Bill belichick: what seperates him?

I think there are a number of factors that contribute to his success; obviously some of them are a matter of him being in the right situation, but I also believe he has brought a lot to the table himself.

I think with him, as with many successful programs, his success has snowballed; in that his early success has attracted others who brought additional success with them. Good players accept less $$ and additional coaching because the Patriots are a winning organization, thus they continue to win. That being written, I think there were some important factors that led to their early success which helped them grow.

1) Belichick is a GREAT coach, specifically in regards to LBs and front 7s. I think he does a great job of teaching players how to perform diverse tasks, and this led to the interchangeability that has been a trademark of the Patriots defense. In addition, he appears to be a master strategist- his manhandling of Faulk in the Pats 1st SB was key, and he is generally credited with the let the air out of the ball plan the won the Giants the SB against the Bills. I have always felt the early 00's Pats to have had an historic defense that is grossly underrated.

2) Of course there are lots of good coaches, but few have been given as much control as Belichick was. When everyone pulls in the same direction, even if they are somewhat of course, great things get accomplished. Kraft gave Belichick near carte blanche from the beginning, and like a benevolent dictator he was able to make things work efficiently and successfully. I think Jimmy Johnson probably could've accomplished similar things in Dallas had he not had to contend with Jerry Jones. In New England he was allowed to implement his vision without having to compromise it much to fit the whims of others.

3) The snowball effect of culture. As I wrote above, early success allowed Belichick to demand more of players (and FAs) because they knew it would be a success. I don't think a rookie coach or one with less of a track record would have enough cache to implement the cultural demands that Belichick does. But he is a proven success, and as such players accept them to have an opportunity to succeed as well. And since he has the controls to implement said success it works.

What about scouting? And Defense... What does he do in defense from an X and O's standpoint that is above par. Also I read about his "not having a playbook" more like he switches to having a gameplan week to week... Does that make since? Has anyone studied the defense that could help with that?

I'm not gonna claim that I follow the NFL closely enough to know all his X's & O's; but I think what he does is something like this.

Instead of players being repeatedly taught the specifics for their position, defensive players work on more general skillsets that fit a broader definition of what a defensive football player should do. Then, week to week, individual players are asked to only implement a small portion of the skillsets they are taught based on that weeks gameplan. It really runs contrary to what has been the trend in sports, football, and society; whereas most go with the assembly line model of specialization (and increasing efficiency and skill in one specific job) he has players become skilled in many jobs and in that way they can be used interchangeably based on the gameplan.

Ok if it is the majority Brady then... What do they do offensively that sets them apart... Throw small, run big.

It is no different with the Patriots than any of the great high school programs who you see that beat people with similar talent. Call it culture or what you want, but it is program over player and lets be honest he doesn't give a F*** who you are. He aced out out Jamie Collins, arguably one of his best 2 or 3 defensive players, midyear because the guy could not do what he was been asked to do schematically. They struggle with edge rush last year but get rid of their best edge guy in Chandler Jones, again guy doesn't follow the program and gets walking papers...loud and clear message to everyone else.
Know a guy that was a positional coach in the NFL (now back in college) and he mentioned that a lot of coaches at that level cater to players idiosyncrasies, needs, and high maintenance behavior because they feel like they need those players to win, survive and not get fired. Belichick has many rings he will never have to beg a guy to work hard or cater to whiny stars.
Belichick is all about the organization. They have everything in place to be great:
- Winning culture
- Tremendously supportive, non-intrusive owner
- Greatest QB in NFL history who works his ass off and sets the tone
- Great OC/DC who have been in the system for some time
- Created an offensive system that don't need a superstar WR to thrive...system is predicated on WR intelligence, toughness, quickness which allows them to get castoffs or unheralded guys (Welker, Troy Brown, Edelman, Hogan, etc.)

former pats gm said recently that when they picked that goalline pass againt the seahawks to win it a couple years ago, that Belichick had been working the goalline 3 cb defense. They had worked it every week of the season and never used it. Then they used it against the seahawks and he did not call timeout so that the seahawks did not have a chance to adjust. Then Butler I think gets the pick, said that the coaches had ingrained in him that if you get that look, this is what they are gonna do, and he knew the play and picked it.

Bottom line is they outwork everybody else. They meet endlessly and go over every possible scenario, think 3rd qtr with backup qb on their 41 with 3rd and 7. They have already coached the game and are never caught off guard.

That is awesome and I respect that, but I played TMNT uno with my two little boys and wife tonight and they can have their 5 super bowl trophies. I am husband and dad first!

Turned down chance to ga at D1 college about 16 years ago b/c I knew several of the coaches and the strained relationships they had with their families. Not saying that it can't be done or some don't do it, but the odds are stacked against you in big time college and pro football. Who lies on their deathbed and celebrates football wins alone b/c their wife and children have left them? Not this dude.

Maybe too much philosophy tonight from two good scotches!

Good is the enemy of great.

Natenator: Valid point sir! I am a big Jim Collins fan. Let me rephrase. Two GREAT scotches. Macallan 12 yr double cask! GREAT!

I highly recommend.

Belichick's success goes FAR, FAR beyond X & O on both sides of the ball (Ownership, Front Office, ability to keep the right talent on board, Coaching staff) etc.

That having been said - I have been studying their offense for years (have 2-3 playbooks, scouting reports ON them from other teams, a lot of game cut-ups, lectures by some of their staff members such as the great Dante Scarnecchia, etc.).  They have a very complex offensive system (& the right players to execute it).  Their offense goes back to some of the same sources (Dan Henning, etc.) as ours does.

The "alert" system Brady uses is important.  Every time they go to the LOS they have a choice of two plays.  There is the original call, plus an alternate that gets put into motion if the defense aligns a certain way.  In that case - Brady yells "Alert" to make the switch.  There are also "Look" passes: run plays that are converted to quick dump-offs should a corner be playing well off a receiver (most offenses now include some form of this).

They have an extensive combination of receiver route adjustments that all their receivers have to know.  The offense is BUILT on "option routes" (often a receiver has four decisions he needs to make.  They give the receivers the flexibility to take what the defense gives.

I charted their personnel "groupings" in the recent super bowl (see below):

PATRIOTS:



0 Back = 23 snaps



1 Back = 68 snaps (MOSTLY "11" = 1 RB/1 TE).



2 Backs (second back = blocker ONLY) = 9 snaps



NOTE:  "11" is our basic offense, both from 2x2 & 3x1 configurations.

I would like to know where you got the lectures from and the playbooks...?
And definantly the scouting reports on them...

It certainly helps to have the GOAT at quarterback, but I think it's somewhat unfair to point to Brady as the reason why Belichick is so successful w/o considering why Brady is so successful.

Granted, Brady has "it". He's extremely driven, but Coach Belichick has also provided Brady with a team environment that has served as a catalyst for Brady's player development. Player development doesn't happen in a vacuum, and a lot of things have to come together for å a player to become the greatest of all time (I know I'm stating the obvious).

What impresses me the most is how thorough Belichick is in his work. It seems that nothing surprises him, and he's seen it all (or his dad told him about it). When there's a new trend that some coaches struggle with, he re-visits his football history books to find what killed it in the first place.

I have always thought of him as a "Money Ball" coach. He does an excellent job of picking up players in the lower levels of the draft and utilizing them in a way hat maximizes their talents while minimizing their weaknesses.

It certainly is a combination of things. No insider knowledge here, just been in Boston for 25 years.

His system - yes, he has excellent coordinators...that he developed. He won his 1st three with Crennell and Weiss, and the last two with McDaniels and Patricia. This is HIS system. And the failure of his "coaching tree" to do a whole lot as HC's on their own could lead one to say it really is all about him and his approach. Which certainly isn't helpful for someone trying to copy his methods. Oh yeah, and obviously he cheats...(sarcasm there).

They are unique in that they mold their game plan to their opponents. They are the antithesis of the "do what we do" team. They do what the other team gives them. So yes, scouting is huge.

Defensively they choose what to allow and what to deny, and build their game plan around it. Historically Belichick teams win titles when they are in bend don't break mode. They keep games tight, they give up 3 vs. 7, they try to make you execute down the field without a turnover, and overall they rely on their ability to execute under pressure when other teams fold. The idea is that Belichick teams will out-execute you due to scouting and preparation. There are no situations they haven't covered in practice. They bet that they can get it done when you can't.

That Butler INT in the Super Bowl vs. the Seahawks - they had practiced defending that exact play that week. And didn't stop it, LOL - saw the practice footage on TV a couple of weeks ago. But they were prepared for it. Browner was able to press the pick receiver allowing Butler to come through clean - in practice the spacing was different and Butler couldn't get there. The Pats executed the Seahawks O in practice better than the Hawks did in the game.

Bill Belichick is reputed to be a master at making things very simple for the players. Ty Law used to talk about how Belichick could take something complicated and teach it so that they'd easily understand it.  He'd be able to boil the game plans down to just a couple of things for each player to understand and do.

Roster - they look for versatile players who play football. That allows them to do X one week, and Y the next week. Heck, they won one of the Super Bowls (Eagles or Panthers, can't remember) with Troy Brown getting significant snaps at DB. Edelman played some DB in their 2011 loss to the Giants I believe.

They are RUTHLESS when it comes to players and contracts. There is no sentimentality. That's how they've been at the top of a parity driven league for 15 years now. He will dump players a year too soon vs. a year too late. He will seemingly sacrifice a season to make sure they aren't in cap hell for 3 seasons. Frankly, as a fan it's maddening - you think they're just a player away, and the Pats are under the cap, and they won't bend. Why not pay the extra for Revis to make a run at another ring?!?! Why not put up with Jones and Collins for one more year, they fill holes you can't otherwise fill!! Well, turns out once again Belichick was right...

They pay well at the middle and bottom of the roster, not so well at the top. They rely on guys who want to be there. But make no mistake - he'll put up with a lot of crap from guys who produce. Ty Law called him a liar publicly for a few years before he left as a FA. Seymour said some crap well before he was traded. If you produce, you get rope.

But again, it still comes back to Bill Belichick being downright robotic in his preparation - there's just nothing they leave un-examined. They are never not prepared. They are simple in what they do (minus the option routes on O - "simple" in theory, but complicated to execute, which is why they struggle to find receivers, but when they find them, they light it up), but they execute to the max. It truly is about "do your job", but he gets the right guys in the right place so that they only have one job to do, and when they do it, they succeed.

And it helps that their best player is also downright insane with his approach to football. Never been a better fit of QB and Coach. Both are lucky they have each other.

One of the things that BB does best, it seems, is coach the coaches. His coaches's backgrounds are very similar to his. Most of them played small college football then started coaching at low levels. His assistants know how to work hard and pay attention to detail (A couple GA'ed under Saban). Rather than hire coordinators from other teams he promotes from within. Everybody on the staff knows how to do things the Patriots way and they''re all on the same page.