New England Patriots: How nostalgia is hurting a fading dynasty
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are an organization stuck in the past and this is why it’s hurting them.
is the advancement of the NFL starting to leave the New England Patriots behind?
It is natural for NFL coaches in particular to have a strong confirmation bias. For our non-psychology fans, this refers to the tendency to stick to your beliefs even when there is evidence to support otherwise.
It has become clear throughout the season that the lack of adaptation of Bill Belichick and the Patriots is starting to hurt them.
Scheme over team mantra is slowly phasing out
After the early dynasty period, the New England Patriots got a reputation for trading their stars at the right time, and be able to win with a largely inexpensive roster. All the jokes about the team being able to make stars out of Walmart employees were seemingly valid.
Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, and Rob Ninkovich are all guys who immediately come to mind that were castoffs and became productive members of past Super Bowl teams. This of course added to the narrative and to be honest, it worked. No name players that had a great work ethic and wanted to win seemed to thrive.
Bill Belichick never needed top players to win because he was just that much smarter than everyone else. He was a coach like a league had never had before, and it was a huge reason for the teams’ immense success. However, the league seems to be catching up.
The emphasis on unique offensive systems is at the forefront of today’s NFL. Sean McVay and Matt Naggy are great examples of opening up the playbook in ways that have never been seen.
Coaches are becoming way more creative with their offensive approach, and it is showing by the record numbers being put up on that side of the ball. Remember when McDaniels and Belichick were praised as geniuses for changing the playbook week-to-week?
Teams seem to be taking the philosophy and multiplying it to the 3rd degree. But none of these systems would work without megastars.