When the trade broke on Monday I had no time to give my theory on why. Later on that night and Tuesday I heard people saying the same thing I was thinking- he mustn't be "doing his job". Unfortunately, while people understand that reasoning, they don't get why Belichick would do this now. They think that the move is hurting this year's team, while in reality it is likely to help it.
A simple way to look at this is to consider what can happen if Collins doesn't do his job during a game. Obviously sometimes not doing his job can result in an incredible play and a sexy statistic. Other times it results in the opponents making a play which they shouldn't have. Many people want to take the good with the bad and roll the dice. Let me remind you that Belichick is not like other people and the Patriots are not like other teams. They dominate the rest of the league because they typically have a better game plan and their players are better prepared.
If the Patriots were to keep Collins on the team for the rest of the season it would likely cause his teammates to stop doing their jobs in order to cover for Collins' incorrect positioning. So now we would have multiple players adlibbing because a teammate may vary from the script.
Now, think about the times that Brady has struggled at quarterback. It always comes down to him not being able to "trust" his receivers. Once he has trust with a guy it's like clockwork. The same thing has to be happening on the defensive side of the ball. Everyone needs to trust each other for the game plan to work.
For a quick analogy of what can happen when adjustments are made on the fly, I'll take you back about 30 years to a cheerleading competition my sister was participating in. Leading up to the night of the competition, the girl who was supposed to fall off the top of the pyramid into her teammates outstretched arms wasn't jumping out far enough. Well, come the night of the competition, she jumped out further than she was in practice. Meanwhile, the teammates who were tasked with catching her moved closer to the pyramid. Next up was a trip in an ambulance after an almost free fall to the gymnasium floor.
If the Patriots were to keep Collins on the team for the rest of the season it would likely cause his teammates to stop doing their jobs in order to cover for Collins' incorrect positioning. So now we would have multiple players adlibbing because a teammate may vary from the script.
Now, think about the times that Brady has struggled at quarterback. It always comes down to him not being able to "trust" his receivers. Once he has trust with a guy it's like clockwork. The same thing has to be happening on the defensive side of the ball. Everyone needs to trust each other for the game plan to work.
For a quick analogy of what can happen when adjustments are made on the fly, I'll take you back about 30 years to a cheerleading competition my sister was participating in. Leading up to the night of the competition, the girl who was supposed to fall off the top of the pyramid into her teammates outstretched arms wasn't jumping out far enough. Well, come the night of the competition, she jumped out further than she was in practice. Meanwhile, the teammates who were tasked with catching her moved closer to the pyramid. Next up was a trip in an ambulance after an almost free fall to the gymnasium floor.
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