Establishing the Defense
In the latest issue of Sporting News, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is ranked as the 20th greatest coach of all time. He will have to prove it this year.
Training camp kicked off with a pair of practices. According to sources, it will be the first of many two-a-days for the team, as Belichick intends on running a tougher, more physical camp than in years past. This is just what the team needs.
This isn’t questioning the toughness of the team. That’s something New England has always been under Belichick. More than anything, I feel Belichick wants to stress fundamentals and establish an identity. This would be good for the offense, but more so for a defense hasn’t put fear in an opponent in years.
Think back to the ’03 and ’04 championship teams. Those defenses were scary! The 2003 defense was second in turnover differential, the top scoring defense that allowed just 14.9 points per game, and the best overall defense. In 2004 the Pats were second overall in defense and second best scoring defense, holding opponents to just 16.2 points per game.