11/19 quote

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.

11/16 vocab

This past week I have read from pages 90-180 in War Room, by Michael Holley.

Recite (100):to repeat the words of, as from memory, especially in a formal manner

Tinkering (101): A person skilled in various minor kinds of mechanical work; jack-of-all-trades
Metropolitan(104):Relating to large city, its surrounding suburbs, and other neighboring 
communities

Risque (108): Daringly close to indelicacy or impropriety; off-color

Hubris (111): Excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance

Baleful (111): Full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious

Resonated (117): To resound

Earniest (133): Ethereal; aerial

Naivete (140): The quality or state of being naive; natural or artless simplicity

Slovenliness (150): Untidy or unclean in appearance or habits

11/15 Analytical

In the first 150 pages of, War Room, by Michael Holley, it is evident that a coach of a professional team, even people less involved than a coach, are always away from home. It takes someone that is not hugely tied to their home or family to work for a professional team, and this concerns me. There were multiple interviews in the book with family members of Belichick and other personal working for the patriots and they all said the same thing, that they are never home. Bill's wife said that a job like this takes 100% attention and dedication, almost like a cult. She further explained that this job was not for the weak. It takes a strong minded and confident individual that can give the game everything they got, and want nothing less than success. Because Bill got his sons involved in the Patriots organization, his wife claims it feels like she's living alone. One person in particular that stood out to me in terms of dedication was scout Thomas Pioli. Even though he did not hold a high position in the patriots organization, he still spent countless hours at the facility, at one point saying he felt like it was his home, and his home was his work. His job, in a nutshell, was too find good college players that were ready to play in the NFL, and would fit into the team the Patriots were trying to create, but he took scouting to another level. Pioli would spend hours upon hours studying film and contacting college coaches trying to find out what the players were like on and off the field. He was always on the road visiting colleges and talking to players when permitted. All this time away from home took a toll on him and his family, and drove them apart. Reading about this story and realizing how much time away from home this job requires makes me less inclined to try and pursue a career like this. I want to get older, find a good job that can support me, and settle down with a family. Being a coach and always submersed in my work will impede this greatly, and I would have to think a lot about pursuing this field.

11/14 Quickburst

This is a video of Bill Belichick talking to the NFL media reporters. It is a common theme throughout that he is rude and blunt to the reporters, which shows hoe disconnected to the media he is. Bill believes the media and the influence they have are a huge distraction to the team and he tries to dismiss them.

11/13 quote

In the book, War Room, by Michael Holley, is about Bill Belichick and his successful career as an NFL head coach. I am learning what it takes to be an NFL head coach, and the different strategies coaches take to coach their team well. One quote that stood out to me was,

"Bill had dramatically reduced the media's access , so in turn he wasn't going to get any slack from the press" (Holley 9).



I liked this quote because it gave the reader a look into Belichicks mind, and how he went about coaching. He is a no slack kind of guy, and he doesn't tolerate distractions off the field. He is always 100% focused on the task at hand, and he attacks everything the same way, whether it is a preseason game or the Superbowl. One of his main goals as a coach is to make his team as focused as he is. He doesn't want them thinking about anything other than the task at hand that week, and the media is a perfect example. Players all across the league make bold statements in interviews and such to get a rise out of other players, and this takes away from their focus on the game. Cutting off all their media access is a way he did this, and it helped the players to keep their minds at the task at hand, and not be distracted by what other players or the media was saying about them.

This quote connects to me because I am a die hard Patriots fan, and Belichick is the head coach. Being a fan my whole life, I have seen Belichicks antics in play multiple times, from being rude at interviews to not cracking a smile until the tea won the super bowl. Week after week I see the patriots not participate in any media interactions except the mandatory post game interviews. From the start of his career to the end, he has stood by this rule of not entertaining the media. It is a distraction and he does not tolerate any of it. He is only focused on one thing all the time, and that is winning. This is just one aspect that makes him one of the greatest coaches of all time.

11/9 vocab

This week I have read the first 90 pages of the book War Room by Michael Holley. 

Terse (1): Neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language.

Influx (3): Act of flowing in.

Grunt (5): To utter the deep, guttural sound characteristic of a hog.

Smitten (11): Grievously or disastrously stricken or afflicted.

Manic (13): Pertaining to or affected by mania.

Prophetic (17): Of the nature of or containing prophecy:

Nuance (17): A subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response.

Unsolicited (19): Given or supplied without being requested or asked for.

Renal-cell carcinoma (20): A type of kidney cancer that starts in the lining of small tubes in the kidney.

Indispensable (34): Incapable of being disregarded or neglected.

Savant (43): A person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar.