Wickersham’s Book

Terrific read of an interview with Wickersham about his book and excerpts from it. Even doubters will like this stuff - pro-BB, pro-TFB, pro-dynasty, pro-Pats.


You detail Belichick’s use of psychological warfare in his coaching. Which of his foes do you think was most impacted?

I have to say probably [Former Rams coach] Mike Martz because it happened on the game’s biggest stage [at Super Bowl XXXVI] and Bill, for as much as an introvert as he is, how comfortable in awkward silence he is, he is a master at understanding the psychological impulses of his opponent and figuring out ways to get them to revert to their most essential selves. He knew that going into the Super Bowl against the Patriots that Martz was going to throw the ball and would not call running plays, and he used it against him. It wasn’t the first time he had ever done it, but I think it was the most impressive time because the Patriots shouldn’t have won that game. They were playing on artificial turf against one of the fastest teams ever, an all-time great offense, and they figured out a way to win because Bill developed a gameplan that the Rams had no answer for. To change they would have had to change who they were in the middle of the game, and they didn’t figure out a way to do it until the end of the game when it was too late.

As you referenced earlier, the Brady-Belichick parting of ways was in the works for some time. The team wouldn’t commit beyond two years and Brady wasn’t given the roster input he craved. Why not give Brady some input? Didn’t he earn that?

Alex Guerrero came out and said that Bill didn’t evolve with Brady. I don’t think that’s quite fair because Belichick did evolve. Everyone knew that Tom Brady wasn’t just one of the guys. But I think there was a feeling to just how much influence Tom Brady could have across the organization. At one point, he tells Joe Montana: “They ask my input; I give it to them and they go do their own thing.”

What surprised you the most about the team or key players when writing the book?

I think one of the most interesting things that should not get overlooked is how hard that 10-year gap was when they weren’t winning Super Bowls but they were coming very close. They were so close to winning more Super Bowls but just coming up short and the fact that Brady and Belichick went back to reevaluate their belief systems and challenge these patterns that had maybe worked better than for any quarterback and coach ever but they were still looking to improve on that last 10th of 1%.

I think you see it happen later in the book in the Baltimore Ravens playoff game in 2015 where they’re down in the third quarter by two touchdowns. The Ravens aren’t scared of them. They’re looking like this is another wasted year where they were going home early, but Belichick had prepared for this moment and knew they might need something unpredictable. And he unveiled those two funky formations – the ‘Baltimore’ formation and the ‘Ravens’ one and in a matter of minutes got them back in the game, I think it was those decisions that went a long way toward reigniting the dynasty.

When this dynasty is reflected on in say, 50 years, what’s the lead narrative aside from the mountain of Super Bowls?

The longevity. I don’t write around the Super Bowls. The Super Bowls are an offshoot of two incredibly driven people and two extremists in this spectacularly unhealthy world of professional football. The fact is these guys could have exited at any time with their health and their wealth and their legacy intact and yet they ignored all those off-ramps and they keep going. Even to this day they keep going and every time they give you an indication of when they might walk away, they move the goalposts.
 
Terrific read of an interview with Wickersham about his book and excerpts from it. Even doubters will like this stuff - pro-BB, pro-TFB, pro-dynasty, pro-Pats.


You detail Belichick’s use of psychological warfare in his coaching. Which of his foes do you think was most impacted?

I have to say probably [Former Rams coach] Mike Martz because it happened on the game’s biggest stage [at Super Bowl XXXVI] and Bill, for as much as an introvert as he is, how comfortable in awkward silence he is, he is a master at understanding the psychological impulses of his opponent and figuring out ways to get them to revert to their most essential selves. He knew that going into the Super Bowl against the Patriots that Martz was going to throw the ball and would not call running plays, and he used it against him. It wasn’t the first time he had ever done it, but I think it was the most impressive time because the Patriots shouldn’t have won that game. They were playing on artificial turf against one of the fastest teams ever, an all-time great offense, and they figured out a way to win because Bill developed a gameplan that the Rams had no answer for. To change they would have had to change who they were in the middle of the game, and they didn’t figure out a way to do it until the end of the game when it was too late.

As you referenced earlier, the Brady-Belichick parting of ways was in the works for some time. The team wouldn’t commit beyond two years and Brady wasn’t given the roster input he craved. Why not give Brady some input? Didn’t he earn that?

Alex Guerrero came out and said that Bill didn’t evolve with Brady. I don’t think that’s quite fair because Belichick did evolve. Everyone knew that Tom Brady wasn’t just one of the guys. But I think there was a feeling to just how much influence Tom Brady could have across the organization. At one point, he tells Joe Montana: “They ask my input; I give it to them and they go do their own thing.”

What surprised you the most about the team or key players when writing the book?

I think one of the most interesting things that should not get overlooked is how hard that 10-year gap was when they weren’t winning Super Bowls but they were coming very close. They were so close to winning more Super Bowls but just coming up short and the fact that Brady and Belichick went back to reevaluate their belief systems and challenge these patterns that had maybe worked better than for any quarterback and coach ever but they were still looking to improve on that last 10th of 1%.

I think you see it happen later in the book in the Baltimore Ravens playoff game in 2015 where they’re down in the third quarter by two touchdowns. The Ravens aren’t scared of them. They’re looking like this is another wasted year where they were going home early, but Belichick had prepared for this moment and knew they might need something unpredictable. And he unveiled those two funky formations – the ‘Baltimore’ formation and the ‘Ravens’ one and in a matter of minutes got them back in the game, I think it was those decisions that went a long way toward reigniting the dynasty.

When this dynasty is reflected on in say, 50 years, what’s the lead narrative aside from the mountain of Super Bowls?

The longevity. I don’t write around the Super Bowls. The Super Bowls are an offshoot of two incredibly driven people and two extremists in this spectacularly unhealthy world of professional football. The fact is these guys could have exited at any time with their health and their wealth and their legacy intact and yet they ignored all those off-ramps and they keep going. Even to this day they keep going and every time they give you an indication of when they might walk away, they move the goalposts.
This refutes virtually every false point Toni Mazz peddled here 2 weeks ago when she excoriated Belichick and lied about how BB was portrayed in this book. And now, she "likes" this post. Literally impossible to shame her.
 
Terrific read of an interview with Wickersham about his book and excerpts from it. Even doubters will like this stuff - pro-BB, pro-TFB, pro-dynasty, pro-Pats.


You detail Belichick’s use of psychological warfare in his coaching. Which of his foes do you think was most impacted?

I have to say probably [Former Rams coach] Mike Martz because it happened on the game’s biggest stage [at Super Bowl XXXVI] and Bill, for as much as an introvert as he is, how comfortable in awkward silence he is, he is a master at understanding the psychological impulses of his opponent and figuring out ways to get them to revert to their most essential selves. He knew that going into the Super Bowl against the Patriots that Martz was going to throw the ball and would not call running plays, and he used it against him. It wasn’t the first time he had ever done it, but I think it was the most impressive time because the Patriots shouldn’t have won that game. They were playing on artificial turf against one of the fastest teams ever, an all-time great offense, and they figured out a way to win because Bill developed a gameplan that the Rams had no answer for. To change they would have had to change who they were in the middle of the game, and they didn’t figure out a way to do it until the end of the game when it was too late.

As you referenced earlier, the Brady-Belichick parting of ways was in the works for some time. The team wouldn’t commit beyond two years and Brady wasn’t given the roster input he craved. Why not give Brady some input? Didn’t he earn that?

Alex Guerrero came out and said that Bill didn’t evolve with Brady. I don’t think that’s quite fair because Belichick did evolve. Everyone knew that Tom Brady wasn’t just one of the guys. But I think there was a feeling to just how much influence Tom Brady could have across the organization. At one point, he tells Joe Montana: “They ask my input; I give it to them and they go do their own thing.”

What surprised you the most about the team or key players when writing the book?

I think one of the most interesting things that should not get overlooked is how hard that 10-year gap was when they weren’t winning Super Bowls but they were coming very close. They were so close to winning more Super Bowls but just coming up short and the fact that Brady and Belichick went back to reevaluate their belief systems and challenge these patterns that had maybe worked better than for any quarterback and coach ever but they were still looking to improve on that last 10th of 1%.

I think you see it happen later in the book in the Baltimore Ravens playoff game in 2015 where they’re down in the third quarter by two touchdowns. The Ravens aren’t scared of them. They’re looking like this is another wasted year where they were going home early, but Belichick had prepared for this moment and knew they might need something unpredictable. And he unveiled those two funky formations – the ‘Baltimore’ formation and the ‘Ravens’ one and in a matter of minutes got them back in the game, I think it was those decisions that went a long way toward reigniting the dynasty.

When this dynasty is reflected on in say, 50 years, what’s the lead narrative aside from the mountain of Super Bowls?

The longevity. I don’t write around the Super Bowls. The Super Bowls are an offshoot of two incredibly driven people and two extremists in this spectacularly unhealthy world of professional football. The fact is these guys could have exited at any time with their health and their wealth and their legacy intact and yet they ignored all those off-ramps and they keep going. Even to this day they keep going and every time they give you an indication of when they might walk away, they move the goalposts.
Nice!
 
Absolutely, and Madden or whatever video games.
I do neither.
Exactly. A whole generation (Gen Y and I guess now Z) don’t even know the sport well because of those 2 things. Not all, but a lot of em show all time how little they know, or just don’t pay attention, scanning box scores for fantasy football.

And, it’s worse with our team because BB sets these teams up unlike any other team in the league.

One week a guy can look like a dynamo, the next, he could disappear due to scheme/gameplan.

Fans whine, don’t get it, rinse and repeat.
 
This refutes virtually every false point Toni Mazz peddled here 2 weeks ago when she excoriated Belichick and lied about how BB was portrayed in this book. And now, she "likes" this post. Literally impossible to shame her.
It’s trolling 101.
 
This is a really solid post/take. You have always been balanced in your view of Bill over the years, calling him out on his poor drafts and other team building moves while also pointing out some of his more savvy moves that can get lost in the fray of "what did he just do?"

To be clear, my issues with Bill go back to 2015/2016 timeframe. I would rate him as one of the best GMs in football from 2000-2015. Our team has literally fallen apart the last several years due to the poor drafting and Bill's inability to replace key players like Edelman, Gronk, AH, Jones, Flowers, etc. I truly believe his philosophy of building a team comprised of mid-tier players is antiquated and not one that will work in today's NFL. And to be clear, this was happening when Brady was still here.

Bill is still drafting big RBs (Stevenson) and big LBs (Bentley) while the rest of the league is going athletic and faster. If you watch that Tampa game it was right there to see. Brady was not pressured all night. He was sacked once and rarely knocked off his spot. On the scramble play for the first down which was a key play in the game, it was Van Noy lumbering over to tackle him and whiffing knocking our other player out of the way from tackling Brady short. Fournette ran all over our team because our Dline gets pushed around and our LBs are old and slow. I am not sure if I have seen a Pats team this slow in the front 7. It's not like Fournette is a speed back yet he made it to the second and third levels of our D most of the night.

Now contrast that with Tampa. As beat up as their secondary was, we never really took advantage because their speed up front was too much for most of the game. Tyron, their first round pick may have taken JPPs job from him, was flying around disrupting the entire flow of the Oline along with Vita Vea who is just a freak in the middle. Then they have White and David who are probably the two best LBs on the field flying around too. A big reason why Tampa is 3-1 is not just the play of Brady as great as he has been to start the season, but the play of their front 7 to cover for their hobbled secondary. We had 6 rush attempts for -1 yards. That's dominant.

That is how our defense used to be. What I hope Bill does this offseason is ships off Hightower, Van Noy, McCourty, and Slater. We need to get younger and faster at those spots. He also needs to close the book on Trent Brown and probably Wynn too who looks terrible. It is time for a true rebuild. Sell off the vets and infuse the team with young talent.
You have got to be one of the most obvious trolls I have ever seen on any board.

Some literally told you the defensive gameplan right on this board before the game, including me. Everyone knew Brady’s ego would be raging, so BB induced the run. It’s a tactic he’s used nunerous times in the past. It was a masterpiece and you are here slinging crap against the wall telling us 20 carries for 90 yards is offensive, when it so clearly isn’t.

I haven’t seen Brady with the deer in the headlights look for a while, maybe last year vs Chicago.

NE totally outplayed them and Jones outplayed Brady in his 4th career game. You lying about it won’t change that.

What was your opinion of BB’s gameplan in SB 25 that hangs in Canton when Thurman Thomas ran for 125?

This is why people think you are a troll. Or, you are a very new fan, or so young you don’t know much about the sport.
All you do is bring anti-BB media rhetoric in here to troll.

Myself and others literally told you that gameplan. Heck, Mike Florio on pft.com suggested it!

It was a masterpiece. Period.
 
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Can you imagine what other fan bases would give to get Bill Belichick to be their HC/GM?

I mean, how many YEARS of first round drafts picks?

I bet the Lions would give 6 years or more if they could dragBB away from the Pats.

And we have Mazz, Riv, Midgar8784 and some Michigan fan dude in Indiana...
I live out of market and people cannot fathom these trollish “fans” of ours who want to get rid of BB and have for years.

It’s easily the creepiest thing I’ve seen in Boston sports history.

The entitlement is also off putting. BB finished building a second dynasty 3 years ago, we have a rebuild and a pandemic, and they act like none of it happened.

So creepy.
 
I live out of market and people cannot fathom these trollish “fans” of ours who want to get rid of BB and have for years.

It’s easily the creepiest thing I’ve seen in Boston sports history.

The entitlement is also off putting. BB finished building a second dynasty 3 years ago, we have a rebuild and a pandemic, and they act like none of it happened.

So creepy.

It is weird. Lions fans here are die hard fans. They have had almost nothing but losses for decades. When they have fielded a decent team the officials have screwed them. I am thinking about that playoff game against Dallas years ago. I wonder if our new friend @LeStranger remembers what I am referring to?

One deep playoff run would last Detroit for years and years yet they get nothing.

Meanwhile in Boston the talking heads bitch and moan constantly.
 
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