Tale of two coaches in Super Bowl rematch

Oct 19, 2017 - 12:46 AM FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The two coaches from Super Bowl LI are apparently taking two somewhat different approaches in their preparation for a rematch Sunday Night in Foxborough.

Patriots boss Bill Belichick made references to focusing time looking back on the historic comeback in Houston that saw New England crush the Falcons despite a 28-3 deficit.

"We'll base our preparations on the games that we have this year," Belichick responded to the first question of the week that mentioned Super Bowl LI's placed in the preparation process. "I mean, that'll be the most important part of it - those five games - and like I said, we have other information we can insert there but we'll start with what's current."

Conversely, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn embraced the idea that despite the miserable result for his team, the tape from February is a key part of this week's work.

Said Quinn: "It's a big part, and here's why: when you face a team for a second time in less than a year, it's almost like, I am not going to call it a division game, but you have more familiarity than when you don't. You go back to look how they featured the players in their roles last year and go back to look at some of the roles for this year. The players also have some familiarity with one another - 'How to guard this guy?'

"We may go back a year or even two years if the coaching staff is the same to see if there's some philosophical scheme and plays that they are really comfortable with."

While Atlanta has seemingly been talking about its Super Bowl failure and finding a way to move past it since that fateful February night, Belichick won't let his players answer questions about it.

"We've been given really highly strict rules that we are not allowed to talk about that game, so you're not really going to get any information from anyone about that," tight end Rob Gronkowski said. "So I'm just looking forward to this week."

Why would the winning coach pooh-pooh the Super Bowl tape while the loser is trying to put it to use?

A working theory is that Belichick spent the offseason and early schedule emphasizing the new year and need for his defending champion team to establish its own identity, level of play and success.

There is also the reality that there are key changes for both teams both in terms of coaching and personnel. Atlanta has a new offensive coordinator, with Steve Sarkisian taking over for Kyle Shanahan. The Patriots have added Brandin Cooks to an offense that also now includes Gronkowski, who was on injured reserve last postseason.

Neither team is playing nearly as well as it was last winter when it arrived in the biggest game in all of sports.

"I just look at their offense this year," Belichick said when asked about the differences in Matt Ryan's unit with a new play-caller. "I'm not really trying to compare too much to what it was. I think what we're dealing with more is what we have right now in front of us."

New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took a similar approach when asked about an Atlanta team he's preparing to face for the second time in a seven-game stretch, even if there was an entire offseason mixed in.

"We're really focused on looking at the personnel that they have on their team now, which there's definitely some new faces, some new people. There's a few things that they're doing differently schematically, and they've evolved," McDaniels said. "I mean, this is 2017 for them, too. We have new players. They have new players. There's a few things that they're doing differently. We're doing some things differently. So, really the focus is on trying to get this team ready this year to play against a team that we see on film now as we study Atlanta this season."

NBC will certainly hype Sunday Night Football as a Super Bowl LI rematch, just the eighth time in history that Super Bowl foes have faced off the following season.

But for Belichick and the Patriots, Sunday is about a 4-2 New England team that's had to fight hard to its spot atop the early season AFC East standings preparing for a Falcons squad that's 3-2 after consecutive losses to the Bills and Dolphins.

Last February's action between these two teams was historic, but it's also history.

SERIES HISTORY: 14th regular-season meeting. Patriots lead series, 7-6. The most notable battle in this series is clearly last February's epic comeback win for New England to secure its fifth Lombardi Trophy in overtime in Super Bowl LI. That win was the fifth straight against Atlanta dating back to 2001. Prior to that current streak, Atlanta won four in a row and six of seven dating back to 1980 between the infrequent foes. The last meeting in Foxborough was a 26-10 Patriots win in September 2009.

--The big-play impact of cornerback Malcolm Butler was lost in last Sunday's controversial replay call at the goal line in New York that turned tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins' would-be Jets touchdown into the Patriots ball at the 20 (ruled fumble, touchback).

Head coach Bill Belichick said Butler's fiery play was clear since he arrived in Foxborough as an undrafted rookie tryout player out of West Alabama back in the spring of 2014.

"Since the first rookie minicamp," recalled Belichick. "He's a very competitive player no matter what it is; practice, games, trash ball in the locker room."

"Malcolm is a very competitive individual," Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia agreed. "I think it's one of the things that you come into a program and you're a free agent or whatever the situation is and one of the things you're going to do is you're going to fight and you're going to compete and you're going to try to do everything at a high level the best you can."

--Defensive tackle Malcom Brown is a former first-round pick now in his third season in New England. The 32nd pick in the 2015 draft started 12 of his 16 games as a rookie, tallied 48 tackles and three sacks. Last year he started 13 of the 16 games he played, and recorded 50 tackles and three sacks for a run defense that tied for third-best in the NFL on the way to a Super Bowl title.

But there was simmering criticism of Brown began early this season, especially with the Patriots opening with three of four opponents rushing for more than 125 yards and better than 4.8 yards a carry.

But last weekend in New York, both Brown and the Patriots' run defense had by far their best game of the season, holding the Jets to just 3.1 yards per carry and 74 yards. Brown, defensive tackle Alan Branch and the rest of the line drew praise from head coach Bill Belichick in his day-after-game conference call on Monday and New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia also passed along some positive reinforcement for his young big man.

"Malcom is a guy that works really hard at his craft. He's really trying to be consistent with the things that he does," Patricia said. "He comes in and he studies. He's been out there every day really trying to work to make sure that his technique is fundamentally sound, his pad level is low, that he's using his hands in the proper placement, all the little finer points of detail that we've got to make sure that we can do play in and play out and every single snap."

Brown has started all six games this season, recording 23 tackles and one sack.

NOTES: QB Tom Brady was removed from the injury report this week after playing his usual reps in Sunday's win over the Jets in New York. Brady missed two days of practice last week due to a left shoulder injury, reportedly an AC joint sprain. ... CB Stephon Gilmore (concussion/ankle) did not practice on Wednesday after missing Sunday's game due to the head injury. Gilmore had been limited last week due to the ankle, was removed from the injury report altogether last Friday and then was added back to it and listed as out due to a previously unreported concussion on Saturday. ... LB Harvey Langi (back) did not practice on Wednesday due to the injuries suffered in a car accident last Friday night in Foxborough that sent both he and his wife to the hospital. ... LB Elandon Roberts (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. The second-year linebacker has been battling the injury for weeks, but played his regular reps on Sunday in New York. ... CB Eric Rowe (groin) continues to miss practice to the injury that's cost him two straight games and three of the last four. ... RB Rex Burkhead (ribs) continues to be limited in practice with the injury that's sidelined him since Week 2 in New Orleans. ... G Shaq Mason (shoulder) is a new addition to the New England injury report, listed as limited in practice to open the week of preparations for Sunday night's game against the Falcons.