The New England Patriots approach to winning a Super Bowl last season was simple. Quite literally, the Patriots used a simplified offense headlined by a power running game in their championship run.
In NFL Network’s documentary ‘Do Your Job Part III,’ we get a look at just how New England adjusted their offense. The underlying plot, and likely the secret to New England’s success, is the trust Bill Belichick has for Josh McDaniels and vice versa.
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“I’m so thoroughly impressed with Bill on his ability to adapt and evolve,” said McDaniels. “We figured out what’s the most consistent part of our offense then you commit to it.
“Bill doesn’t care if we win 43-40 or 13-10.”
The Patriots won games both ways during their postseason run. A shootout at Kansas City and a defensive struggle against the Rams were both instrumental wins showcasing adjustments made on the fly by New England.
On the final drive against the Rams, the Patriots went to their physical, old-school-style with a host of power runs by Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead.
Student and Teacher
The documentary takes an in-depth look at the relationship between Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick. The two have been together for all six Super Bowls, and Belichick’s reliance on the man who could take over the reins of the Patriots once he retires is immediately shown.
“Josh, I’m glad you didn’t go to Indianapolis,” said Belichick at the Patriots Ring Ceremony.
McDaniels was a coaching assistant in 2001 for the Patriots and immediately got a glimpse of the standards Belichick requires to achieve success. McDaniels talked about diagramming plays during his early coaching days and how a mistake as small as two yards can impact a scheme.
“He was teaching me how to work at his level,” said McDaniels. “It’s not okay to be good or detailed most of the time, we want it as close to perfect most of the time.”
McDaniels began coaching on the defensive side of the ball, something Belichick believes gave him a stronger insight as an offensive coordinator.
“Josh is very smart,” Belichick said. “He had a good understanding of the offense when he was on defense. In 2005, our offense really expanded and some of that coincided with Tom’s development.”
“Josh (McDaniels) has a very good understanding of every part of the offense or defense.”
Back in 2005, Bill Belichick gave the reigns of the offense to a 29-year old offensive coordinator 👇
📺: #DoYourJob Part III on NFL Network
Defense Wins Championship
The Patriots used a tactic from past playoff victories in their win against the Chiefs. New England used their second cornerback in coverage on Tyreek Hill and doubled the receiver with safety Devin McCourty. This limited Hill to one catch, much like New England did against the Colts in 2014.
Conversely, New England used its offense to throw off the Kansas City defense in overtime of the AFC Championship game, converting three 3rd & 10s on the winning drive. New England keyed in on the Chiefs’ tendencies and used schematic adjustments in receiving routes to get targets open for Brady.
“I don’t know that we ever converted three 3rd and 10s in a game all year.”
Josh McDaniels and Bill Belichick break down a season-defining drive in the AFC Championship game 👇
📺: #DoYourJob Part III on NFL Network
In Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots placed seven players in the box to show blitz, forcing the Rams to deploy more blockers than route runners. On certain occasions New England didn’t blitz, dropping into coverage to defend the pass. But on the vital fourth-quarter interceptions, the Patriots used a safety blitz from Duron Harmon to force Jared Goff into a mistake.
Same Play, Same Result
On New England’s touchdown drive in the Super Bowl, they used the same play four different times with a few little tweaks.
Using Edelman in the slot he was left uncovered and shredded the Rams defense. To prevent the Rams from adjusting quickly, the Patriots lined up Gronk in the slot on the big pass play setting up New England in the red zone.
Once there, the Patriots utilized the same running play from overtime in the AFC Championship down to the same blocking assignments.
“Under pressure, the players don’t want you to call some play you’ve run twice,” said McDaniels. “They want to run something you’ve done 30-40 times because they have confidence in it. That was the best play for us to run.”
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