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2003 stories
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AFC Beat: The Year That Was
31-Dec-2003, USA TODAY
"Best strategy: With three minutes to play and trailing 24-23 at
Denver on Nov. 9, Patriots coach Bill Belichick opted to take a safety
rather than punt from his end zone. The move allowed the field position
and time that set up a last-minute drive and 30-26 win."
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Warmup Act Is A Novelty
31-Dec-2003, Boston
Globe
"The query was, 'So, coach, what's your New Year's resolution?' Keep
in mind, we all knew this was going to be, for better or worse, his exit
line. Director of media relations Stacey James already had given the
'one last question' admonition. 'Probably the same as last year,'
deadpanned Bill Belichick. 'To be as helpful as I possibly can to the
media.'"
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How Do You Like Him Now?
27-Dec-2003, New
York Daily News
"Nobody liked the circumstances of Belichick's departure from the
Jets. Parcells didn't like it at all. But it was the only way for
Belichick to get out of Parcells' shadow once and for all. Now he is one
Super Bowl title working on two and his operation and his staff are the
envy of everybody else in the sport. The HC who got away."
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story |
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The Year In Sports
26-Dec-2003,
Newsweek
"Here are my Top 20 highlights and lowlights for 2003: ...15. Tuna
Supreme: Bill Parcells returned and performed another amazing and incredibly
swift reclamation project. The Dallas Cowboys are the fourth
team he has ushered to the playoffs. Still, the best coaching job may
have been performed by Parcells protιgιe Bill Belichick, who has led the
lightly regarded Patriots to the NFL's best record."
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story |
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Pats Follow Leader: Belichick's
One-Game-At-A-Time Approach Pays Off
23-Dec-2003, Boston
Herald
"What's happening between Bill Belichick and his players this season
goes beyond a bunch of guys buying into a system. As one player recently
joked, it's a cult. And yesterday, the Patriots' version of Rev.
Sun-Young Moon held yet another sermon on his core philosophy: staying
in the moment."
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story |
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Preparation Leads Belichick To Top
22-Dec-2003, Pro
Football Weekly
"He had never been to New England. The odds he actually would end up
in New England, Steve Belichick thought to himself, might be even at
best. The Northeast was fine and all, but what did his son know about
New England? As the discussion progressed, a 17-year-old Bill Belichick,
then a junior football and lacrosse star at Annapolis (Md.) High, had
dropped the gavel on his father, on his intentions to attend college in
New England. Not with an authoritarian roar, mind you, but with the same
decisive nature that stamped his ticket back to New England in 2000."
full
story | order info |
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Good Show: 1994 Browns' Brainy Bunch
21-Dec-2003, Dallas Morning News
"Remember that 1994 game between the defending Super Bowl champion
Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns?... Huge upset, right? Wrong. In
hindsight, the better-prepared team won. None of us realized it that
day, but the Browns brought to Dallas one of the greatest football think
tanks ever assembled. Start with the coaching staff. Bill Belichick was
the head coach of the Browns, Nick Saban the defensive coordinator, Kirk
Ferentz the offensive line coach, Pat Hill the tight ends coach and
Scott O'Brien the special teams coach."
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Team Has A Bit Of Everything
15-Dec-2003, Boston Globe
"Twelve and two is nice, but it doesn't begin to tell their story.
The Patriots aren't just a team sitting atop a division, conference, and
league. They really are a group that's big enough and diverse enough to
represent an entire six-state region.... Their 10-game streak is the
longest in team history. Their 12 wins are the most in team history.
They have allowed 22 points in their last five home games, which is one
of the best defensive runs in any team's history. They have allowed 68
points at home, and 30 of those came in one game."
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Patriots' Way
15-Dec-2003, Sporting News
"Against Miami last Sunday, the Patriots primarily played a 3-4
after giving the Dolphins a close of each in their first meeting. 'They
gave us every look in the book, but that's what coach Belichick always
does,' Dolphins guard Todd Perry says. 'They came out every series and
gave us something different.... You adjust to something, and then they
do something different.'"
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Belichick Longest Active Coach
12-Dec-2003, Register Citizen
"When the Atlanta Falcons fired Dan Reeves on Wednesday, Belichick
officially became the NFL's longest active coach, including his years as
an assistant and head coach. He is currently in his 29th consecutive
season, dating back to his first year in the league as a special
assistant with Baltimore in 1975."
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A Good Coach Goes A Long Way Today
12-Dec-2003, Dallas
Morning News
"The Dallas Morning News polled 14 NFL executives in the
last week men who hire coaches, all
of whom holding the title of general manager or higher and asked them for their
list of the league's top three coaches.... On a 3-2-1 point system three points for the first
choice, two for the second and one for the third Belichick received 29 points from the panel, Parcells 27, Vermeil 10,
Fisher six and Holmgren, Reid and Shanahan three apiece. Belichick and
Parcells were selected as the top coach by six voters apiece and Vermeil
by two."
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Power Play Doesn't Rank With High-Flying Patriots
12-Dec-2003, Boston
Globe
"When told the Patriots are No. 1 in the power rankings, left
tackle Matt Light, said, 'We are? Who cares? Really, who cares? What
does that mean and why is that relevant to anything? It was never
important and it isn't now. This is the first I've heard of that. People
were upset?' Indeed, many. 'For every one e-mail I get from fans in
other cities, I get eight from Patriots fans,' said Pete Prisco of CBS
Sportsline.com. 'They're very intelligent, educated, and absolutely out
of their minds. They're vicious and nasty, but I love it. They take it
very seriously, and that's a lot better than looking around at empty
seats in stadiums around the country.'"
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Ask PFW: Winning vs. Whining
09-Dec-2003, Patriots
Football Weekly
"The press conferences on Patriots.com come courtesy of
the Patriots media relations department. They are very busy, especially
with the growing numbers of media that are swarming around the hottest
team in football, and sometimes it takes a little longer for the
transcripts to get done. Rest assured, we post the always-entertaining
and informative press conferences as soon as they become available. If
you are looking for something to keep you busy while you wait for the
tantalizing transcripts I heard that your neighbor just painted his
fence and it is drying, wanna go watch?"
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Belichick Lauded By Local College Of Coaches
07-Dec-2003, Boston
Globe
"We are continually told that players win games, yet if there is one
true star in this franchise, it is a coach who came here with the
reputation of being a pretty smart guy but a bit lacking in the people
thing. And was he really that much smarter than the next 10 or 20 guys
in this highly competitive league? For some answers as to just what's
been going on in Foxborough these past three years, why not turn to some
professionals, men who bring a football insider's expertise to the
topic? It stands to reason that our local college coaches would have an
inherent interest in the Patriots' saga. And they do."
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Who's Making The Grade After Three Quarters?
04-Dec-2003, CBS
SportsLine.com
"Coach of the Year: It's hard to overlook what Marvin Lewis has done in
Cincinnati with the Bengals, but Bill Belichick has to be the pick right
now. His team has won eight consecutive games, despite dealing with an
abundance of injuries. He is the best in football right now."
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Hard To Duplicate Pats' Success
03-Dec-2003, NFL.com
"When something works well in the National Football League, you can be
sure that other teams are going to copy it. So it's very surprising that
no teams are really willing to do what the New England Patriots are
doing on defense. The only words you hear when coaches and general
managers talk about defense are 'younger' and 'faster.' There are some
fast, young players on New England's defense, but generally the two
words that best describe this group are 'grizzled' and 'veteran.'"
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Patriots Proving To Be Model Franchise
03-Dec-2003, CBS
SportsLine.com
"In a day and age when the fans beg for high-priced free-agent visitors,
loudmouth show boaters and immediate results, the Patriots have quietly
built the perfect model for success. They have a coach who relishes in
the details of weekly adjustments, players who thrive in the system, a
personnel whiz who provides the perfect players for the coach, and an
owner who shows complete trust in the model."
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Week 13 Recap: Getting Real
02-Dec-2003, Chris Mortensen
"Coaching Honors: Week 13 ... 5c. Bill Belichick, Patriots Can a guy coach
any better?"
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Patriots Play It Close, Tough
02-Dec-2003, Associated
Press
"'I think that's a joke,' coach Bill Belichick said Monday after a
reporter used the D-word [dominant] to describe a team that has
gone to the wire in four of its last six games. 'The ball's inside the 1
yard-line on the last play of the game? Who's dominating whom?' ...
'We're playing Miami, that's it,' Belichick said. 'We're playing Miami.
Everything else will take care of itself, whatever it is.'"
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Bill Paid: Belichick Paving Way For Students' Success
01-Dec-2003, Pro
Football Weekly
"'If a guy like myself were to go back in the league, we'd be ready
because of Bill,' said [Pat] Hill, who still speaks to Belichick on a
semi-regular basis. 'The preparation you get from (Belichick) is the
preparation you need to be a head coach. Nick Saban and Kirk Ferentz
will be very successful in that league. They know how to work in that
environment because of Bill.'"
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Almost Home: Awards And Predictions At The Three-Quarters
Pole
01-Dec-2003,
SI.com
"Coach of the Year Bill Belichick, New England: With an eight-game
winning streak, a 10-2 overall record, six wins by seven points or
fewer, and more than 40 different starters used, you can't quibble with
Belichick's methods. He has pushed all the right buttons, starting with
Lawyer Milloy's controversial opening-week release."
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Preparing For The Worst Brings Out The Best In The Patriots
01-Dec-2003, Sporting News
"In an age when a turf toe injury can reduce a contender for the
Super Bowl to a contender for the top pick in the draft, the Patriots
are 9-2 because they are deeper than Dante's Inferno. Whenever a
Patriots player is injured, coach Bill Belichick does not throw himself
on the floor and threaten to hold his breath until he turns bluer than
New England's home jerseys. He shrugs."
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Patriots Make Plays When They Need To
30-Nov-2003,
NFL.com
"The Patriots are beyond a team that merely manufactures victories
through clever coaching. Oh, Bill Belichick's brainpower remains a huge
part of their identity. But there are times, such as this game, where
the Pats show they can be simply explosive."
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Goal Line Stand Wins It, 38-34
30-Nov-2003,
Patriots.com
"It was one of the most courageous goal line stands in Patriots history.
With time running out and on the Patriots 2-yard line, the Colts needed
a touchdown for the win. But on four consecutive plays three
of them runs by Edgerrin James New England met the Colts
head on and preserved the win in heart-thumping manner, 38-34."
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Once Unwanted, Belichick Is The Savior Of New England
27-Nov-2003, Washington Post
"When New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft gave up a first-round draft
pick three years ago to land a coach with a 37-45 record in the NFL,
people questioned his sanity. This fall, the Patriots started 2-2 and
the grousing began again. But New England was soon distracted in early
October by the American League Championship Series between the Boston
Red Sox and the New York Yankees. By Oct. 16, when the Yankees had added
another chapter to the Red Sox' long list of heartbreaks, the Patriots
were a modest 4-2. Since then, they've won five in a row and are one of
three 9-2 teams in the AFC. And Kraft appears to have pulled off one of
the NFL's greatest heists when he landed Bill Belichick from the New
York Jets."
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Art Of War: Belichick's Scheming Beats Parcells' Plotting
17-Nov-2003, SI.com
"The bottom line in this well-hyped Battle of the Bills? Until further
notice, Belichick's uncanny ability to consistently churn out great
defenses trumps Parcells' remarkable ability to cajole and squeeze the
best out of every player on his entire overachieving roster. At least on
this night it did, as New England stuffed Dallas 12-0 in a game that
didn't seem that close."
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Belichick Gets The Nod In Bill vs. Bill
17-Nov-2003, NFL.com
"Many NFL analysts and Internet fan polls have insisted Parcells
should be the league's coach of the year. I've maintained Bill Belichick
is more deserving of the honor. Can there still be any question about
that after the Bill vs. Bill Bowl of 7-2 teams in Gillette Stadium?"
full story |
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A Clean Slate For Understudy
17-Nov-2003, Boston Globe
"The number is significant, even if it won't put Bill Belichick
into the Hall of Fame. .500. ... 'I wish I had known this win got him to .500,' tight end Christian
Fauria said. 'I would have poured Gatorade over his head or something.
But you know what? You'll never hear about that from him. He's focused
on the larger picture.'"
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Still Bill: Belichick Adapts And Thrives
16-Nov-2003, New York Times
"'When I hired Bill we gave up the No. 1 pick to Parcells, and
people thought I was insane,' the Patriots' owner, Robert K. Kraft,
said. 'And the start here was tough, but he has shown what can happen
when you stick together. The N.F.L. is a quality-management industry.
Bill is cool, calm and analytical and develops a sense of team of people
who bond together and make it happen.'"
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New England Standing Pat Despite Injuries, Adversity
14-Nov-2003, USA TODAY
"Bill Belichick served as an understudy to quick-fix master Bill
Parcells for 15 years, spanning three NFL coaching stops. He came away
from that itinerant experience with an intense desire to lead a team
built for the long haul. His New England Patriots take a 7-2 record into
Sunday night's game against Parcells' Dallas Cowboys, suggesting
Belichick is on his way toward achieving that goal."
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Top Billing: Belichick, Parcells
13-Nov-2003, Boston Globe
"In Belichick and Parcells, you have two road signs, both
pointing to the Super Bowl. They have worked in the same cities, coached
some of the same players, and received leading-man paychecks from the
same boss. Terry Glenn thought playing for Belichick was torture and is
now comfortable with Parcells in Dallas. Parcells thought Robert Kraft
was a meddler, while Belichick enjoys his relationship with the Patriots
owner."
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On Bill vs. Bill, Let There Be Light
13-Nov-2003, Providence Journal
"Neither Bill P., nor Bill B., wants to turn what should be a
pretty darn good football game into a gridiron soap opera. They don't
want to talk about history, psychology or emotions. Just football. The
only thing either of them wants to analyze is the game. But the reason
this game is being played in prime-time is because of the personalities
on the sidelines, not the players on the field."
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AFC East Leaders Enter Bye Week With 7-2 Mark
07-Nov-2003, New England Patriots
"THE BELICHICK ERA 29-11: Bill
Belichick's record in his last 40 games as the head coach of the
Patriots (.725 win pct). It's the best record of any NFL head coach over
that span. 35-25: Bill Belichick's overall record as head coach of the
Patriots, including the playoffs. .583: Belichick's overall winning
percentage as Patriots head coach, establishing the highest winning
percentage of any coach in franchise history, including postseason
games."
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Halfway Report: Awards, Report Cards...
06-Nov-2003, CBS SportsLine.com
"New England Patriots: A. ...Biggest draft steal: Dan Koppen has
started eight games for the Patriots at center after being a fifth-round
pick, and his solid play has allowed the team to keep Damien Woody at
guard, where he has played well.... Coach of the quarter: Bill
Belichick of the Patriots edges out his former mentor, Bill Parcells.
Belichick's team has overcome the loss of several key players and a slow
start to get to 7-2 heading into their bye week. They have won at Miami
and at Denver. Belichick knows how to get his team ready to play games.
He is drab as an interview subject, but he can flat out coach."
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Not About To Leave Things Half Done
06-Nov-2003, USA TODAY
"The NFL season has a long way to go, but here's one look at the
halfway point and how it has gone so far. The award winners... Coach:
Bill Belichick, New England His attitude
simply is that there are no excuses for losing, and his Patriots reflect
that. A master strategist, he has pushed his team successfully forward
through adversity that includes an inordinate number of injuries."
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Broncos Can't Seal The Deal As Patriots Rally To Win
04-Nov-2003, (Colorado Springs) Gazette
"New England made a strange coaching decision that looked brilliant
a few minutes later. The Patriots had their long snapper snap the ball
out of the end zone for a safety, which gave the Broncos a 26-23 lead
but allowed New England to have a free kick from the 20-yard line. 'We
were hoping for some field position with three timeouts and the
two-minute warning and maybe have a shot at a field goal to tie,'
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. Broncos defensive end Trevor Pryce
said: 'That's a smart play. I've never seen that done before. That dude
(Belichick) thinks.'"
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Patriots' Belichick Proves To Be Genius, Not Shanahan
04-Nov-2003, Denver Post
"In a tight game that came down to clock management, inspired
strategy and impromptu thinking, Shanahan got whipped by New England's
Bill Belichick in all three phases.... Belichick was inspired. Shanahan
was dumbfounded. Belichick dared to gamble, intentionally taking a
safety with the Patriots down by a point and 2 minutes, 49 seconds
remaining on the clock. It was the one brilliant move that set up New
England for an improbable victory."
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Kirwan's Call Of The Week: Tie At The Top
04-Nov-2003, NFL.com
"And the winner this week...a tie! ... 1. Take the safety by the
Patriots: It seems like something that New England does every week is to
make the 'Call of the Week'. The decision to concede a two-point safety
as a tradeoff for better field position to kick was a good strategic
call. The free kick after the safety resulted in a 40-yard advantage for
the Patriots and of course the field position set up the winning score."
full story |
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Second Thoughts
03-Nov-2003, SI.com
"What we said: The Patriots shifted the balance of power in the
tightly packed
AFC East when they did the unthinkable and let safety Lawyer Milloy get
away to
the Bills five days before the season opener. What we meant to say:
Lawyer, schmawyer. This is Billy Belichick's world, football fans. We're
all just living in it. I've got your balance of power right here."
full story |
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Pats Have Put The Worst Far Behind Them
02-Nov-2003,
Providence Journal
"Belichick will
never crow that he was 'right' about Milloy. He didn't want to release
him. He said then and still maintains that he didn't expect it to come
to that. But Milloy committed a cardinal sin when he let himself think
he was invaluable and that the Patriots would back down. Belichick has
the belly to make hard calls."
full
story |
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Belichick's Apprenticeship in Denver Has Paid Off
01-Nov-2003,
Providence Journal
"It was just one year, 1978, but Bill Belichick still has fond
memories of the time he spent in Denver.... Red Miller was the head
coach, but Belichick learned most from Joe Collier, the defensive
coordinator. Belichick was an assistant to Collier and helped with
special teams."
full
story |
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Lots Of Coaches Excel, But Belichick Cut Above The Rest
24-Oct-2003,
Houston Chronicle
"A lot of noise is
being made around the NFL about which coach is doing the best job....
You can make a case for several coaches at this point, but no case is
stronger than the one being made for Belichick, who did a magnificent
job in 2001 when the Patriots defeated the Rams to win their first Super
Bowl."
full story |
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Belichick's Three F's Help Patriots Earn A's
21-Oct-2003,
NFL.com
"'Bill is one of the
smartest coaches I've ever been around, and I'm not just saying that
because I want him to put me in position to succeed,' Pro Bowl defensive
lineman Richard Seymour said. 'He makes the tough decisions. Drew
Bledsoe. Lawyer Milloy. All the changes he's made. If those moves
backfire, he's taking bullets. We have smart coaches. They're not too
stubborn to make necessary adjustments.'"
full story (includes
video of BB devising a game plan (requires NFL.com's Field Pass)) |
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Call Of The Week: Belichick's Creative Plan
06-Oct-2003,
NFL.com
"The injuries started in August and they haven't stopped. Coach Bill
Belichick put a plan together with a lot of backups and beat a top team
in the Titans with no less than seven starters missing on defense. With
the inside core of the defense sidelined with injuries, the unit looked
vulnerable to the power running game, but it held Titans running back
Eddie George to just 35 yards rushing."
full story |
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All These Talking Heads Just Give Me A Headache
17-Sep-2003, Providence Journal
"[Tom] Jackson, the former linebacker-turned-commentator,
created some excitement last Sunday when he proclaimed on ESPN's pregame
show that the Patriots 'hated' coach Bill Belichick.... Consider that
Tom Curran, who covers the Patriots for the Journal, is in the
locker room every day. So are beat writers for both of Boston's major
dailies, along with sports writers from Hartford, Worcester,
Springfield, and a host of suburban papers. Yet not one of them detected
such 'hate' that they felt it was worthy of a story. Nor did any of them
suggest, as was debated on ESPN, that Belichick had 'lost' his team."
full story |
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Patriot Players Maintain They Remain Solidly Behind Belichick
15-Sep-2003, Lowell Sun
"'That's (bleeping) BS,' [Larry] Izzo said about Jackson's
claim of widespread hatred for Belichick. 'He doesn't know what goes on
in this room. He's just running his mouth. That's 100 percent not
true.'"
full story not available |
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TV Comment Has Pats Rallying Behind Belichick
15-Sep-2003, Providence Journal
Patriots linebacker Larry Izzo: "I don't know a coach in the league
who has the support of his players more than Bill and we went out and
showed that today. The media wants to make a big deal and speculate
about our mentality and our emotional level. The bottom line is we
didn't play good last week. The media blames it on a decision but it
came down to what happened on the field. Hopefully we put the fire out
and we don't have to talk about it anymore."
full story |
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Belichick Points Finger At Himself For Loss To Bills
11-Sep-2003,
Providence Journal
Bill Belichick: "Any player you want to mention, and any coach
head coach, assistant coach we got beat as a team. They outdid us in every
area. I don't know how else I can put it. I can sit here and say anybody
did a great job because they didn't. Me included.
There were a
lot of things I'd like to have back in that game. A lot of things. I'll
be the first to admit it. I made some mistakes. As many as anybody. My
job is to look at the mistakes, try to correct them and not make them
again. Win or lose."
Player's response: "When a leader can do something like that
and prove he's human, it's appealing and can make a difference. When you
admit it, it can bring a closeness to the team and creates a bond."
Rick Lyle's response: "It just lets you know everybody takes
accountability, good or bad, players and coaches. It's about being
accountable for what happened and owning up to that instead of pointing
fingers. (Belichick's) always been that way. And when you start having
coaches point fingers at their players it makes an adverse situation.
It's not good for chemistry and it won't get you where you need to go.
He was clear about it."
full story |
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Green Offers His Services To Pats
10-Sep-2003,
Providence Journal
Victor Green: "I love Bill Belichick as a coach."
full story |
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Seymour Prepared For His Lead Role
10-Sep-2003, Boston
Globe
Richard Seymour: "It's one game on our schedule and we just have
to bounce back. There's 16 games in all. Nothing's been decided in
one game. I definitely think we have some things that we have to
concentrate on and come out and correct, and we'll do that. Our
confidence isn't shaken. I think we were prepared for this football
game. We were ready to go, but it just didn't happen for us. On all
sides of the ball, we couldn't get anything going. Sometimes it's
like that. We just have to hang in there and keep our heads up and
not get down and not self-destruct from within."
full story |
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Comments from Richard Seymour
08-Sep-2003, Boston Herald
"Maybe (he's lost some
people over the move), but he hasn't lost me. I can only speak for
myself. I can't speak for everyone else. I'm here, I'm ready to go each
and every second. ... People come, people go. It's a part of life.
Everyone's not going to be here. That's how I look at it. You still have
to go out there, you're still a professional athlete, you still have to
go out and take care of your business and do your job. If somebody lets
that affect them, it's their fault. We've got a goal, we know what we're
trying to get, and if somebody lets that affect them and their play,
that's something they have to live with."
full story not available |
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Preseason Wrap
05-Sep-2003, Patriots.com
"The Patriots finish
the preseason with a 4-0 record, the third undefeated exhibition
campaign in franchise history.... Tom Brady led the NFL in the preseason
with a 116.7 passer rating and six touchdown passes.... New England was
the highest scoring AFC team in the preseason totaling 108 points in the
four games.... The defense registered a league best 33 sacks in the
preseason, including 10.5 by first year Patriots."
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Putting It In Perspective: Debate Rages Over Patriots'
Release Of All-Pro Milloy
05-Sep-2003, SI.com
"As poorly timed
as Milloy's release was, the reality is
that the Patriots shifted to a 3-4 defense this year, and that means
Milloy's once-significant role at safety had been lessened. The 3-4 is a
linebacker-driven defense, and Milloy's $4.4 million 2003 salary could
no longer be justified in light of New England's new emphasis. Patriots
head coach Bill Belichick came to grips with that fact long ago and was
determined somehow, some way to bring Milloy's price tag into line with
his reduced level of responsibility."
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People Don't Question A Man With A Ring
04-Sep-2003,
Patriot Ledger
"It was a gutsy move.... Belichick has proved to be the most
pragmatic coach in the National Football League.... He pulled the
trigger.... It took him just a year to clear out the least productive
players and reduce the salary cap. In his second year, he added 21 free
agents and 11 of them were members of the Super Bowl championship team.
The Patriots became the NFL's model of financial sense.... He has had to
make hard decisions.... Belichick didn't flinch.... Belichick was
right....
There's little question that Belichick gets the most from his players,
partly because they understand they can last only if they play at a high
level.... They were rewarded for getting the most out of their skills.
That's why veteran players give their all for Belichick.... No one
questioned the head coach, and they won't. The players and the fans have
faith in the judgment of Bill Belichick. That's what a Super Bowl ring
on his finger will do."
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Loss Of A Friend
26-Aug-2003, Boston
Globe
"During the Red
Sox-Yankees series at Fenway Park in late July, former Red Sox
broadcaster Ken Coleman bumped into this reporter and said he'd been
meaning to contact Belichick about coming to Foxborough to watch
the team practice. Coleman was a former Cleveland Browns broadcaster,
and his son, Casey, was the Browns' broadcaster during Belichick's
years in Cleveland. 'Bill was always very kind to my son Casey,'
Coleman said that night. 'We got to know Bill and he was a good
friend. He went through a lot in Cleveland, but he had many friends and
there's no doubt our family was among them. Bill was always very
misunderstood, but he has a heart of gold.' Coleman, 78, never made it
to Foxborough before his death late last week. Belichick altered his
schedule to attend Coleman's funeral yesterday in Plymouth."
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Admiral Offers A Sober Message
24-Aug-2003,
Providence Journal
"Two seasons ago, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick sent his team a
message of survival and unity. Last year, he educated them on the
trials of defending a championship. This year, the theme is about
sacrifice, commitment and a warrior's mentality. The man who
delivered the message to the Patriots was Rear Admiral John 'Boomer' Stufflebeem, the U.S. Navy's deputy chief of naval operations.
Stufflebeem, who helped lead the pursuit of Osama Bin Laden and
Taliban members after 9/11 and is heavily involved in the war in Iraq,
spoke to the team for 20 minutes Friday night before the team's
preseason game in Washington."
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He's Got All The Answers
14-Aug-2003,
Providence Journal
"Can't stand another story about Patrick Pass's chance of making the
Patriots roster? Or whether or not Rodney Harrison often hits people
hard? Have you hit the training camp wall? Then let's go off the board a
little bit today with the Patriots head coach. He could probably use the
break from talking two-gap with gap-toothed reporters himself. Here are
19 extremely random questions posed to Patriots head coach Bill
Belichick. And his 19 answers."
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No-Nonsense Belichick Attracts No-Nonsense Players
10-Aug-2003, New York Times
"'He told me he wanted me here,' Rodney Harrison, a former San
Diego Chargers safety, said of Belichick. 'He didn't ask me questions
about anything else. He said, 'I like the way you play, I like the way
you prepare,' and that's all I needed. He doesn't really smile, and he
doesn't really say much, but whenever a coach doesn't say much to you, I
guess you're doing all right.'"
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Advice From A Giants Legend
01-Aug-2003, Eagle-Tribune
"Bavaro
can't say enough good things about the Patriots' head coach. He got
to know Belichick well when the latter was the defensive coordinator
for the Giants, then again when Belichick was the head coach in
Cleveland and signed Bavaro after the Giants released him. 'I owe
Belichick a lot. He was my only avenue back to the NFL after the
Giants let me go,' Bavaro said. 'I would say we became very close
friends in an unspoken way.'"
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Belichick Signed On With Pats Through 2006
23-Jul-2003, ESPN.com
"Having already
addressed all their draft choice signings, the New England Patriots on
Wednesday completed another key contract, signing coach Bill Belichick
to a two-year contract extension through the 2006 season."
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Instructional Film Session With Bill Belichick
17-Jul-2003, Patriots Football Weekly
"In a unique change of
viewpoint, members of the print and electronic media that regularly
cover the Patriots got a chance to participate in a rather candid
instructional film session with Bill Belichick today at Gillette
Stadium.... Belichick, quite obviously in his most comfortable
environment, led a rather candid and entertaining two-hour, film-and
diagram-based interactive session. Starting with the premise that the
media members were all Sam, or strong side, outside linebackers, the
defensive-minded head coach showed the room full of reporters through
what players would encounter during a single meeting in training camp."
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Friends Remember Will McDonough
28-May-2003, Boston
Globe
Bill Belichick: "This is a terrible shock. Just three days ago,
Will and I talked about the playoffs and he was his typical self excited about the upcoming games, going through the matchups and, as
usual, working angles that nobody else had thought of. That was Will passionate about the game, extremely knowledgeable about the game but
always looking for something new to add to his wealth of information and
deliver it to the public a true icon. I
have many remembrances of Will, including playing golf on Nantucket, but
my most vivid memory dates back to 1995, when Will broke the news of the
Browns moving to Baltimore. That was one of the biggest stories in NFL
history, and Will was writing about it months before anyone had a clue.
I have known Will and his family for many years, working with [his sons]
Terry while in Cleveland and Sean here in New England. My most heartfelt
sympathies are with them, Denise and the entire McDonough family."
full
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Coach Is Secure With Self And Job
28-Apr-2003, Eagle-Tribune
"Belichick's
philosophy hasn't wavered an inch from his first day on the job. And his
ego has long been checked at the door. Remember the Super Bowl aftermath
a year ago? Other than a trip to Hollywood for the ESPY's, he turned
down nearly every national offer, including a seat next to David
Letterman, to cash in and sell his "brand" to America. Heck, Ravens
coach Brian Billick is still living off his Super Bowl win in 2000."
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Legendary NFL Draftnik Steeped In Mystery
20-Apr-2003, Dallas Morning News
"Unofficially, Buchsbaum was one of the best evaluators of
football talent. He called himself 'a glorified information gatherer'
because he consulted many sources to produce what NFL bigwigs say was
the definitive draft guide. He didn't have to ask teams what they were
going to do. He knew.... 'I tried to hire him as a scout with the
[Cleveland] Browns every year,' said New England Patriots coach Bill
Belichick. 'But he always said he'd rather work for all 32 teams.'"
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Patriots Combine Efforts In Indy
07-Mar-2003, Patriots Football Weekly
"From PFW's discussion with Coach Belichick on Feb. 27 ...
Question: What do you specifically get out of being at the Combine?
Belichick: ...The most important thing in Indianapolis is the medical
because you don't want a kid running around getting X-rays from 32
different teams. You get all the medical things you need at that point
and you get to see all the players in person, side-by-side, one right
after the other which you can't get flying from Tennessee to Washington.
They're all right there on the same surface on the same day. It's not
perfect but you get a view of them."
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Obsessions
19-Feb-2003, Patriots.com
"Belichick's connection to reading will also be highlighted this
coming Sunday on the 11a.m. SportsCenter on ESPN. The Patriots Head
Coach and his extensive home library will be featured in a new segment
called 'Obsessions.' [The segment was actually called "Obsessed." -LL] Belichick discusses his library with segment
host Ann Kreider."
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O.K., Champ, Now Comes the Hard Part
26-Jan-2003, New York
Times
Bill Belichick's
Op-Ed piece that ran in the Super Bowl Sunday edition of the New York Times:
"Thirty-seven thoughts for the victorious coach on today's national
holiday."
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