In the following 100 or so pages of,
War Room by Michael Holley
, the story shifts to Belichicks historic 18-0 season coaching the patriots. In seasons before, the pats had struggled and barely made it to the playoffs. Belichick took over as head coach in 2006, and the patriots changed forever. Belichick had a mentality that had not been seen on the patriots, or in football in a long time. He was a strict business, no nonsense coach who did not take no for an answer, on or off the field. In just one off season he composed an offense that could, and would, tear up any defense they played all year. On top of the talent he had on his squad, Belichick had a mindset like no other coach in the league. He would constantly demand perfection from his players and let them know if he was not satisfied,
"...Followed by a 49-28 victory in Miami. After what everyone else thought was a cruise over the dolphins, Belichick tore into his defense, and told then they were playing like the worst defense in the league. The whole team responded with a shutdown of Washington 52-7" (Holley 167).
This quote demonstrates the level of play that he required on his team. A 49-28 victory is something that every coach in America would have been satisfied, but not Belichick. He knew that 28 points was too many to let up against a team like Miami, and if they wanted to go all the way they needed an extra push.
This quote relates to my life because I love coaches like this, they push me to play my best and never be satisfied. I can also relate to how the players responded to Belichick getting on them like he did. A lot of players would get angry and fold after winning by over 20 and not being praised, but not ther patriots. They responded to that with A 40 point beat down of Washington and proved that they were the best defense in the league, no matter what had happened in the past. As a player, I would enjoy being part of a team with an attitude like this. It takes 22 guys that have a passion for what they do, and want nothing but ultimate success. I have this hunger, but I have never been on a team with that mentality, I would love too though.
I liked learning this about you, that you'd prefer the challenge of being pushed harder and having everyone around you feeling the same way. It is unique in high school sports, especially now, I'd say. Very few coaches can get away with this kind of mentality, but maybe you will be involved in some way with a team at a higher level.
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