in Bledsoe (something I’m totally prepared to believe) is not the same as saying he immediately recognized what he had in Brady. I think the gameplans he designed around Brady in his early years tell you all you need to know.
The 2002 Jets were a nice story, especially considering they had to ditch their starting QB - Testeverde - early in the year. But the cast you mention (Curtis, Coles & Chrebet mostly - Moss was a waste) were not at their peak seasons. Coles was great, Chrebet was on the concussion downside already, and Martin struggled to get 1,000 yards with very bad ankle injuries, one of his least productive seasons. The team started out 1 and 4, including three consecutive blow out losses (to NE, Miami and Jacksonville) when Pennington was given the starting nod. The Jets had two Pro Bowlers: John Abraham (DE) and Kevin Mawae (C). Chad and Coles were certainly worthy of consideration as well.
Chad did a lot more that year with less than Brady did (with the reigning Super Bowl champs) that year.
Not that I don’t have some appreciation for what Brady did in 2002. The last Sunday of the year was one of my favorite football watching days ever. The Jets (8-7) needed a Miami (9-6) loss to the Pats at 1:00 and a Jet victory over a very good Green Bay team at 4:00 to finish their improbable run to make the playoffs. As I recall, the Miami had a greater than a TD lead with about 5 minutes to go, and choked it away. The sky high Jets then blew out Green Bay! Pats, Fins and Jets all finished at 9-7 with the Jets taking the tie-breaker.
Jan 29th, 2008
Brian
Anybody else feel like this Brady/Belichick/Bledsoe non-argument bears resemblance to something Mike and Mike would argue about? I can’t even figure out what the debate is.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan S.
Paul White: As a Jets fan, I’d certainly swap decades and QBs with Pats fans (if that’s where you’re coming from). And if Belichick hadn’t been pissed at Parcells in his 24 hours as head coach of the Jets, maybe I could have. For one year, we had it better. Small change.
Jan 29th, 2008
Josh
Tom Brady: 62.1% , 3764 yards, 28 tds (led league), 14 int. 85.7 rating, 9-7 record
Pennington: 68.4% (led league), 3120 yards, 22 tds, 6 int, 104.2 rating (led league) 9-7 record
To me the years are pretty similar…. Pennington was probably slightly better (more accurate but less prolific), but Martin had a much better year the Smith at running back (the Jets also had Lamont Jordan)… and Coles had 1300 yards recieving and went to the pro-bowl…
I just don’t see it as a lot better season for Pennington as I think rating is an over-rated stat and Pennington always relied on the short pass/ never had an arm…
Jan 29th, 2008
Paul White
For one year you had a 9-7 team that beat New England on the road in the same year New England had a 9-7 record and beat the Jets on the road. Your team capped that off with a home playoff win against a wild card, pre-juggernaut Colts team that was in the first year of Dungy’s reign and was coming off a 6-10 season, a team that had one playoff win since 1971. If all that qualifies as “better”, you’re welcome to it.
Jan 29th, 2008
Justyo
It must be tough being a Jet fan. Especially with the Giants in the superbowl and the Mangenius looking rather Manordinary. And with the Pats sitting in their division. Gonna be a long, ugly ride Dan. The Pats should dominate the division for the next 3-5 years and with Tuna in Miami and a tough Bills team. No wonder you’re pining for the 2002 Pennington. Oh and Paul - LOVED the Pennington / Brady comparison line. Made my morning. Thanks.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan S.
PW: Since the Jets have never been a juggernaut, I’ll take what I can get.
Josh: I think the Jets were 8-3 with Chad at QB - a virtual rookie. (As I said, they started 1-4 with Vinnie. ) The QB rating, TD-to-Int ratio and completion % are all pretty illustrative of a much better season.
Did he really have a better cast than the reigning Super Bowl champs? Chad didn’t have a great arm then, but he could make all passes before the first shoulder injury and was uncannily accurate.
Jan 29th, 2008
Jackie Ballgame
Forgive if this has already been pointed out.
I was on-board the “Belichik is overrated” argument, until I noticed that he is responsible for drafting the entire offensive line that is currently manhandling the NFL and is a big reason why the Patriots are so good (to the extent that a coach is responsible for draft picks). He became coach in 2000. Here are the starters and the years they were drafted:
Nick Kaczur (2005)
Stephen Neal (2001)
Dan Koppen (2003)
Matt Light (2001)
Logan Mankins (2005)
Jan 29th, 2008
Brian
I am on board with anyone who says that Logan Mankins is the greatest O-Line name in all of football. Wait, nobody said that? Well somebody should have.
Jan 29th, 2008
AK
Fun discussion guys, if meaningless. Dan S. - you repeatedly say that “Belichick didn’t know what he had” in Brady. Yet he had the foresight to draft Brady in the first place, so he must have known something, right? 31 other teams passed on the guy five times before the Pats took him. Not to mention, Belichick made the executive decision to stick with Brady after Bledsoe had recovered from Mo Lewis’ monster hit. He won a Superbowl in his first year, the team regressed in 2002, and from then on, they’ve been dominant (with a lot of credit due to Brady, and Belichick’s guidance).
I still fail to see what the point of your argument is. The Pats didn’t make the playoffs in one year since Brady became QB? Is that it? I can appreciate your passion as a Jets fan, but you’re obviously letting that cloud your judgment. Just stop.
Jan 29th, 2008
Paul White
“Did he really have a better cast than the reigning Super Bowl champs?”
Yes, he did. Curtis Martin was better than Antowain Smith. Laveranues Coles was better than Troy Brown. Richie Anderson was better than Marc Edwards. Wayne Chrebet was better than David Patten. Kevin Mawae was better than Damien Woody. Having a Lamont Jordan as your backup tailback is better than Kevin Faulk (as good as he is). Having a bad Vinny Tesatverde as the backup QB is still better than Rohan Davey.
The Jets simply had more talented offensive personnel that year than the Patriots, and yet Brady guided the Pats to more points than Pennington scored for the Jets. Sorry, QB rating doesn’t tell the story in this case.
Jan 29th, 2008
Paul White
One final point. The two teams also played identical schedules with two key exceptions. While the Jets got to play the 6-10 Jaguars and 9-7 Browns, the Patriots had to play the 11-5 Titans and 10-5-1 Steelers.
Jan 29th, 2008
Aaron
“Sorry Lou, but it was Wally Pipp’s job before he got hurt, so I’m gonna put him back in the starting lineup. You did a bangup job filling in though.”
Change the names and this quote could have been said to Gehrig, Brady, Rich Gannon, etc.
Oh wait, it was said to Rich Gannon in KC.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dan S.
I’ve stated the point directly already: Belichick didn’t choose Brady as a starter in 2001 as much as he was thrust into it by the injury to Bledsoe. Some counter that he drafted Brady so must have known what he had. I’d say that’s more than balanced by the fact that his offensive game plans didn’t involve Brady stretching the field at all for the first two full seasons, and the stats show it pretty conclusively.
When does anyone else think it dawned on Bellichick that he had the next Joe Montana? Draft day? Mo Lewis Day? Super Bowl vs. the Rams? I think it was somewhere between 2003 and 2005, which if you go back that far was a lot like Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw.
Jan 29th, 2008
Byron
Dan, I’m guessing that your point is that: Belichick got lucky with Tom Brady. Your logic is flawed with this thinking.
According to pro-football-reference.com, Brady was the fourth quarterback in 2000 behind Bledsoe, Michael Bishop and John Friesz. In 2001, Bishop and Friesz were gone, Brady had moved up to number two and Bledsoe was playing because he had a gigantic contract.
Yes, Bledsoe was hurt, but like myself and others have been telling you, he was not going to be the starter for too much longer. Belichick was giving him just enough rope to hang himself and then he was going to sit him down.
If you read Joe’s post from today, this would not be the first time that Belichick sat a team’s star in favor of a guy not many folks have heard of. He did it in Cleveland and if he kept the job in NY, I bet he would’ve put in Pennington over Testaverde a year earlier. That’s just the way Belichick operates.
And I think that you’re hung up on the aesthetics of Brady’s passing. Yes, I agree that he didn’t bomb the ball every time he had a chance, but that’s because of his receivers. The 2001 Pats had one goal: clock management. Run Antwan Smith for a few yards, throw some quick outs, hope for a touchdown and play defense.
They simply didn’t have the same team then as they do now. You have to recognize that.
Jan 29th, 2008
Rob V.
The argument that Belichick “knew what he had” because he drafted Brady in the sixth round is nonsense. If BB knew he’s be as good as he became, he should be sued for criminal negligence for risking losing him round after round. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to get the greatest QB ever, but why not see if he’ll slide one more round?” Is every QB taken with a sixth pick evidence that the coach believes in him, because other teams passed? Give BB props for going back to Brady after Bledsoe’s excellent playoff outing, but Dan’s point seems pretty simple: 2002 wasn’t 2007 Brady. It took a while for him to become the QB he is now. Why is this so controversial?
Jan 29th, 2008
Greg
Must set the record straight on the Bledsoe playoff outing in 2002. Brady went down late in the second quarter after a sack and Bledsoe led the team for a TD just before the half. It was a great moment, but Brady came right back out for the second half and never lost the job after that.
Also lost among this conversation is that when Belichick was first hired by the Pats, we had to give up a first round draft pick to the Jets (or some set of picks). As such, there were many fans and writers in New England claiming this was a bad decision, especially with Belichick’s fairly unproven head coaching record (I’m sure at that point his Cleveland stint was made to look like a disaster).
Between that and the poor first season in 2000 that Joe mentioned, Belichick was by no means a popular coach, nor someone who we in NE were giving the benefit of the doubt to. Thus, though most will probably deny it to this day, there were A LOT of people who questioned the decision to stick with Brady when Bledsoe became healthy again. Belichick, as he has always done, stuck to his guns, and the rest, as they say, is history.
To assert that such a decision for Belichick was somehow easy or even forced upon him is to completely ignore the circumstances. Bledsoe was a franchise QB (though with an injury history) who was highly paid and with an AFC Championship to his credit…Tom Brady was a college (mostly) backup with almost no experience and a dorky haircut. I guarantee that an overwhelming majority of coaches in the NFL would not have made the same decision.
Jan 29th, 2008
Paul White
I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with the premise that Brady’s performance in ‘02 in no way resembles his performance in ‘07, or that he’s improved as a QB. The controversy is over the slanted presentation of information.
For instance, “Belichick game-planned to Brady’s limitations” is not a fair and balanced representation of the facts, because it’s just as likely that Belichick’s gameplans had more to do with Brady’s aging surrounding cast than they had to do with Brady. Harping on the Pats missing the playoffs in ‘02 despite being defending Super Bowl champions is more of the same - aging mediocre players generally don’t produce good football, so let’s stop the “great supporting cast” garbage. And using QB rating to compare Chad Pennington favorably to Brady, even for one year, turns the entire discussion into farce.
Jan 29th, 2008
Byron
I don’t think that it’s a controversial point because it’s pretty obvious. In 2002, Brady had a decent year. In 2007, Brady is having a super star year for the ages. No one is denying that.
And to be honest, Dan has been all over the place saying that Belichick lucked into starting Brady (not entirely true) and saying that Chad Pennington had the same supporting cast that Brady had in 2002 (not true) and was better that year(debatable).
And to your point: Belichick and Pioli have each mentioned that Brady sort of fell into their laps with the 99th pick and that they didn’t really know what they had until the very beginning of his second season (2001).
Jan 29th, 2008
Brian Gunn
I think it’s pretty clear that both sides in this debate (basically Dan S. vs. everyone) agree much more than they disagree. That is to say, no one disputes that Brady throws a better deep ball now than he did in ‘02, or that the timing of Brady’s ascension to the starting QB position was partly due to luck, or that Belichick deserves major props for recognizing Brady’s talent and risking public backlash by benching Bledsoe. The only dispute here involves how much you weigh each of these points in relation to each other. Yes, it’s hair-splitting — “meaningless,” as AK says — but it’s a fun discussion nonetheless, and I’d like to thank Dan S. for remaining level-headed and above-board.
Jan 29th, 2008
Dwight K. Schrute
“Must set the record straight on the Bledsoe playoff outing in 2002. Brady went down late in the second quarter after a sack and Bledsoe led the team for a TD just before the half. It was a great moment, but Brady came right back out for the second half and never lost the job after that.”
Greg, Tom Brady was injured in the first half of the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh and did NOT come back for the second half. Bledose finished the entire game.
My thoughts:
~ As stated in Charlie Pierce’s book “Moving the Chains” on Tom Brady, the Patriots were looking to draft a BACKUP QB in the second day of the 2000 draft. The brass was torn between Tim Rattay and Tom Brady, and Dick Rehbein, the late QB coach for New England, loved Brady. The Pats chose Brady and kept him as their fourth-string QB in 2000 (instead of putting him on the practice squad where he was free to sign with another team). Not many teams keep four QBs - the Patriots only kept two in 2006.
~ Brady worked his way up to the #2 QB, beating out Damon Huard in 2001.
~ For Dan S. to say that the Patriots made Brady a dink-and-dunk passer to start his career is correct but it’s also “master of the obvious.” How many rookie QBs do you see slinging 35 passes a game in their first season? Did you see JaMarcus Russell this year? Peyton Manning may have thrown a lot as a rookie QB but the Colts were 3-13. Belichick used Brady’s strengths in creating each game plan.
For everyone that thinks that Tom Brady being the 199th selection in the 2000 draft was sheer brilliance by the Patriots, know this: Scott Pioli keeps a picture frame on his desk with two football cards. One is Tom Brady. The other is Dave Stachelski, a 5th-round pick (one round ahead of Brady) from 2000. Stachelski was a tight end that never saw the field for the Patriots. Pioli keeps this on his desk to remind himself, if he was so brilliant in drafting Brady, how come he drafted Dave Stachelski ahead of him?
So yes, in the beginning, the Patriots were very lucky in drafting Brady (and have admitted as much). But Brady himself worked his way up the depth chart, became better each offseason and was impressing the coaching staff and front office far before Bledsoe got destroyed by Mo Lewis on the sidelines. Any book on the recent history of the Patriots indicates that Belichick was considering making a move to bench Bledsoe and bring in Brady at some point in the year. Mo Lewis just forced his hand.
Jan 29th, 2008
Mauichuck
It’s simple: Bill Belichick is an asshole.
Jan 29th, 2008
Greg
Dwight is right, my memory must be fading if I’m forgetting the 2002 AFC Championship already. The second half was also fairly forgettable offensively, and Bledsoe’s first half TD drive was the only offensive TD of the day (to go along with punt and FG block returns for TDs). Bledsoe coming in to lead the TD drive was a great memory for me, however.
As I recall, there was some serious discussion leading up to the Super Bowl of whether Bledsoe should start even if Brady could play. Kind of seems ridiculous in hindsight.
Jan 29th, 2008
Justyo
But tell us Chuck, how do you really feel?
Jan 29th, 2008
Eric J
In 2002, Tom Brady averaged 6.9 yards per attempt. Chad Pennington averaged 7.8. Also, Pennington led the NFL in touchdowns per attempt that year. Obviously Brady has been better almost every other year, but it’s hard to argue against Pennington having performed better in 2002, at least apart from supporting cast. Brady only had better counting stats because Pennington had 2/3 as many attempts (399 vs. 601).
Jan 30th, 2008
Jeff P.
I’m gonna go ahead and make a SB prediction:
Giants 28 Pats 27
Jan 30th, 2008
Guelphdad
Pats 41 Giants 10. Picked that number out of the air, but SBs are almost always blowouts and I favour NE in this one.
Jan 30th, 2008
Dan S.
Some Brady fans seem to have a hard time admitting that for one lonely distant season, Pennington outperformed him. They rest their case on A) Brady led the league in TDs thrown, B) Brady’s teammates really stunk (despite being reigning Super Bowl champs) and C) no one should trust objective standards like QB ratings.
None of this was my point, which I’ve clearly stated, and seen misinterpreted, enough, and I doubt I can clear the hagiography around Brady that exists, but I took another look at the respective 2002 seasons of the two QBs. I know more than my share of Pats fans, and none of them was predicted Hall of Fame for Brady as 2002 wore on. By 2007 the 2002 truth has largely and somewhat understandably been forgotten.
(Incidentally, in the 2003 preseason, Pennington severely broke his wrist in a pre-season game against the Giants, ending the Jets Super Bowl chances. In 2004, he had his first rotator cuff rupture in the 8th game of the season (the Jets were 6 and 1 at the time); in 2005 his second rupture occured in week 3. In 2006 he came back again, the Jets went 10-6 and shockingly made the playoffs. I’m not comparing his career, or the shell of his old self he’s become, but where objective football fans’ heads were at the close of 2002.)
Brady had a non-factor 2000, then a year with a Super Bowl trophy under his belt at the time, while Pennington was a non-factor for those same two seasons – essentially a rookie. Brady played and started all 16 games, compared to Pennington who started 12 games (played in 15). Brady threw for 28 TD’s, 27% more than Pennington’s 22. He threw for 235 yards per game, 13% more than Pennington did on the season - but in the 13 games that Pennington played a role other than mop up in, he also threw for 235 yards per game – a push.
Pennington threw for 7.8 yards per completion in 2002 compared to 6.3 for Brady, a 24% advantage. (Someone above said all young QBs are kept under wraps. Not so.) Pennington’s QB rating was 104.2 compared to Brady’s 85.7, a 22% advantage. Pennington threw for 3.7 TD’s per interception compared to Brady’s 2.0, an 85% advantage.
Pennington’s completion percentage was 68.9% compared to 62.1% for Brady, an 11% advantage. He threw TD passes in 8.0% of his completions, and 5.5% of his attempts; Brady respectively threw TD passes in 7.5% of his completions, and 4.7% of his attempts, advantages for Chad of 7% and 17% respectively.
All of this is conclusive. Pennington was a significantly better QB as a virtual rookie than Brady was as a virtual second year reigning Super Bowl MVP.
As a Jet fan, things were looking up, if ever so briefly. Maybe we had a franchise-type QB, even daring to think – the next Montana! It seems like a long time ago. Now Brady is odds on favorite to win his 3rd Super Bowl MVP.
Jan 30th, 2008
Ron Burgundy
Great story. Compelling, and rich.
Jan 30th, 2008
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