FOXBOROUGH — When times have been at their bleakest for the Patriots (and that's relative ... dark days in New England are career-years in other NFL locales) in recent years, it's been their coaching that has dug them out.
Sure, talent matters a lot. A great player that plays great, will always beat a good player who's ceiling is lower. But that's been the hidden advantage inside Gillette Stadium for years — no coaching staff gets their players to execute to their talent or beyond on a more consistent basis than the Patriots.
The best example came in 2014, when the Patriots dropped to 2-2 after the Kansas City massacre, and then rebounded to win the Super Bowl. Another 2-2 start in 2017 yielded a second-straight Super Bowl appearance in 2017. And last season, it might have taken a while, but eventually, after back-to-back December losses left the Patriots at 9-5 (3-5 on the road) and looking as vulnerable as ever, the Patriots emerged as Super Bowl champions for a sixth time.
It's always been coaching and the ability to get better execution out of the players that has led the Patriots out of their, relative, doldrums.
Mired in another two-game, December losing streak, the Patriots are back in the same spot. The question is, can this coaching staff, that has dealt with unprecedented turnover — there have been seven changes from the experienced group that led the team to three titles in the past five years — get the job done?
First, a look at the turnover...
Obviously no one knows how this is going to turn out, but let's look at the positive and negative tea leaves, along with some inside information gleaned over this season to sort this out.
ON THE PLUS SIDE
The best news is that almost all of the turnover happened on the defensive side of the ball, and that group has not had any issues. If anything, the unit has gotten better with amazing continuity among the players.
Plus, you always have Bill Belichick directing things. Most people think that Brian Flores had a heavy hand in last year's success. Actually, the setup this season is very similar to what it was last season with Belichick and the staff taking most of the lead, and the in-game playcalling is basically a paint-by-number system that takes much of the guesswork out of it.
Plus, you still have the big three of Josh McDaniels, Dante Scarnecchia, and Ivan Fears carrying much of the load. There isn't a staff in the league that can match that kind of brainpower and experience in those spots, and it gives the Patriots a huge advantage.
(Adam Richins for BSJ)
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