excerpt:
The NFL is about gaining an edge, no matter how fleeting. The 49ers popularized the West Coast offense, and everyone copied it. The Steelers thrived on the zone blitz, and everyone copied it. Win a title, imitation ensues.
During the Bill Belichick era, the Patriots have consistently stayed ahead of the curve. They invented the strong middle-class style of salary cap management, employed the 3-4 defense when it was unfashionable, and game-planned better than anyone in the league.
The rest of the NFL catches on, however, so the Patriots must continually adapt. And heading into the 2006 season, they’re on the forefront of another trend that could subtly alter the balance of power in the league - the two tight end offense.
We’re not talking about your father’s formations from the days of John Mackey and Mike Ditka. Today’s top-flight tight end is built like a linebacker, but runs like a receiver.
Ben Watson certainly applies, along with San Diego’s Antonio Gates, Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez, and San Francisco rookie Vernon Davis, to name three.
What separates the Patriots from just about everybody else is the presence of Daniel Graham, a punishing blocker and dangerous open-field runner. When the Patriots put the two first-round picks on the field simultaneously this year - which should be quite often - they’ll create mismatches in the passing and running games.
And if all goes according to plan, the rest of the league will once again be playing catch-up.
“Does Bill Belichick understand the matchup game in the NFL? Absolutely,” former personnel man and current Sirius radio host Pat Kirwan said. “Did he go find himself two tight ends who can attack the field vertically? Absolutely.
“To me, he’s figured it out, and I think he figured it out from the defensive side, where he saw the problems Tony Gonzalez and the other tight end could cause. He was going to get himself his own version of that, even though taking tight ends in the first round was not popular. That’s a strong statement on what Bill thought he could do.”
So while Patriots fans fret over Deion Branch’s holdout and a lack of depth at wide receiver, the Pats know they have pass-catching options not only in Watson and Graham, but draftees Dave Thomas and Garrett Mills, too.
“Our coaches have been on the leading edge of a lot of things and I don’t think this year is going to be any different,” Watson said. “It’s always our goal and our coaches’ goal to prepare us to play the best we can on Sunday, and that’s never going to change.”
http://patriots.bostonherald.com/pat...ticleid=150124
Dream scheme -- Pats bring back two tight end set
Dream scheme -- Pats bring back two tight end set
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