New England’s Bill Belichick has developed into the best coach in the NFL.

Three Super Bowls in six years and a near-miss a year ago in a heartbreaking loss to Indianapolis in the AFC championship game speak for themselves.

But I was befuddled by his thought process in Sunday’s 52-7 win over Washington.

Leading 38-0 at home entering the fourth quarter, he left star quarterback Tom Brady in the game and Brady wound up throwing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker with 9:06 remaining.

Why?

The game had long been decided.

Why embarrass the opponent?

It tarnishes your image.

More importantly, why leave Brady in the game?

What happens if he gets hurt?

Can you imagine ruining your Super Bowl chances because you left The Franchise in during a blowout?

What a waste.

Once a game is clearly decided, get the starters out and let the backups play.

Those backups could play pivotal roles later in the season or in future years and they need to get some reps.

There are a lot of injuries in football and teams without depth don’t go very far.

The Patriots have always been regarded as a classy organization. Players want to play for the Patriots.

They know they’ll have a chance to go to the Super Bowl virtually every year and owner Bob Kraft is top shelf.

They epitomize the word “team.”

But running up the score like they did against Washington leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

To all coaches out there, win with class. Respect your opponent and teach your players to do so as well.

Don’t humiliate the opponent even if you might feel justified in doing so based on things that may have occurred during the game or in previous games.

Remember, your backups work just as hard as your starters and deserve playing time.

– . –

Now for the World Series champion Red Sox.

Are you still sporting an afterglow?

It was an impressive performance in their sweep of a red-hot Colorado Rockies team, and one neat sidelight is the fact seven Red Sox players were former Portland Sea Dogs, including the dynamic duo of second baseman Dustin Pedroia and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury along with ace righthander Josh Beckett.

Beckett was a Sea Dog when the team was the Class AA affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

Having a strong farm system is essential to the success of a franchise.

The infusion of young players with talent can jumpstart a team.

They supply an energy and an enthusiasm.

The gritty Pedroia is a throwback to the old-time players whose jerseys were always dirty because they always played hard. They played the game it was meant to be played.

Ellsbury’s surprising offensive production (.438, 4 doubles in the World Series), accompanied by his speed, kept opposing defenses under pressure. And let’s not forget about his defense.

Manny Ramirez never would have caught Jamey Carroll’s long fly ball in the ninth inning of the Series-clinching 4-3 win.

The other reason a strong minor league system is important is it enables a team to make a late-season trade for a veteran that could fill a void.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews. net.