As waves of world-wide media rushed along a narrow corridor deep inside U.S. Bank Stadium late Sunday, assorted hugs and long faces frequently halted the craziness.
Nate Solder, the Patriots’ 6-foot-8 lineman, blocked traffic for a spell as he exchanged a lengthy embrace with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Tom Brady wrapped up his somber press conference and hugged a friend as cameras snapped away.
Inside the locker room, several Patriots spoke in hushed tones about their 41-33 loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LII. While loads of questions hung in the air, most players quickly packed their bags and headed back to the awaiting team bus.
This funereal feel is an expected one after a season-ending defeat but this time the hugs seemed more like goodbyes than any act of consolation.
While deciphering what exactly is going on within the Patriots organization often requires a Pravda-issued press pass, the uncertainty surrounding the organization is palpable. Within minutes, Rob Gronkowski was saying he wasn’t sure how much longer he wants to play NFL football. Coordinators Matt Patricia (Lions) and Josh McDaniels (Colts) refused to answer any questions regarding their expected impending departures even as they offered goodbyes to some players and close friends.
Then there was the unanswered question of the game: what’s up with Malcolm Butler? The hero three years ago in Super Bowl XLIX was seen crying in his helmet this time around in the pre-game and didn’t play a single defensive snap. This falls under `coach’s decision’ but if that’s all it was, this was one of the worst of Belichick’s career. Butler played 97.8 percent of the snaps this season and 96.4 percent in 2016 and his improved play was one of the reasons the Pats had shook off a balky 2-2 start and won 13-of-14 games heading into the Super Bowl. Since Week Five, the Patriots had allowed the fewest points in the NFL.
Yet now Belichick is publicly claiming his group needed a switch to match up with the Eagles. He started Eric Rowe in place of Butler. In a nickel set, the Pats went with three safeties. In their dime look, they played another safety, Jordan Richards. Richards struggled so badly in the first half that the Pats went to playoff rookie Johnson Bademosi in the second.
All the while, Butler stood on the sideline and seethed.
“They gave up on me. It is what it is,” Butler told ESPN as he tried to escape to the team’s bus. “I don’t know what it was. I guess I wasn’t playing good or they didn’t feel comfortable. I don’t know. But I could have changed that game.”
No one will ever know if that’s true but what’s clear is Nick Foles and the Eagles feasted on the Pats. Philly's 538 yards were the most ever allowed in a single game during the Belichick era. If this was a case of Bill being Bill and not some unknown atrocity of Butler’s, the coach blew it big time.
“In the end, we have to make the decisions that we feel are best for the football team. That’s what we did, that’s what I did,” Belichick said on a conference call Monday.
Belichick is a master at boiling down his version of football with mantras like "we need to play better, we need to coach better." That was certainly the case on Super Sunday, but only on one side of the ball.
Sure, Brady and the offense left some points on the board in the first half and two special teams gaffes cost four more, but this was all about the defense and especially the secondary. Brady set a Super Bowl record with 505 yards passing. The offensive line surrendered one sack all night, unfortunately on the game’s most critical play as Brandon Graham knocked the ball from Brady’s hand and forced a fumble with just 2:09 to play.
This one hangs on a defense that allowed a backup quarterback – albeit an accomplished one – to convert 10 times on 16 tries on third downs. The Eagles were also 2-of-2 on fourth downs, none bigger than a Foles-to-Zach Ertz pass for two yards on a Gotta-Have-It play after New England had grabbed the lead for the first time all game.
There were just too many clutch Foles passes into New England’s over-matched secondary. That, in a nutshell, is how the Patriots lost a Super Bowl where Brady set a record for passing yards and the offense didn’t need to call punter Ryan Allen onto the field a single time.
Patriots fans kneel at the feet of all things Belichick, who is the most successful coach of his generation. If Butler skipped practices, was late to meetings or just a general miscreant, that’s a coach’s call. But if Bill intends on telling the masses that he benched Butler because `it gave us the best chance to win,’ his credibility will take a major shot.
We all watched the game Coach. If you insist that was a move that gave your team its best chance to win, the Patriots may not be seeing a Super Bowl again for quite some time.