Monday, January 31, 2005

And another... | by Jay

From the Boston Herald:

"Charlie just has a mind for the game,'' said second-year center Dan Koppen, a fifth-round draft pick out of Boston College who's thrived under Weis since taking over for an injured Damien Woody last season. "He puts the preparation in each and every week. He really has an idea of what the defenses are going to do against him, and he's able to call plays.''

Adaptability and diversity have been two hallmarks of Weis' offense. Those two attributes were on display to their fullest in the Patriots' two playoff victories this month. While the defense deservedly received plenty of credit for holding Peyton Manning and the explosive Colts to a mere field goal in the divisional round, the offense deserves just as much for the way it chewed up the clock with Corey Dillon.

Last week, Weis used a bombs-away approach in the first half to streak to an insurmountable lead against the Steelers, who boasted the best defense in the NFL.

"We go out there and figure out 'How can we beat this team?' not based on what our offense is but based on what our best chance is of beating them is,'' tight end Christian Fauria said.

"If it makes sense for us to work towards a team's strengths, we'll do that. If it makes sense to work away from their strengths, we'll do that. Every week is a different game plan, and every week, depending on what the defense is, we decide whether it's best to run at their best players or weakest players. It changes every week.''

Weis' offense has kept everyone involved. Six players had at least 25 catches in the regular season and 10 had at least 10 grabs. That kind of distribution might keep some capable players from reaching Pro Bowl numbers, but it also lets players know that nobody's just along for the ride.