So, with Belichick tying Tom Landry for third-most wins all time, I'd say that if he's not going to celebrate and talk about himself, someone else ought to be willing to.
We've been privileged to watch him work, and watch his works, for nearly two decades. What have we learned from the process? If he hung them up tomorrow and someone sat him down to get him to distill his wisdom about running a team, what would the bullet points say?
We know the sign that hangs from the facility, his distilled message for players...
But what does that translate to in practice? What would be his lessons to another head coach, or to a GM or owner looking to receive his wisdom?
Some starters:
- Trade or release players a year early rather than a year late. You'll notice them slipping in practice or workouts long before the league sees that slipping in a game.
- Be flexible in your game-to-game tactics: create a distinct gameplan for each opponent which makes the most of your advantages against them, in matchups or likelihood of mistakes.
- Neglect no part of the game. Treat special teams as a coequal part of the game, so that the players understand there is no part of their job they can half-ass. Get in as many practices as possible. Give careful thought even to the end of your roster, as you'll need to rely on them eventually.
- Don't judge a book by its cover: There are many great NFL players who came from non-name-brand backgrounds. Spend more time than you'd like to to give tryouts to UDFAs, review tape on cast-offs, and dig for buried-treasure talent.
- More is not necessarily better. Your coaching staff should be people you trust implicitly, even if that's a smaller group than others employ.
- Acknowledge your mistakes, and correct them. Excessive pride and ego in your decision-making is the undoing of coaches. If that means chucking a gameplan at halftime, or chucking a big signing who isn't performing, be courageous about it.
- Lead from behind: the game is about the players. Take blame for their failures, and pass credit for their successes off to them. Nobody buys a coach's jersey, and the players notice the gesture.
What else comes to mind about the principles by which Belichick runs his shop?
We've been privileged to watch him work, and watch his works, for nearly two decades. What have we learned from the process? If he hung them up tomorrow and someone sat him down to get him to distill his wisdom about running a team, what would the bullet points say?
We know the sign that hangs from the facility, his distilled message for players...
But what does that translate to in practice? What would be his lessons to another head coach, or to a GM or owner looking to receive his wisdom?
Some starters:
- Trade or release players a year early rather than a year late. You'll notice them slipping in practice or workouts long before the league sees that slipping in a game.
- Be flexible in your game-to-game tactics: create a distinct gameplan for each opponent which makes the most of your advantages against them, in matchups or likelihood of mistakes.
- Neglect no part of the game. Treat special teams as a coequal part of the game, so that the players understand there is no part of their job they can half-ass. Get in as many practices as possible. Give careful thought even to the end of your roster, as you'll need to rely on them eventually.
- Don't judge a book by its cover: There are many great NFL players who came from non-name-brand backgrounds. Spend more time than you'd like to to give tryouts to UDFAs, review tape on cast-offs, and dig for buried-treasure talent.
- More is not necessarily better. Your coaching staff should be people you trust implicitly, even if that's a smaller group than others employ.
- Acknowledge your mistakes, and correct them. Excessive pride and ego in your decision-making is the undoing of coaches. If that means chucking a gameplan at halftime, or chucking a big signing who isn't performing, be courageous about it.
- Lead from behind: the game is about the players. Take blame for their failures, and pass credit for their successes off to them. Nobody buys a coach's jersey, and the players notice the gesture.
What else comes to mind about the principles by which Belichick runs his shop?