| Randolph Charlotin. 17th November, 2006 - 11:45 am
 Much has been said about the decline of the New England Patriots. The franchise that was called a dynasty after winning three out of four Super Bowls between 2001-2004. Following the ’04 championship, both coordinators left the team for head coaching opportunities (offensive coordinator Charlie Weis to Notre Dame and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennell to the Cleveland Browns).
Replacing them was no easy task. Eric Mangini was elevated to defensive coordinator. But an offensive coordinator was not named. Before this coaching staff could even get comfortable, the New York Jets swiped Mangini for their head coach earlier this year. Once again the Pats had to shuffle the coaching staff, naming Dean Pees D-coordinator and Josh McDaniels O-coordinator.
But coaching stability hasn’t made things any better. The defense and offense is not on the level of those championship teams.
Maybe that has to do with the personnel as opposed to the instructions. Free agency stripped the franchise in ways it never was during their run. The defense lost key players in linebackers Willie McGinest and Matt Chatham. The offense lost all but one receiver, holding on to only Troy Brown. The two starters from last year left under different circumstances (David Givens – free agent to Tennessee; Deion Branch - traded to Seattle while holding out for a new contract). Finding replacements hasn’t been a smooth transition, especially for the offense as the new wide outs need time to develop chemistry with quarterback Tom Brady.
The result? Since their last championship win two years ago, the Patriots are just 4-9 against winning teams.
They don’t even have a home field advantage anymore. But this isn’t about the Patriots’ 2-3 record at Gillette Stadium this season. Owner Robert Kraft decided to give up the fight to maintain a natural grass field and is having field turf installed.
Call it an end to an era. From the moment of conception, Kraft wanted natural grass inside his new stadium. Plenty of thought went into the design of the field, from a sophisticated draining system to heating coils under the field. But nurture can’t outsmart nature.
Especially when nurture also abuses the blades. The Rolling Stones tour made a stop in the summer time and left their tracks behind. Disney also made their mark as they used the stadium to film the movie "The Game Plan" during October. New sod was installed in the middle of the field after Mickey’s Mouseketechs and actors did a number on the field, but it only held up for one game before becoming mud. So enough was enough.
It’s as if the field condition is a metaphor of the team: It held up during the championship years, but it’s finally showing it isn’t what it used to be. Granted, that depends on whom you ask.
Opponents hated playing at Gillette Stadium, especially after the New England weather did a number on the field. In a 2004 Player’s Association survey, the Gillette Stadium field was ranked 21st out of 31 teams.
Many believe that head coach Bill Belichick took notice. Conspiracy theorists claimed he’d let the field degrade and force opponents to adjust to sloppy, slippery conditions.
Did it work? Ask the Indianapolis Colts. Going from the consistent turf inside their dome to the unpredictable Gillette Stadium field didn’t favor them. Indy is a team built on speed. A messy uneven playing surface likely slowed them down. Whether field conditions effected their play is debatable. What is clear is they played poorly in those two playoff games, being out-scored by a combined 44 to 17. So maybe the effect was psychological, not physical.
But in the last two contests between the teams, the Colts won convincingly, 40-21 last year and 27-20 earlier this season.
So with the air of invincibility gone, out goes the grass and in goes the field turf. It is expected to be ready by the November 26th game against the Chicago Bears.
One thing to keep in mind. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is 19-1 on artificial surfaces. New England only hopes changing the field will lead to a new period of dominance.
lordrc@netzero.net |
