Patriots unfazed by Dolphins’ potential inside information
New England coaches shrugged off concerns over the many former Patriots players and coaches now employed by the Miami Dolphins.
Less than one week after being cut by the New England Patriots in 2009, backup quarterback Kevin O’Connell ended up with the division rival New York Jets. There was immediate concern and consternation on the part of many Pats fans that O’Connell had become some sort of traitorous defector with valuable state secrets and insider information; information that was now solely in the hands of the Patriots’ sworn enemy.
Before losing his job with the Patriots and getting released, O’Connell had been on New England’s roster for 16 months. He spent two full offseasons with the team in OTAs, minicamp, training camp, and the preseason, working behind Tom Brady and soaking up as much knowledge of the New England playbook as he possibly could.
Two weeks to the day after he arrived in the Big Apple, O’Connell’s Jets defeated the Patriots by a final score of 19-6. It was the first time the Pats had lost in New York to the Jets since September 11, 2000.
All of this of course begs the question… was O’Connell the reason the Patriots lost? Did the Jets pump him for information and trade secrets on how they could beat his former employer? Should the NFL have launched a full-fledged investigation, and should the media have nicknamed it “O’Connellgate?”
If this all sounds a bit ridiculous and farfetched, that’s because it is. And yet fans continue to postulate that any time a player, coach, or field lawnmower operator transfers from one NFL franchise to another, that individual is bringing with them the kind of juicy secret details that will inevitably cripple their former organization.
None of this seems to actually matter in the slightest to the people that it should – the coaches and team leaders on that original organization. Just ask some of the head honchos down in New England whether they’re worried about all the ex-Pats who now play, coach, or work for the Miami Dolphins.
“We play teams every week that have players and coaches that were here,” Bill Belichick said during a weekly conference call with reporters, per SB Nation’s Bernd Buchmasser. “We have a lot of times players and coaches that were on that team that we’re playing, so that’s pretty common in the NFL. I think every team goes through that. We’ll have them every week. You can write that story certainly in the coming weeks. It’s the same every week. I think that’s way overrated.”
There you have it, folks. No cause for alarm in Foxborough. Not today.
Belichick is a man who couldn’t care less that he’s about to go up against his Miami counterpart, Brian Flores, and that Flores used to work directly under him just last year as his de facto defensive coordinator.
“I know (Flores) was here, so that may give him a little bit of insight about specific people and the way we do things and all those things,” said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, per Buchmasser. “But, I think honestly, at this point in time, the best thing for us to do is really not concern ourselves with all of the things that they may know or could know or what type of advantage is gained in that regard and really to focus on the things we need to do to improve.”
Next. What does Bill Belichick plan to do with AB this weekend?. dark
One could also argue that whatever advantages Flores may have from his familiarity with Belichick, McDaniels, and the New England organization as a whole, the Patriots also have advantages in their familiarity with Flores, his personality, his techniques, his strengths, and his weaknesses. It’s certainly a two-way street between these AFC East rivals, so whatever happens on Sunday, the game probably won’t be decided on the weight of inside information.