Bill Belichick and Sean Payton both being winless through two games has never happened. In fact, this is Belichick’s nadir since 2001, when Tom Brady was just a twinkle in his eye. Both coaches are masters of their domain and intense perfectionists. Unfortunately, their respective teams would only be among the league’s best this season if the games were 30 minutes long. Payton’s rep — an offensive guru who won a Super Bowl and manufactured top-10 offenses as efficiently as anyone not named Andy Reid — is still intact. Belichick is arguably the greatest defensive mind in history and the league’s preeminent coach after winning six Super Bowls with Brady executing the Pats’ offenses. This year, between the two of them exists one combined elite team. For the Patriots, naptime is the first half. In Denver’s case, they nod off after halftime. In the first half, Denver is the league’s fifth-highest-scoring offense. In the second half, they’re 26th. Conversely, the Patriots are 27th in scoring defense in first halves, and a top-10 unit in points allowed when the second half rolls around. Once again, the Broncos’ record in games decided by one possession is abysmal, but there are reasons for blind optimism. Russell Wilson’s Hail Mary wouldn’t have been necessary if the Broncos offense could remain alert for the second half. Once the shock value wears off, teams seem to acclimate quickly to Payton’s game plan. Wilson used to be a crunch-time quarterback. Not only is he a more sluggish runner but he resembles DangerRuss in the first 30 minutes and a sundowning quarterback after the break. He’ll give you all he’s got, but after the sun begins setting, he turns into your gramps when he explains that “He don’t have the energy he used to.” Here are Russ’ splits in the first half vs. this season. In first halves, DangerRuss has been grilling up defenses to the tune of 279 yards while completing 85 percent of his attempts, throwing four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. In the second half, he’s cooked. His completion percentage dips 30 points, his touchdown-to-interception ratio is one-to-one, and his second-half passer rating is 80 points lower. Wilson’s second-half rating is buoyed by a lucky tipped Hail Mary in the endzone on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Patriots have been deadeye assassins with their halftime adjustments. Belichick’s Pats are 0-2 for the first time in 22 years, but for two consecutive weeks, they’ve cut off the power to a pair of the NFL’s most exhilarating, livewire offenses after halftime. The problem has been burying themselves in these holes to begin with. In Week 1, the Patriots emerged from halftime trailing 16-0. In the second half, New England forced several turnovers, kept Philadelphia out of the endzone, and rallied to cut the score to four, but their final drive stalled at the Eagles 20. In their Sunday Night Football clash with the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots did it again. Miami led 17-3 as Tua Tagovailoa was dotting up their secondary. Tagovailoa minced Belichick’s defense through the first half, but after the intermission, the Dark Lord of Football proved he’s still got it. Miami wasn’t in the clear until lineman Cole Strange was ruled down inches short of the first on fourth down with a minute remaining. Last year, my colleague/Agree to Disagree traffic cone Eric Blum and I had this novel, but completely unrealistic idea that the NFL should experiment with teams hiring two head coaches, sequester them completely from one another, and have one randomly coach the first half and completely change the tenor, or the second half of games. If there were ever two coaches who’d be the ideal social experiment to execute this, it would be these two maniacs. Payton fancies himself a jump-scare coach who has a tendency to jump on opposing teams with onside kicks and wonky calls before they even know what hit ‘em. He also knows They’re also both acolytes of Bill Parcells. When Belichick’s 2nd Half Pats and Payton’s First Half Broncos meet on Christmas Day, there’s no telling how that chemical reaction will mix, but if this trend continues, they should consider a joint coaching merger. In the meantime, Payton is onto something with the Broncos if he can configure Wilson’s pilot light to remain on for 60 minutes instead of the 30 minutes he’s currently assigned. Belichick’s teams have been playing possum for first halves and respawning in the second half with renewed vigor. These two teams aren’t completely inept, short of Voltroning these two coaching staffs, and teams, they need to assess what’s causing them to vanish for entire halves before this season gets out of hand. Follow DJ Dunson on X: @ cerebralsportex Relatedfree betting calculatorsparlay odds payout calculatormoneyline odds calculatorhalf points in online bettinghalf kelly calculatorhow to hedge a bet calculatorlook ahead lineswhat is over/under in bettingsports betting parlaysbetting on round robinev bettinghow to hedge in sports betting
Related Posts
Manuel Neuer expects Bayern Munich s unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season to come under threat at Schalke on Saturday.
The reigning champions travel to Gelsenkirchen to take on Jens Keller s side after recording four wins and a draw in their opening five top-flight matches under new manager Pep Guardiola.
Bayern also got their UEFA Champions League defence off to an impressive start by beating CSKA Moscow 3-0 on Tuesday.
Neuer has started every game this season and is anticipating a tough challenge when he returns to the Veltins-Arena to take on his former club.
We can t expect it to be a walkover, the Germany international told Bayern s official website.
I think it will be a challenge to beat Schalke, especially considering they’re on a roll.
…
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew is hopeful that Papiss Cisse can find the back of the net for Senegal this week.
The 28-year-old was a revelation after joining Newcastle from Freiburg in January 2012, scoring 13 goals in his first 14 Premier League appearances before the end of the 2011-12 campaign.
However, Cisse followed that up with a more modest return of eight in 36 games last term, and has failed to score in seven top-flight games this season.
HIs last Premier League goal came against Fulham on April 7 but, even though he was dropped for Newcastle s defeat at Everton last week, Pardew still has faith in his ability, and wants him to get on the scoresheet for his country in their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ivory Coast on Saturday.
I felt sorry fo…
Fenerbache are keen on signing Arsenal star Mesut Ozil, .
The Turkish side, who last month plucked Robin Van Perise from the Premier League, want the World Cup winner who has so far failed to recreate his best form since moving to North London in the summer of 2013.
In seventy-eight appearances for the Gunners, the twenty-six year old has scored twelve goals and was part of the squads that won back to back FA Cup’s over the last two seasons.
Prior to his move to England, he spent three years with Real Madrid while he has also played for Werder Bremen and Schalke 04.
Internationally he has been capped sixty-eight times, scoring eighteen goals – one of which came at last summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil on route to Joachim Low’s side being c…
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew still expects West Brom to be difficult to break down in Saturday s Premier League clash despite Tony Pulis men shipping three goals last time out.
West Brom looked to be on their way to a third win in four matches against Everton on Monday as goals from Saido Berahino and Craig Dawson put them 2-0 up.
However, Pulis side collapsed in the second half and were undone by former loanee Romelu Lukaku, who scored two goals and set up another to give Everton a 3-2 win.
The nature of that defeat was surprising with West Brom having kept clean sheets in each of their last three league outings.
Pardew, though, is not reading too much into that result and is wary of a team that claimed a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park in April in la…
Liverpool and Newcastle United have seen members of their backroom teams issued with touchline bans following an altercation at the end of last month s Premier League meeting at Anfield.
Newcastle came close to taking a point from their trip to Liverpool on August 31, only for Fabio Carvalho to score a 98th-minute winner, sparking a touchline fracas.
At the end of a highly charged affair, Newcastle sports scientist Daniel Hodges appeared to throw a bottle into the Liverpool technical area, prompting the Football Association (FA) to investigate.
The FA subsequently brought charges against both Hodges and Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, and it has now been confirmed the men will serve one-match touchline bans.
A statement released on Thursday s…
Juventus have signed Southampton midfielder Carlos Alcaraz on loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy.
The 21-year-old Argentinian has scored four goals in 26 appearances for Saints this season, with Russell Martin’s side third in the Championship as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League.
Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox told the club website: “Allowing Charly to leave on loan was a decision that we have been deliberating on for some time.
Carlos Alcaraz joins Juventus on loan from Southampton
Welcome, Carlos!
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
“Considering the midfield options we have available to us right now, and Charly’s lack of game time, we wanted to allow him this chance to gain some v…
Jamie O’Hara is closing in on a loan move to Blackpool, .
The 27 year old has played just forty minutes of League One this season having been placed on the transfer list along with fellow big earners Roger Johnson, Stephen Ward and Karl Henry – all who have since left the club.
The former Tottenham Hotspur man is currently on trial with the Championship club, who are considering wrapping up a deal for the midfielder before Thursday’s emergency deadline.
He moved to Wolves from Spurs in the summer of 2011, having had loan spells with Chesterfield, Millwall and Portsmouth, where he was voted the clubs Player of the Year.
Kenny Jackett’s side currently sit in second place in the third tier, just one point behind leaders Leyton Orient.
T…
Levante have appointed Rubi as head coach following the sacking of Luas Alcaraz.
Alcarez was dismissed after Sunday s 4-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad, a result that leaves Levante bottom of the table with six points from nine games.
He has been replaced by Rubi, who takes up a contract until the end of the season, which may be extended by a further two years.
Rubi served on Barcelona s staff during the 2013-14 campaign and will begin his reign with a trip to Levante s city rivals Valencia on Saturday.
…
Italy s minister for sport Vincenzo Spadafora believes a return date of May 3 for Serie A is too optimistic amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Serie A, like most leagues around the world, has been suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has claimed more than 24,000 lives globally.
Italy – a country in strict lockdown – has been the hardest hit with over 8,200 casualties, while confirmed cases have exceeded 80,500.
Various Serie A owners have debated whether the 2019-20 campaign should resume or be cancelled, and Spadafora provided an update on Thursday, with the final decision down to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
The forecasts that made us think we could resume sports competitions in late April or May, have been too optim…
(GSM) English manager Hope Powell, who guided the England national women s team to the final of the 2009 European Championship in the summer, has revealed she would consider coaching in the men s game.
Powell was previously linked with a move to take over at Grimsby after the final against Germany but caretaker manager Neil Woods was appointed permanently.
But the 43-year-old has admitted she would take the right job if it was offered.
If an opportunity presented itself that I fancied, I m going to look at it, Powell told the Guardian.
It doesn t mean I m going to take it, though, she added.
Powell felt there was little difference between coaching women and men, adding: It s just football to me.
I think the scrutiny for the first femal…