CBS Sports – Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton thinks he knows one of the major reasons Arizona upset the Patriots last Sunday, holding off the defending AFC champs 20-18 in New England. It’s because Horton said he discovered a tendency by the Patriots offense that allowed the Cardinals defense to know whether New England was about to run or pass. Mr. Horton, please shower us with your knowledge. “We knew that whenever [Aaron] Hernandez was in tight, it was going to be a run, so we had a run check,” Horton told Arizona Sports 620. “But when he got hurt, it screwed that up because they went to three wide receivers. What they did, and we figured out real quick, was whenever Tom Brady was under the center, they were going to run the ball and whenever he was in the shotgun, they were going to pass the ball…  and so we had dual calls that basically what we were telling them is we know when they’re going to run and pass, so our players put us in the best position to win the game and they did a flawless job of managing the game of getting inside New England’s head.”

The breakown of Patriots plays, via Mike Reiss:

Shotgun
Runs: 9
Passes: 38

Under center
Runs: 20
Passes: 13

The Cardinals beat the Patriots on a missed last second field goal, so naturally the DC is going to run around the country declaring that after 11 years and hundreds of attempts by dozens of coaches, he’s finally the one who figured out this offense. And the key was the same strategy you tell a team of 6th graders: Shotgun means pass, Under center means run.  It’s so simple it’s brilliant.  You know what, Ray Horton?  I’m not even mad at you.  In fact, I totally get you.  Beating the Patriots is the highest accomplishment any football coach can have.  For the few who do it, it’s the crowning achievement of their career.  So it’s no wonder you act like you cracked the Enigma code or used stolen plans to find the weakness in the Death Star.  That’s what every coach who pulls out a win against them does.  Hell, it was just two years ago that Eric Mangini got a Gatorade bath in October because the Browns beat the Pats.  And he was fired a few weeks later, that game being the highlight of his sorry career.  So I understand.  Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.  So what if everything you said was wrong? and the Pats went against the tendencies you talked about 21 times in 80 plays.  Or that the key play of the game was a goddamned blocked punt that set up a 2 yard touchdown drive, neither of which you had anything to do with.  Because who are we gonna believe, you or our lying eyes?  That doesn’t matter.  You still outsmarted the smartest coach in the history of football.  Congratulations, Einstein.

Now the question I have is one I’ve asked 10,000 times before: Why is it the Patriots are the most hated, resented team in football when they’ve never had a coach shoot his mouth off like this but other coaches pull this crap on them all the time?  @JerryThornton1