{"id":244,"date":"2015-09-11T21:16:18","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T21:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=244"},"modified":"2015-09-24T16:48:30","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T21:48:30","slug":"new-england-never-misses-the-little-things-beats-steelers-28-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=244","title":{"rendered":"New England Never Misses the Little Things, Beats Steelers 28-21"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have noticed a thing or two about the\u00a0<\/span>New England Patriots<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>since the coming of Head Coach\u00a0<\/span>Bill Belichick\u00a0<\/span>(16th season). \u00a0It has me going back in time when I was a big city public school principal, a job I did for 31 years. \u00a0My district hired a outsider from another city, a man that was not liked that much in his time in \u201cmy\u201d district. \u00a0Always fighting the good fight against low test scores in our most impoverished schools (how about almost all of our schools) the new leader in charge was all business when he said to \u201chis\u201d principals, most that he didn\u2019t hire that first year in the position, \u201cdo what it takes to raise scores.\u201d He did mean through legal means, but when the line was quite possibility gray, justify your actions in any which way you could to take advantage in getting those student test scores up. \u00a0What he was saying to us was that if it wasn\u2019t against the rules of the district, state, or feds, and you could improvise in your work to push the envelope, you better well do it. \u00a0Not that he was condoning cheating, but he sure wasn\u2019t expecting you to sit in your position as a principal and not do everything possible to \u201cget those darn scores up.\u201d \u00a0In reality, he was a good leader in that respect. That is, you better do you job with fidelity or you would be looking for a new job. No excuses would be accepted. \u00a0And on our end, do you job or lose it. As a point of attention, he passed around a box at a principal\u2019s meeting of 70 or more building administrators. In the box was the scrotum and testicles of a cow (bull). \u00a0His remark was, \u201cshXX ran downhill.\u201d \u00a0We got the point. \u00a0Needless to say, I manipulated the system (with fidelity), the whole system, from the school site I was principal up though the State Department of Education.\u00a0 Legally,\u00a0within the written laws and policies, my test scores were up that year. During the five year tenure of that superintendent, my test scores were away good, as I found the way to be successful. I was a winner, and my boss approved.<\/p>\n

Getting back to New England, they are a franchise led by a coach (Belichick) that has the same win at all costs (within the perimeters of the system) philosophy and bend or abuse the rules if necessary. \u00a0The NFL grave is littered with losers in the coaching profession that didn\u2019t go all out for victory, and that will not be the way of business in Foxboro. \u00a0New England is, as Charlie Sheen would say, is about\u00a0\u201cwinning\u201d and nothing else is acceptable. \u00a0Yes, the number of NFL Championships and the greatness of the franchise is a work of art in manipulation of the whole, mastermined by Bill Belichick. \u00a0As long as he coaches in the NFL, his teams will always be near or at the top. He has found the way to win and nobody will be able to touch his final record when he hangs up his charts.<\/p>\n

Examine the comments of quarterback\u00a0Ben Roethlisberger,\u00a0a winning quarterback with his own Super Bowl rings. His\u00a0<\/span>Pittsburgh\u00a0Steelers<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>took it on the chin last night in\u00a0Foxboro, 28-21.\u00a0\u00a0Big Ben was not a happy camper after his Steelers were handed the tough loss, one which his offense was very effective in moving the ball, but not so effective in making touchdowns to keep pace with his contemporary Tom Brady and his Pats. \u00a0It boiled down to a series that the Steelers needed a touchdown, had the ball deep in the red zone, but came away with only a field goal. \u00a0Roethlisberger tried to pass the blame to the New England defense in the press briefing after the game.<\/p>\n

With the Pats up 21-11 in the 4th quarter, Pittsburg was at the Pat\u2019s\u00a0one yard line with a first down thanks to a pass interference penalty. \u00a0Things were not looking so bad for the Steelers as there was enough time on the clock for a full comeback. \u00a0After two unsuccessful plays the Steelers were faced with a 3rd and goal\u00a0still at the one. On that 3rd down play the Pat\u2019s defensive line pulled a shift prior to the snap, causing multiple Steeler o-linemen to jump, resulting in a false start which they were whistled on.\u00a0 On the next play, a 3rd down rush from the 6 yard line was snuffed out and Pitt followed with a short field goal. Four points left on the field which made the score 21-14 and\u00a0 not 21-18 or 21-19.\u00a0 Roethlisberger argued (on field)\u00a0the motion on 3rd down to no avail.<\/p>\n

In the briefing Ben tried to explain the situation that resulted in the missed opportunity for Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn my years of playing, a defensive guy can\u2019t bark stuff or move in the middle of a cadence. The ref said, \u2018We didn\u2019t go in the neutral zone,\u2019 and I agree with him. I wasn\u2019t arguing that part. I was arguing the fact that he shifted in the middle of a cadence, and I thought that there was a rule against it. Maybe there\u2019s not \u2014 maybe it\u2019s an unwritten rule \u2014 I don\u2019t really know.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u201cSo, that\u2019s what I was more upset about.\u00a0They do that. We saw it on film that the Patriots do that. They shift and slide and do stuff on the goal line, knowing that it\u2019s an itchy trigger-finger-type down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As examined by the NFL, New England was within the rules of the game in their actions on that goal line stand. There is nothing against disrupting a team\u2019s cadence with a defensive line shift if it does not involve \u201cwords or signals\u201d which it did not in this situation.\u00a0 The Steelers should not have been surprised of this tactic as they have viewed on many occasions watching game film of the Pat\u2019s defense.\u00a0 Ben\u2019s complaint was\u00a0needless and ultimately, baseless.\u00a0 The difference of\u00a0 \u201cwinning\u201d football as played by the New England defense and losing football as played by the Pittsburgh hinged on a simple shift of some linemen on one play. Coach Belichick makes that adjustment because he is the best coach in the league. He looks for the edge to raise the test scores which in the NFL are given on Sundays through game play.<\/p>\n

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\"dt.common.streams.StreamServer<\/a>
New England Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower (54) wraps up Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) in the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo\/Winslow Townson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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My former superintendent would be proud of the way New England does business. Not that Pittsburgh is less the franchise or in fact , the lessor team. But in the NFL if you don\u2019t do your due diligence and allow yourself to \u201cmiss\u201d something as important as jumping the gun in a tight goal line situation, you are putting yourself at risk in winning.\u00a0 \u201cWinning\u201d is something that New England does. Right now, Pittsburgh, only on occasion.<\/p>\n

\"dt.common.streams.StreamServer<\/a>
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates his touchdown pass to tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) in the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo\/Winslow Townson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Photo\u00a0 Credit Above:\u00a0 New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) shakes off Pittsburgh Steelers safety Robert Golden (21) as he heads for a touchdown after catching a pass in the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo\/Winslow Townson)<\/p>\n

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I have noticed a thing or two about the\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0since the coming of Head…<\/p>\n

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