Here’s a story that’s sure to be A Thing today — New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about advanced statistics websites and offered a response that was quite dismissive of the information found on these websites.
“The what now?” Belichick responded.
You know, advanced statistics. Analytics. Next-gen stats. Whatever you want to call them.
“What the hell is that?” Belichick said. “I mean, you can take those advanced websites and metric them in whatever you want. I don’t know. I have no idea. I’ve never looked at one. I wouldn’t even care to look at one. I don’t even care what they say. “As far as the quarterback goes, read the coverage, throw the ball to the open receiver, take the best matchup. That’s what it is in a nutshell. The quicker we’re open, the clearer the picture, the sooner the ball’s going to come out. If we don’t have anybody open, who’s the quarterback going to throw it to? So it’s timing, decision-making, execution by the entire offensive team. That’s what the passing game is. Receivers have got to get open and catch the ball. The quarterback’s got to read the coverage, make the right decision, make an accurate throw.
“All the metrics they use and all that, I have no idea. You need to ask that to a smarter coach than me.”
First of all, why would you expect anything different from a coach who had a five-minute answer about why he hates using tablets on the sidelines? If you ask your grandfather if he likes using the health app on his phone that tracks steps, measures heart rate and body fat and his response his, “I just stand on a scale,” do you make fun of him? No. Your grandfather fought in Korea and you will respect how he chooses to take care of himself.
Second of all, did someone really ask Belichick about a quarterback’s release time, maybe the dumbest football stat there is? I had assumed everyone thought that was the dumbest stat. “Watch Brady. He gets the snap, sets his feet, finds a receiver, and boom!” Then there’s some dumb stopwatch that shows “1.2 seconds” or whatever. It’s meaningless. Unless your quarterback is going into a full Hideo Nomo windup before throwing the ball, no one in their right mind should care about how long it takes someone to cock and throw a football after they’ve dropped back. Belichick certainly shouldn’t.
Third of all, you’re asking the guy that’s won the most football games over the past 15 years if he reads websites for an advantage? Really? When Meryl Streep is winning Oscars, does anyone ask her afterward if she’s ever checked out the Adrian Grenier acting lesson videos on YouTube?
I can’t believe I’ve defended the Patriots twice this week on this website. I hate Trump’s America.
(NESN)
