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Stress Is The Key According To Zampese. In a recent Boston Globe report, it is certain that the key to the Patriots offense is stress. It is either having stress or causing it. According to Offensive Coordinator Ernie Zampese, the Patriots will be causing it this season...to their opponents. The essence of what Ernie Zampese tries to create with his offense is written on a small piece of paper posted on his new office wall inside Foxboro Stadium. In large block letters is one word, STRESS. Underneath it is Zampese's single-spaced, non-dictionary definition of the word: "The confusion created when one's mind overrides the body's basic desire to choke the living s*** out of some idiot who desperately deserves it." Below that definition, hand-written, is the question whose answer will define the New England Patriots' offense next season: "Are you the stressor or the stressee?" Last season, the Patriots were both, causing stress to their opponents early last year by embarrassing Indianapolis, San Diego, Chicago, and the New York Jets, and having it by being unable to score sufficiently against teams like Green Bay and Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Throughout the year the offense put a huge amount of pressure on the defense, and it responded. It ended up costing the Patriots, but now that this year both the offense and defense are improving, they will become very successful. Pete Carroll pointed out that the Patriots were always using Zampese's style of play, but now we can perfect it with Zampese actually running it! "Stressor or stressee?" that's the question we will answer this year. Dan Fouts, who played Quarterback in San Diego under Ernie's offense, said, "Ernie is painstakingly patient. He makes sure there are no questions in anyone's mind how a play is run. We ran the same system for nine years and I can remember in the eighth or ninth year Ernie going over the most basic route with us so everyone had it down. He's meticulous. He's patient. That's the key to all teachers and coaches. I think it will all come together there because Ernie will make it." That fits in perfectly for the Patriots because of all the rookies we will be depending on to lead the offense. We are truly in great hands with Ernie in charge of the offense. Foutes also mentioned, "It's a proven offense that is very productive, but the big thing is getting on the same page as the receivers. His motto with us was always, "Never fool the quarterback." That will be no problem with Drew Bledsoe. He has a great relationship with the recievers so it should be no problem at all. John Madden said, "Ernie very well may be the top offensive mind in the game." "It's hard to compare people but Drew can make all the throws," Zampese said. "If you take his numbers and compare them with anybody's, he'll come up very, very favorably. I'd bet that and I don't even know the numbers. "With a quarterback like Drew, you can run any scheme you want, so all he needs is a lot of reps. In this offense you need the quarterback and the receivers and then you need them to do things over and over and over until it becomes a habit. All I tell my receivers is, "Be where you're supposed to be when you're supposed to be there. If they don't, the quarterback does the worst thing he can do to them. He stops looking for them." "Ernie started this system," Pete Carroll said. "When we brought him in, we felt we were going back to the source. His presence gives us a better chance to win." There is stress that builds up from being looked at in such a way, but Ernie Zampese and his offense believe in stress. They believe in causing it. |
