Kyle Shanahan Talking about 28-3 on PMT is Pure Patriots Porn

Jerry Thornton8/13/2018 8:08 PM

Patriots Porn indeed.

This was just a great job by the Pardon My Take guys, getting Kyle Shanahan to open up and speak right from his guts about the worst thing to happen in his professional life. As much as that comeback from 28-3 will hold a special place in the heart of every Patriots fan until we’re being put into our graves, a part of you hurts for a guy who was on the sharp end of the pitchfork on that one when he’s as good a guy as Shanahan seems here.

Seriously, hearing him be this real about what has to be a waking nightmare, it’s one of those rare moments of regret I have about being a Pats fan. Because it would be incredible to have Bill Belichick be this frank once in a while. You learn to live without him ever opening up like this. It’s the bad you accept because it serves the much greater good. The price you pay for his hyper focus, looking ahead and not distracting himself with the last game or the last Super Bowl or the one before that. But goddamned would I love to hear him bare his soul about Super Bowl LII the way Kyle Shanahan did Super Bowl LI. Just once.

Granted you can question Shanahan’s decision-making in that one, and Lord knows I’ve never whiffed on an opportunity to do just that. But I respect him owning it. And making no apologies because not playing “run-run-pass” is not his philosophy and it never will be. He reminds me a little of Belichick himself in his A Football Life after the 4th & 2 game against Indy, telling his players he’s never going to coach scared. Sure, if the Falcons had just pounded it into the line three times in the 4th quarter, they kick a field goal and probably put the game away. Instead he calls for a 5-step drop pass play on 2nd & 10 and a Trey Flowers sack and a holding call pushed them out of range. (By the way, the only time all season a team was 1st & 10 inside an opponent’s 22 and failed to score.) But there’s something ballsy about sticking with what made you the most prolific offense in football, even if it doesn’t work out.

Mostly though I guess I appreciate him taking the responsibility and not putting on his players. Because Devonta Freeman sill has a lot of answering to do.