Belichick is on a mission
10/30/2007
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How shameful it must have been to be accused of cheating. How embarrassing to be turned in by a former employee and friend. How humiliating it had to be to have everything you’ve ever accomplished questioned by the media. How degrading it must have been to have your legacy tarnished.
Welcome to Bill Belichick’s world just seven weeks ago.
After a 38-14 victory in Week 1 of the 2007 NFL Season, Belichick and his New England Patriots were accused of stealing defensive signals from the New York Jets. The accuser was Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini, the man who had worked for Belichick in New England just two seasons prior.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell quickly came to the conclusion that Mangini’s gripe was legit and punished the Patriots by making them forfeit future draft picks while levying a heavy fine against Belichick.
Belichick could overcome the loss of draft picks and money. The humiliation that followed the debacle, however, was unbearable.
The media quickly began to question the legitimacy of the Patriots dynasty and wondered aloud if Belichick had cheated before to gain a competitive edge. Were the Patriots just a bunch of frauds? How many times did they steal defensive signals in the past? Was Belichick actually a genius or just a scumbag who perfected the art of not getting caught?
The media was unrelenting and unforgiving, flooding the airwaves with the argument that Belichick and the Patriots were not who everyone thought they were. Fans of other teams reveled in the fact that maybe, just maybe, the model organization was just a facade. The Patriots weren’t perfect; they were just a bunch of cheats.
This isn’t to say that the media and fan outcry was unwarranted. On the contrary, the backlash from the Jets scandal was very much deserved considering the media and fans had put Belichick and the Patriots up on a pedestal after they beat the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. People had the right to wonder if the great New England dynasty was nothing more than a fraud and to question the genius label that had been bestowed upon Belichick.
I myself wondered aloud if Belichick was nothing more than a Belicheat. Yet whether or not these questions were justified, everyone is now feeling the wrath of the gray hooded sweatshirt.
There’s no doubt that Belichick is angry and is out to prove a point. The Patriots haven’t just beaten teams this year; they’ve massacred every single opponent to the point of humiliation. They finally spent money in the offseason and have built the perfect football juggernaut.
With the Patriots comfortably ahead 42-14 early in the fourth quarter of a Week 7 game against Miami, Belichick pulled quarterback Tom Brady, who had already thrown five touchdown passes. Matt Cassel replaced Brady but after just two plays, he threw an interception that was returned by the Dolphins for a touchdown.
No big deal, New England was still well ahead, leading 42-21 with only 10 minutes left to play. Cassel could go back onto the field, milk the clock and even if they had to punt, the Dolphins still needed three touchdowns in less than 10 minutes just to tie (assuming the Patriots didn’t score again).
That wasn’t good enough for Belichick, however, so he re-inserted Brady. Just five plays into the drive, Brady threw a career-best sixth touchdown of the game. The Patriots cruised to a 49-28 victory, but the move to put Brady back in was just a taste of things to come.
A week later, the talk around the NFL was how New England was finally going to get a real test. The 4-2 Redskins were coming to town and with a date against the undefeated Colts on the horizon, many were wondering if the Patriots would get caught looking ahead.
Some test. Just 30 minutes into the game, the Patriots led 24-0 and were in complete command. Despite a 38-0 lead early in the fourth quarter, Brady remained in the game. In one final deathblow, Brady surgically shredded the usually stingy Washington defense through the air, capping off the 14-play, 88-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker. It was Brady’s third passing touchdown of the game and fifth overall, including two earlier rushing scores.
The situation was eerily familiar. The Pats had a comfortable lead, but Belichick left his starters in and went for the opponent’s jugular. In both situations, New England could have easily cruised to victory, but that wasn’t enough for Belichick. He had to suck the life out of his opponent.
He’s sending a clear message to anyone who is even remotely interested in his cause: This is personal. This season, Bill Belichick is on a mission.
It’s not good enough to just get to the postseason or even win a Super Bowl – he wants to obliterate everything in the process. He wants everyone who ever questioned his legitimacy in the wake of the Jets scandal to take notice that he can dominate this league like no other coach or player has before.
Belichick is trying to do the unthinkable – he’s going for perfection, and he’s already halfway there.
He not only wants to beat teams, he wants to crush them. He not only wants to win another Super Bowl, he wants to go undefeated in the process. It’s not enough for Brady to have another good season; his coach wants him to break all of Peyton Manning’s single-season records.
With each passing week, it should be clear that Belichick is tired of all the nonsense. He’s tired of hearing about other teams and other players. He’s tired of hearing about what the Patriots have to do to beat their next opponent. He wants everyone to realize that it’s not about what the Patriots do, but what other teams have to do in an effort to keep pace.
This week, the 8-0 Patriots travel to Indianapolis to take on the 7-0 Colts. In case anyone has forgotten, the Colts beat the Patriots last year in Indy on their way to topping the Bears in the Super Bowl. Since then, New England has beaten opponents by a combined score of 331-127.
If anyone thinks this isn’t a statement game for Belichick, they haven’t been paying attention. A lot of people rightfully believe that the Colts can take the Patriots, especially on their home turf. That’s only playing into what Belichick wants, however. He wants people to doubt him and his team before he goes out and crushes the Colts’ spirit. He wants to send a message that with or without the other team’s defensive signals, he can do whatever he wants to any opponent and nobody can stop him.
If the Patriots can roll over the Colts like they’ve done to every opponent thus far, there won’t be any question that they’re far and away the cream of the crop in the NFL. But Belichick isn’t only looking for a victory He wants perfection. He wants history. He’s on a mission.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.