Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick published his book, ‘The Art of Winning,’ last week. While the leadup to the book was dominated by headlines revolving around some awkward moments in Belichick’s CBS interview, after reading, it did have several interesting Patriots insights and pieces of leadership advice.
The biggest reasons for the Patriots’ success
When reading about the reasons Belichick gave for the Patriots’ sustained dominance, two things stood out. The first (and most obvious) was Tom Brady. Belichick dedicated page 199 completely to Brady and mentioned him at many other points throughout the book. Belichick specifically mentioned how Brady built himself into the GOAT through hard work and dedication that surpassed his peers, and that Brady was able to help limit negative plays (presnap penalties, negative runs, interceptions, sacks). This was something Belichick also mentioned during his speech commemorating Brady’s career during Tom Brady Night at Gillette Stadium last summer.
In addition to Brady, Belichick called the Patriots’ mastery of situational football the “biggest single factor in the sustained success” the Patriots had. One can look through every dynasty season to find many examples of New England winning games based on being ready for unique situations and out-executing opponents in key spots.
Love of the game is paramount
Belichick discussed his evaluation process for adding players to his teams and two main elements stood out: talent and love of the game. To that end, Belichick said one of the most memorable examples of love of the game came from an opponent: Terrell Owens in Super Bowl 39.
Belichick and his staff game planned for an Eagles team without Owens, who suffered a serious leg injury late in the season and missed the entire playoff run. Instead of sitting out as many expected, Owens played brilliantly. His nine catches for 122 yards would have earned him MVP votes if Philadelphia had won. Belichick said he underestimated Owens’ love for the game, and it nearly cost the Patriots.
Mistakes
Any sports fan loves a “what-if” discussion, and Belichick revealed several in his chapter on mistakes. The first one involved kicking a field goal on 4th and 13 at the Giants’ 31-yard line midway through the third quarter of Super Bowl 42. The Patriots were leading 7-3 at the time. Belichick said his choice to go for it revolved around two factors: the youth of kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who had rarely been forced to make pressure kicks in a dominant 2007 season, and the continued dominance from his offense all year. If Belichick had made a different decision, the game may have played out very differently. To his credit, he owned it.
The other tantalizing “what-if” revolved around the Patriots not drafting Lamar Jackson in 2018. The Patriots loved him, but it would have involved adapting their future offense away from the pocket-centric model used by Brady, and Belichick was concerned the Patriots would struggle to do that while still having Brady as starter. It was a fair concern, but one doesn’t need to think much to understand how different Belichick’s Patriots career would have ended if New England had drafted Jackson.
Below the surface of every challenge are advantages
Most coaches and players dislike Thursday Night Football as it is difficult on players’ bodies, leaves less time to prepare, and often presents a diminished product. While Belichick acknowledged these sentiments as legitimate, he also felt that Thursday night games were an advantage for his teams. Not only were the Patriots more difficult to prepare against than most teams because of their gameplan-specific structure, he also forbade his players from using the short week as an excuse for poor performance. While other players and coaches were complaining, the Patriots were using the time to their advantage.
Communication/thoughts on Mike Vrabel/shot at ownership
Belichick called current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel an “excellent coach” who could often get the most out of his fellow players by joking with them or shaming them (in a joking way) about how much work they were putting in.
Belichick dedicated an entire chapter to communication. While he acknowledged that he could have been nicer to the media at times, he stated that his primary focus was on preparing the team to win and he cared only about that communication. To that end, he said that he rarely yelled at players, but would speak in front of the team in a more neutral tone backed up by facts. He said yelling and bravado have a shelf life while Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” approach is more sustainable.
Robert Kraft is not mentioned at all in the book, but there is one significant shot taken at team ownership without using his name. Near the end of the book Belichick says, “In retrospect, putting the priorities of the football team ahead of ownership goals ultimately led to a fractured relationship in Foxborough.” Yikes.