What separates Bill Bellichick from other "great" coaches?

[purpleneer]

I ask this here because of where i want to go with the discussion. I also think a lot of people gloss over the relevant reasons and act like other "great" coaches just can't match his genius (or something like that).

In my eyes, there have been at least a few who could match his intellect and understanding of the game, which are undoubtedly major separation points for most, but the one thing that really puts him above the rest gets missed. Namely, he cares far less than the other guys smart enough to push him about how he wins and is willing to change his plan and buck conventional "wisdom" more.

 

[RussB]

I just think he knows the game in and out and makes smart decisions alot of the time on the feild. Hes just very experienced and knows what hes doing. Another thing is the team is also disciplined and if a player acts up they will be cut, look at what he did to jamie collins. Hes not afraid to let good players go for the greater good and always has a balanced and complete team because they dont overpay on any side of the football.

 

[mrblitz]

belichik customizes his playbook on a week-by-week basis. you just don't see much of that with carroll.

 

[NINEster]

belichik customizes his playbook on a week-by-week basis. you just don't see much of that with carroll.

They broke down percentages of 3-4, 3-3-5, 4-3, 4-2-5 for Patriots and it was roughly about 25% each give or take a bit.

Vikings and Seahawks were 4-3/4-2-5 and nothing else.

Belichick is the only guy I know who will switch between 3 down linemen and 4. He did this as far back as his DC days with the Giants.

 

[Seahawkfan80]

He, like Carroll, has coaches that believe in their system. If the system does not work in the first series, change it up to a different system. They have the knowledge and experience in their players that have been around thru their system for the season or on other teams for base information. Then use the best of their attributes to make the team effort great. Remember he does choose those players thru draft and free agency that fit his mould just as PC.

 

[VivaEfrenHerrera]

Lack of scruples is an important factor.

 

[Threedee]

I think that Belichick began to benefit from his success down the road, to the extent that most coaches lose their discipline when facing him. I think Tom Coughlin is one of the only coaches not to fall into this trap, and it netted him two championships.

 

[sdog1981]

He is ruthless. This is salary cap pro football and you have to have the right mix of high priced players are the right positions. That means you have to cut or trade fan favorites so your team can be competitive.

Win three Superbowls and Ty Law wants more money? CUT HIM. The Same year lost in AFC Divisional round on the road.

Team captain Lawyer Milloy will not lower his cap number? CUT HIM. go 34-4 over the next two seasons win two Superbowls.

Richard Seymore first round draft pick and 3 time Superbowl winner? Traded in the final year of his contract.

Have a system that no other team is running so you can always get free agents on the cheap because they will only work in your system.

Wes Welker
Julian Edelman
Chris Hogan
Deion Branch
David Patten
Rob Ninkovich
Akeem Ayers
Bobby Hamilton

I don't know what his secret is with getting teams to trade with him but he will get teams to do dumb one-sided trades all the time. Pro Tip to all GM's NEVER TRADE WITH THE PATRIOTS THEY ARE RIPPING YOU OFF!!

 

[Sports Hernia]

Lack of scruples is an important factor.

True, he's a cheater, but as much as I hate to admit it he is the grand master of "in game" on field adjustments and does it on the fly.

 

[chris98251]

He adjusts till something works, no one stop shopping at RB, throw them out there doing their thing till they find something that works and dare you to stop it afterwards, same with WR's keeps throwing at guys till they find the guy that beats the defender regularly and go to him over and over. On defense adjusts and then makes you beat them while taking away your primary weapons.

There is one guy he goes with over and over and that's Brady, but we seen the back ups over the years have success also, Bill has no lines he won't cross as well, be it contracts, players popularity, the league and the rules, push and bend and break at times.

He also is a sponge for studying opposition and tendencies and situational play calls. One has to wonder if he has a photographic memory or something.

He has that knack of nullifying or countering situational play calls that's uncanny.

 

[hawkfan68]

Adaptability. That's what separates BB from the rest, IMO. He is uncanny in getting his teams to adapt to whichever environment and still remain at the top. Many have mentioned this previously in this thread already.
The Pats have been in the AFCCG game since 2011. They have won 12+ games since 2010 season.

 

[West TX Hawk]

Belichick:

1) Master tactician
2) Master of in-game adjustments and week to week adjustments
3) Knows the rulebook better than anyone
4) No-nonsense approach-will cut anyone not fully committed to their program
5) Master of the salary cap
6) Always plays the right odds-never see any befuddling playcalls or personnel usage, offense or defense in his schemes
7) Master cheater-see the SB against the Rams and much more
8 Gets rid of many veterans right before their slide-never hangs on to underperforming vets with huge contracts
9) Master at observing tendencies-anticipates what opposing coaches will do better than anyone
10) Simply a football genius

And I still can't stand the bastard.

 

[el capitan]

He is ruthless. This is salary cap pro football and you have to have the right mix of high priced players are the right positions. That means you have to cut or trade fan favorites so your team can be competitive.

Win three Superbowls and Ty Law wants more money? CUT HIM. The Same year lost in AFC Divisional round on the road.

Team captain Lawyer Milloy will not lower his cap number? CUT HIM. go 34-4 over the next two seasons win two Superbowls.

Richard Seymore first round draft pick and 3 time Superbowl winner? Traded in the final year of his contract.

Have a system that no other team is running so you can always get free agents on the cheap because they will only work in your system.

Wes Welker
Julian Edelman
Chris Hogan
Deion Branch
David Patten
Rob Ninkovich
Akeem Ayers
Bobby Hamilton

I don't know what his secret is with getting teams to trade with him but he will get teams to do dumb one-sided trades all the time. Pro Tip to all GM's NEVER TRADE WITH THE PATRIOTS THEY ARE RIPPING YOU OFF!!

This, plus his teams are always incredibly well coached. If they lose someone, whether through injury or trade, the next guy steps up and they don't seem to miss a beat. Hell, in 2008 they lost Tom Brady for the season and still won 11 games with Matt Cassell at QB.

 

[IndyHawk]

He has the best QB in the game getting paid like some middle of the pack vet

 

[knownone]

Tom Brady... He has a QB who can make average talent great. This means New England is never out of a game and they never have to overpay on offense or defense to stay competitive. If you look at New Englands best teams over the years they always have one truly gifted athlete on offense (Randy Moss, Cory Dillion, Gronk, etc.) Then they surround those players with bargain guys who possess unique attributes (quickness, burst, spatial awareness, football IQ) they can build around and turn into stars (Edelman, Blount, Welker, Troy Brown, Kevin Faulk, Ect.) guys who in free agency / draft aren't going to wow you, but in the right role with a QB who can execute at the highest level will flourish.

On top of that, he's one of the best D coordinators and teachers in NFL history. When you add that with a QB who doesn't turn the ball over and consistently averages 28PPG you have a cushion that allows Belichick to experiment on personnel (cutting established players) and other things like scheme and playcalling. Think about it like this, if you know you're gonna average 28ppg, is it that big of a risk to trade a guy on defense who at his most dominant may take your defense from 18PPG to 16 PPG? It really doesn't, and if you can turn that player into a first round pick you have a very real opportunity to replace that production with new difference maker anyway.

That is what separates Belichick. In 2006 he committed to building his team around his most consistent, most valuable asset, Tom Brady. Then leveraged the teams future on his greatest attribute, his ability to identify undervalued talent and coach that talent up on defense.

 

[sdog1981]

This, plus his teams are always incredibly well coached. If they lose someone, whether through injury or trade, the next guy steps up and they don't seem to miss a beat. Hell, in 2008 they lost Tom Brady for the season and still won 11 games with Matt Cassell at QB.

They still had Randy Moss and Wes Welker so that will help any QB out.

 

[purpleneer]

I love that we generally understand that adaptability is really the main factor, but it concerns me that more folks don't take that into consideration for their own teams. It seems to be the norm to return to plan A, the original model with only minor tweaks, while we continue to watch BB succeed repeatedly by regularly making drastic changes and building his roster with flexibility to do it from week to week based on matchups. His ego isn't so tied to the success of his primary system, understanding that the game doesn't really allow for any one system to be the best for every opponent or for every season.
I smacked my forehead when I saw somebody say that LI was proof that a team needs a power running game to finish a game. Really? Is that how the Pats won it all twice in 3 years? The Broncos? Was it that tough to see the other eff ups the Falcons had? That offense was built on the ability to attack any defensive weakness and not allow a defense to focus their efforts. The truth is no power running game is going to consistently be good enough anymore without the ability and willingness to use other tools. The playoffs will always have defenses who can stop a stubborn, basic power run game.

 

[BostonBlackie]

I love that we generally understand that adaptability is really the main factor, but it concerns me that more folks don't take that into consideration for their own teams. It seems to be the norm to return to plan A, the original model with only minor tweaks, while we continue to watch BB succeed repeatedly by regularly making drastic changes and building his roster with flexibility to do it from week to week based on matchups.

The Steelers came in here in the playoffs and played us with the exact same defense that Belichick and Brady have stomped on year after year. It boggles the mind, what were they thinking?

 

[Largent80]

He gives good head?

 

[mrblitz]

steelers looked lost in that playoff game. more than once, there were 3 or 4 steelers defenders in a cluster, and a wide open patriot outside the cluster. it made me wonder what belichik were doing to create that.