I don’t know about you guys but I pretty much live for specials like NFL Films’ Do Your Job II which premiered last night on NBC. It was one of the rare glimpses behind the Patriots curtain, with rare insight into what went on behind the scenes of last year’s playoff run.
DYJ2 now joins Do Your Job 1 and Bill Belichick’s A Football Life as some of the only true peeks as to what goes on behind the scenes in Foxboro. This is the kind of stuff that I think about constantly when I’m writing this blog — football strategy… what sets the Patriots apart from the rest of the league that has been trying, and failing, to catch them for the past decade-and-a-half-plus.
Well there was plenty of that, and this special was once again filled with sights and sounds to delight all Patriots fans who wonder what makes the Patriots so good.
The fact that we’re now just a few days away from the Patriots season kickoff (and I think I just got a ticket to the game) has me ready to EXPLODE with football fandom. Let’s take a look at 10 things that stuck out to me from DYJ2.
- I loved the breakdown of how the Pats got the Steelers once again on a flea flicker and how it was a similar play to the 2004 AFCCG TD throw down the middle to Branch. I’ve brought this up numerous times in recent months and to finally hear Belichick comment on it, how the coaches in Pittsburgh have changed but they keep getting them with stuff like this, was a pure delight for me after it was so obvious how they love to attack with these kind of plays.
- There was just something hilarious to me about Belichick muttering over his headset “Trouble now” after the Falcons took back the pick six that made it 21-3. Somewhat detached but so honest. So Belichick.
- I also loved the Belichick-ism “put it in the tank” which he yelled as the Pats were running sprints on the hill behind Gillette prior to the Super Bowl. This has been brought up quite a few times by players and just goes to show how they really did put it in the tank so they’d have it later.
- There was a brief glimpse of Matt Patricia talking at the Notre Dame coaching clinic this offseason and all I could think was how I’d give anything to hear that presentation. Patricia and Josh McDaniels were really the stars of this show and getting a small glimpse into their football brains is always a delight.
- My favorite part was Patricia describing how they really thought they could get a holding call on the critical 3rd down with the Falcons on the edge of field goal range. Just incredible how they saw the tendency of the left tackle and sent Chris Long right at him with hopes of drawing a hold that they did indeed get. Patricia played it cool, that things don’t always work out like that. But in this critical, game-saving case they sure did.
- Ernie Adams took some stitches during a pre-Super Bowl practice and came right back out!? His legend only continues to grow and the fact that he once again put Pink Stripes up on the white board behind him showed some acknowledgement to the craze he created after DYJ1. His legend grew once again in DYJ2, that’s for sure.
- Found it fascinating how McDaniels talked about why the chose Danny Amendola to get the final two-point play. Never realized how much thought would go into such a critical play. I should’ve and it goes to show what the coaching staff think of Amendola and how they trusted him with the ball with the game on the line. Makes me even more excited to see him in a (slightly?) expanded role this year even if it’s a little scary.
- They also mentioned that it was Dion Lewis who ran the game winning toss sweep play in practice, but he was out with an injury so it went to James White. I’ve said it a couple times, Lewis probably should’ve and would’ve had a much bigger role in the win if he hadn’t pulled his hammy.
- Forethought. That word really stuck out to me at the end of the special, because we had no way of knowing how much forethought the Patriots had going into this game. From putting extra two-point plays in, to the left tackles tendency to hold, to Devonta Freeman‘s poor blocking… they knew exactly what they were doing in this game and it was almost spooky how Belichick just kinda knows how games are going to unfold.
- The final bit was the best from Belichick — he’s “still chasing them”. With the season starting in just a few days it gave me chills to think about another Supr Bowl run with a team that is stacked as ever. I’m already looking forward to DYJ3.
