A tiny acorn falls through the cracks of a massive bolder apparently lost, never again to see the light of day. But day after day, moment by moment the acorn persists at what it does best until one day it bursts forth and the massive bolder crumbles, unable to stop the tree’s incredible growth.
On Sunday evening in Houston, the New England Patriots were left for dead but an incredible confluence of circumstance, luck and patient endurance allowed Bill Belchick and Tom Brady to stand tall again, holding the Lombardi Trophy high overhead. As strange as it sounds the interception that Brady threw late in the first half actually hurt the Falcons late in the game and especially in overtime. In the fourth quarter, the catch by Julian Edelman was incredible but the defender’s leg being in just the right place was at least fornutate. But the Patriot’s persistent belief in their coaches and system ultimately brought them back from the dead.
Because of the “pick six” late in the first half, the Falcons ran only 19 plays in the entire first half. They only ran 27 offensive plays in the entire second half. The New England Patriots even while losing 28 – 9 at the end of the third quarter had a distinct advantage because they had run so many plays. It is much more exhausting to play defense than it is to run offense. By game’s end the New England Patriots had run an incredible 93 offensive play while the Falcons had run only 46. (the average NFL team runs 59 offensive plays in a game).
But more important than odd circumstances or lucky breaks, persistent belief in the system and steadfast hope were the main ingredients required for the Patriots to breakthrough. Because the Falcons believed they had the quickness and athleticism to rush the passer with 4 and cover the Patriots receivers man to man all over the field the Patriots were running shallow crossing routs consistently throughout the first half. The Falcons defenders did a great job covering those routes for two and a half quarters. But then fatigue began to set in. As the fourth quarter began, many teams would have panicked down 28-9 but the Patriots stayed the course, believing in the system and in their players and coaches. As the fourth quarter progressed, the Falcons defenders wore down more with each possession until back to back drives, the final drive followed quickly by an overtime drive, left them with legs that couldn’t react and minds that couldn’t think.
Just as the acorn just keeps growing not paying attention to the circumstances around it, the Patriots just do their job, trusting in who they are and obeying (listening attentively) their coaches. And at the end, the Atlanta Falcons had no chance against the pressure of the patience.
