It’s Bill Belichick’s first matchup against Justin Herbert, which means it’s time for the New England Patriots coach to build up the rookie quarterback with effusive praise in press conferences before systematically shattering his confidence by carefully exploiting the youngster’s weaknesses on the field.
It’s Belichick’s version of fun. It’s one of so many reasons Belichick draws comparisons to a Sith Lord. Every week, the coach praises the opposing quarterback without end. Rookies — and ones as statistically hot as Herbert — get particularly big compliments.
But then Belichick wins, generally. He’s got a 19-5 record against rookie quarterbacks. So, here we go again, right?
“He’s impressive – very talented player, tall, sees things well, has a good arm, can certainly make all the throws,” Belichick said of Herbert on Tuesday. “He’s athletic, can escape the pocket, smart. They do a number of things at the line of scrimmage – you’ve seen him check plays, audible against pressure, change plays against check-with-me type situations.
“So, it looks like he’s going be a good quarterback for a long time, a lot to work with and I know he’s a smart, hard-working kid that likes football and I’m sure he will continue to get better, as he has this year throughout the course of the season. He’s improved from the early games that I’ve watched, and like I said, has a lot of good skill players to work with – good tight end, good backs, good receivers. So, yeah, he’s a good player.”
The praise didn’t stop there. Belichick continued when asked whether he spent time meeting with Herbert during the pre-draft process.
“We evaluated him,” Belichick said. “I think he’s got, like I said, all the tools. I think you saw that at Oregon. Even in the bowl game, he did about all he could do and did it well.”
Oh man.
If the height of praise is inversely related to the amount of trouble Belichick is going to give Herbert, this Sunday could be a bloodbath. But there’s good news for the Chargers quarterback: Belichick’s defense stinks this year. The Patriots played well against Kyler Murray, who was dealing with a shoulder injury. But even after that performance to buoy the statistics, the Patriots defense is second-worst in the NFL (up from 32nd last week). And, to be fair, Herbert is deserving of the praise. His statistics (66.9%, 3,015 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 7 INTs) put him on pace to easily win the Rookie of the Year award, even if he’s got just two wins as a starter.
Because it’s been a tough year for Belichick and a great one for Herbert, this may not be yet another case of the coach playing with his food. But, in all likelihood, it is.
[vertical-gallery id=99174]