Round Table: 2nd Half Comebacks

What do you make of the Patriots recent run of 2nd half comebacks?  Good coaching adjustments?  Lack of effort early on?

Raj: I'm actually enjoying it. That Denver game had me out of my seat in the cold the entire 2nd half because well…who doesn't like comebacks? Props to the coaches for those adjustments. But at the same time, we have to understand that that should not be the Patriots mentality coming into every game. Starting next week, I want to see them blowing out the opposition at the end of the 2nd quarter, not the other way around. Though this situation is like being a little kid who keeps on eating candy until your mom slaps your hand and says "enough!" But the kid always asks "one more piece couldn't hurt right?" Likewise, another 2nd half comeback couldn't hurt, could it?

Jason:  OK, time for me to put on my tin foil hat for a second. What if Belichick is going with a vanilla gameplan on offense in the first half in a deliberate attempt to challenge his own team? Maybe he's telling them to go out and beat quality teams with easy-to-diagnose plays to help battle-harden the troops for the inevitable challenges in the playoffs, then letting them open things up with the full playbook in the second half? If it were any other coach on any other team, I'd probably say that line of thinking is hogwash. And really, I'm only half serious about this wild conspiracy theory. But would you put it past our evil genius to come up with such a scheme? The folks who are saying NO are the same people who said, "He wouldn't really take the wind in overtime and let Peyton Manning have the ball first with a chance to end the game, would he?"

Derek: I think halftime adjustments are the biggest factor here.  I would never suggest that Tom Brady isn't trying hard enough early on in the games.  The whole "lay off the gas early and then turn on the jets" mindset is just the polar opposite of everything this team is based on.  I think the team is still looking for a certain comfort level as they work back some of the injured players.  When the get a chance to take a good look at their opposition and gameplan around that, they are comign out with more successful second halves.