As those of you who read this blog know, I am a Bill Belichick fan. Maybe that’s putting it lightly, but I was obviously pretty excited to finally get a glimpse of BB behind the scenes, doing what he was born and bred to do… coach football. And NFL Films delivered, as expected.
We’ll have some quick hit thoughts on some specific nuggets in the show later today, but for now I just want to talk about what I learned about Belichick and the Patriots over the course of the show.
It amazes me that in Belichick’s twelfth season with the Patriots people are still surprised that he has a sense of humor, that he’s smart and witty, and really has a good relationship with his players.
People see Press Conference Belichick, a well-fabricated personality constructed by BB to keep the media from being a distraction to his team, and assume that’s what he’s like off the field. You can read Education of a Coach if you want more insight into that, but I wasn’t surprised by the lighter moments in the documentary. Or that he’s actually a good dad. Or that he likes to bust balls a bit.
What was most interesting to me was to see how Belichick spoke to his team, and how he spoke of his team when evaluating them. As someone who has blogged every step of the last four seasons, I’ve always had my own theories as to what the Patriots did or didn’t do well. But to hear a phrase like, “Take away Moss deep, come up on Welker and we’re done. We’re done.” uttered by BB was fascinating to me.
I was extremely impressed with how Belichick is with his coaches when things were not going right. Sitting around a table with his staff after a loss he was able to walk the line of demanding more from all of them, while also including himself in that criticism. This is the kind of boss people want to work for. Not ones who point fingers or have unrealistic expectations, but ones who acknowledge we’re all in this together and that’s the only way out of it, together.
After last year’s Hard Knocks I can understand how guys want to play for Rex Ryan, and after last night I understand how guys want to play for Belichick in a way that I did not before. My favorite quote of the entire first episode was during BB’s speech before the season opener.
“This is a football team. And for 60 minutes you’re going the have to deal with all of us and its going to be a long night.”
That really sums up Belichick’s philosophy and how getting players to buy into the ultimate team concept is goal number one. There is no static in Belichick’s message. You are there to play football and to win. Everything else is ancillary.
Belichick is a master of slightly pulling strings for desired effect. His focus on the task at hand is unflappable and he demands the same short term focus from his players.
His ability to breakdown an opponent is pretty amazing, as we saw when everything he said they couldn’t do they did against the Jets. Former Patriots have often praised Belichick for picking out just a few areas of focus, that if the Patriots accomplish them, they’ll win the game. Often Pats bloggers and writers will put together “Keys to Victory” and usually they are general stuff like “get pressure on the QB” or “avoid turnovers”.
Well, Belichick’s keys to the game are far more specific. Like covering Dustin Keller off the line, especially when Sanchez is under center. You can see that his attention to detail with what makes opposing teams go is uncanny. He knows the how to take away the safe plays that the opposition trusts and likes.
The 2009 season is really a fascinating one to have this doc unfold because it was probably the most frustrating one of BB’s Patriot reign from a fan’s perspective. Of course it’s clear now that it was just as frustrating from the team’s perspective. I really can’t wait to see what happens in part two as the season slowly goes down the toilet.
We had an inkling that there were chemistry problems behind the scenes, but none of us realized how bad it really was. The 2009 Patriots seemed to lack passion and fire and it seems like none of the buttons that Belichick pushed were able to snap them out of it.
Obviously this was one of my favorite hours of television in a long time. My fascination with Belichick as a coach and leader is one of the biggest influences of why I write this blog, and the revelations in this documentary only deepened that fascination.
The validity of his leadership techniques and philosophies extend far beyond the football field. It’s about living life with short term focus, appreciating the importance of this moment right now, and taking full advantage of it. Whether you’re preparing for a test, or just spending quality time with loved ones, Belichick’s ideals of being present in the moment right now have universal application, and are ones that continue to inspire me in all facets of life.
The wait for episode two will be a long one…