Intro
We begin with Bill Belichick. With his win over the Eagles in the Super
Bowl, Belichick improved to 10-1 in postseason play and surpassed Vince
Lombardi as the coach with the greatest winning percentage in postseason
history.
When I was at the Super Bowl, I spent some time on Radio Row. And everyone,
on all the talk shows, was comparing Belichick to Lombardi. I knew Lombardi.
I know Belichick. In my mind, they have very little in common.
Narration
Lombardi is considered football royalty – blue-blood. Belichick is
blue-collar. And he likes it that way. Lombardi was one of the greatest
motivators in history.
[Vince Lombardi, addressing a group of players on the sideline] "You be
proud of this game. And you can do a great deal for football today."
Lombardi could walk into a room and suck all the air out of it. Belichick
could be in the room and you might not even know he's there. And he likes it
that way. Lombardi never had a losing season in the NFL. Belichick, whose
first head coaching job was in Cleveland, didn't have a winning season until
his fourth year. But the real difference between these men is not in
bloodlines or personality or motivation or numbers, it's in their approach
to building a champion.
If I
were starting a team from scratch, I'd want Belichick. If I were rebuilding a team, I'd want Lombardi. But I'd be happy to have either. Belichick is a planner, and a schemer,
and he'll rarely do what's expected.
[Game announcer] "Caught, touchdown in the end zone, it's Vrabel. Mike
Vrabel."
Instead of planning, Lombardi
emphasized execution – a
minimum number of plays performed with a maximum amount of efficiency.
[Lombardi] "My number one play is the Power Sweep."
[Game announcer] "To Jim Taylor on a Power Sweep, cutting back to the 10,
Taylor is in for the touchdown."
He
didn't really care what the opponent was going to do, and he certainly
didn't care that the opponent knew what he was going to do. "Here's our
play, it's called the Power Sweep. We'll hand the ball to Horning or Taylor.
Now you try to stop him."
[Lombardi, while working with a player during practice] "Come on, look at me,
look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me."
Lombardi's force of will could get his players to do
things they never thought possible. Belichick won't ask his players to do
the impossible, but he'll put them in positions where ordinary execution
will yield extraordinary results. In 2004 Belichick had a linebacker playing
tight end...
[Game announcer] "Touchdown, that's Mike Vrabel."
...a receiver playing defensive back...
[Game announcer] "Intercepted, Troy Brown."
...and a defensive lineman
playing receiver.
[Game announcer] "Completion to Klecko, who is a nose guard/linebacker."
He is not a by-the-book coach. But every week he reads the
whole book when it comes to preparing for an opponent, and the complex game
plans he gives his team reflect that. Lombardi read the whole book, too. He
just gave his team a Reader's Digest version of it. Lombardi was a pitcher
with one pitch – a fastball down the middle that he didn't think could be
hit.
Belichick can bring the heat as well...
[Bill Belichick, addressing a group of players on the sideline] "What
we're really looking for is penetration."
...but he likes to
throw some junk to keep the batter off balance. He finds his opponent's
strength, and takes that away by creating favorable formations or matchups.
[Game announcer] "And that's the ability to put pressure on them. These
are the things that Coach Bill Belichick can really put into a game plan."
His defense is like a kaleidoscope, and with each little twist it presents a
totally different picture to the offense. Just look how that defense
mesmerized the Colts in the playoffs the last two seasons. One of the
highest-scoring offenses ever, led by perhaps the smartest quarterback in
history, scored only two touchdowns in eight quarters. And in the 2004
playoffs, one week after manhandling Manning...
[Game announcer] "Tonight, the AFC Championship Game."
...New England scored 41 points
against the league's top-ranked defense. Belichick's Patriots are like the
electric company – they can shut you down, or light you up. Seemingly with
the flip of a switch.
Belichick sees every Sunday as a chance for his team to
be something different. Lombardi wanted this week's Packers to mirror last
week's Packers. His player's job was to master his system. Belichick cares
less about systems and more about situations.
[Belichick, to offensive coordinator Charlie Weis during practice] "All I
want to do is create different situations, keep them alert, keep them
thinking."
Lombardi told his players
exactly what he wanted them to do.
[Lombardi, addressing a group of players on the sideline] "Put your
shoulders in there out there."
Belichick asks his players if they know
what they're supposed to do.
[Belichick, addressing players during practice] "What are you guys
thinking about right here?"
Two different ways of teaching.
[Lombardi, during practice] "Come on [inaudible], you gotta [inaudible]
right there on the field."
[Belichick, addressing a player during practice] "What happens if the
offense jumps offside?
But obviously
both work.
Now, if you were going to ask me to compare Belichick to
a coaching legend, I'd pick Paul Brown, who is the father of the modern
game. He was a teacher who introduced the classroom to pro football.
Belichick has brought the corporate boardroom to football. He was an
economics major. And he knows that in today's NFL if you don't master the
salary cap you'll wear the dunce cap. And no team has managed their money
better than the Patriots. Now, Belichick isn't exactly Donald Trump, but he
has told players, "You're fired." Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, Drew Bledsoe
and Lawyer Milloy in New England. All were let go because that was what
Belichick felt was best for the team. Football is a game, but it's also a
bottom-line business. And maybe that's the one place where Belichick is most
like Vince Lombardi. For both of these coaches their bottom-line is all
about winning.
A trophy, a street, and a rest stop on the Jersey
Turnpike are all named after Lombardi. Belichick has a name that's hard to
spell, and even harder to pronounce. But like Lombardi, the name Belichick
will forever occupy a proud place in football history. |
