Patriot Reign : Bill Belichick, the Coaches, and the Players Who Built a Champion

Rating:
Summary: Good... but could have been great
Review: Holley's book is better, for my money, than the typical "In Week 5, this happened, and then in Week 6 that happened" blow-by-tedious-blow chronology. I enjoyed "Patriot Reign" and learned a few new insiders-only facts about my favorite team. The Patriots granted Holley special behind-the-scenes access, and he reveals some previously private details of the Patriots operation, so I definitely give his book a "thumbs up" for Patriots fans. However, I do have some criticisms of this book:

First, I was bothered by the constant swearing. Of course NFL coaches swear a lot. We all know that. So that point could have been made more subtly. Instead, it seemed that every third quotation had a swear word in it. I appreciate and enjoy verbatim quotations, but why not use "[darn]" or something that makes clear that a swear word was used?

Second, and far more serious than the swearing, is Holley's verbatim repeating of coaches' unvarnished analyses of particular Patriots players and his naming of those players. Again, we know that the Patriots coaching staff forces itself to evaluate each player objectively. Holley quotes Larry Cook saying "You've got to be cruel at times." That's great. We get the point. Sentimentality plays no role in player evaluations. Patriots coaches are brutally honest. But Holley didn't stop there. He gave details embarrassing to particular players and named those players. Holley repeats, word-for-word, some brutal statements on p. 142 about a particular player whom I won't name here. I was astounded after Holley's book's publication that that player said all the right things to the media. Holley's revelations might have torn a weaker organization apart. To the Patriots, however, this book's bombshells proved just another opportunity to display their astounding ability to overcome adversity. Nevertheless, Holley probably should not have printed the entire swear word when a coach said, "I can't stand the mother----." And naming that player was cruel. Why not simply call him "Player X"?

Third, there's no index. It's possible that later editions have one, but my "first edition" does not.

Fourth, Bill Belichick's Patriots are such a tremendous organization that I believe this book regrettably undershot its potential for extracting lessons of widespread relevance and applicability in businesses and organizations everywhere. This book's subject is so compelling and interesting that it could have been a truly "great" book, rather than the "good" to "very good" book I believe it is. (I am obviously biased, but I believe my book, "Management Secrets of the New England Patriots," achieves what Holley's book might have.)

I generally agree with Holley's analysis and enjoy his insider insights. But I am disturbed by his failure to exercise journalistic discretion. He could have filtered his raw information to make his points without needlessly embarrassing particular individuals. Nevertheless, "Patriot Reign" is a very good book for Patriots fans.

Rating:
Summary: Simple, yet in some ways, a psychotic genius
Review: I am a very, very slow reader, and this was one of the easiest, quickest reads I've ever had. That being said, the material is outstanding.

In the book, Belichick says he doesn't like the label "genius" that often follows him. In fairness to him and everyone else, he is correct. In comparison to some of the great literary and mathematical minds in the world, he is just a hard worker. However, because of his intense (and I mean really intense) organizational demands, he is able to simply focus on football. All of his schemes and game plans do not sound as though a genius came up with them. But his strong attention to detail make people think he's a genius, when in fact he's just doing what he thinks he should be doing...as a coach, as the one who oversees everything in a professional football organization.

His communication skills with his coaches and players are unbelievable. If you want to call him a genius for anything, this should be the department. In the book there is a focus on the game plan for Super Bowl 36 against St. Louis. At one point Belichick acknowledges that he and Romeo Crennel understand what the Rams would try and do. But since there was so much material, they needed to find a way to translate their knowledge to the players in order to execute the game plan. It did not sound like an easy task.

If anyone out there is a Pats fan like I am, and is looking for some motivation to better their lives, you should read this book. It really makes you step back for a moment and think like the management, coaching staff, and players do. Is there something else I could be doing to make the situation better? If something goes wrong, do I point the finger, or accept the blame myself? An excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific book
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. Holley has a smooth easy writing style and doesn't get bogged down in retelling every detail. After reading this book I have a much better sense of why the Patriots are so successful. I loved the antidote about Belichick and Tom Jackson. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Awsome behind the scenes book
Review: I thought Michael Holley's description of a team that had so many losing and dysfuncitonal seasons, to becoming the model NFL franchise, was truly terrific. It is a great easy to read book for those who don't read much and it provides a lot of behind the scenes stuff that you wouldn't find in any other analysis of how the team functions.

It shows how everything in a franchise needs to be in order to have sucess; from a smart owner who knows that the key to success is communication with the coach, to the genius coach and his assistants who come up with mastermind schemes and motivational techniques, to the exceptionally intelligent players who may not be superstars but are supremely good 'football players', even down to the scouts and the combnines.

This is a must read for any Patriots fan and any football fan for that matter. Awesome book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Inside Look at the Champs
Review: Michael Holly, a former sports writer for the Boston Herald, followed the New England Patriots through the 2002-2003 National Football League seasons. He describes himself as a "fly on the wall" in team meetings, coaches meetings, and seems to have been literally everywhere with the Patriots for those two years. The result is a well done, inside look at the inner workings of what is now considered one of the preeminent sports organizations and teams.

New England Patriots fans have suffered a lot of losing seasons over the years. Painful losing seasons. The organization, the players, and coaches were just atrocious and there was no hope in sight during stretches of the 1980's and early 1990's. That is why the 2001 Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams was so gratifying to Patriots fans. The team's failure to reach the playoffs in 2002 was a big disappointment because it appeared maybe the Patriots where just a lucky underdog with a good run. Michael Holly actually started following the team at the start of the 2002 season and decided to continue on in 2003. He was rewarded with another Super Bowl run that not only legitimized the Patriots as an elite team in the NFL but legitimized the 2001 championship season as well.

So how did the Patriots do it? Holley tells us. It's through a very well organized sports team from the top down. And it all centers around coach Bill Belichick, who sets the goals and responsibilities of all parts of the organization and then, as a team, working toward that goal, which is of course winning championships. It relies on team work from the owner, the scouts, the trainers, the coaches, the administrative staff, and of course, the players. And it's important to note the importance of owner Robert Kraft. He has given Belichick the authority to run the football operation as he sees fit and Belichick responds by keeping Kraft fully in the loop and the communication channels open with the owner - something Bill Parcels refused to do.

Probably the two most important functions that are necessary to win championships is finding players in the draft and free agency that fit the system and managing the salary cap. Belichick and the Scott Pioli, Vice President of Player Personnel, and of course the coaches and scouts, have had outstanding drafts and free agent acquisitions since Belichick's reign. And Belichick and Pioli have done a fabulous job managing the salary cap - a task that led to the release of fan favorite Strong Safety Lawyer Milloy prior to the 2003 season. Belichick and his staff have found players with the character to fulfill their roles on the team with a winning attitude and play team ball. Being introduced as a team instead of individually prior to Super Bowl XXXVI was not a gimmick - they really do play that way.

Holley's book also includes a lot biographical information about Belichick and how grew up in a football family, his father being an assistance coach for Navy, and his intense study of the game and what it takes to win. He explores Belichick's decision to leave the New York Jets after being hired as head coach to get out of the shadow of Bill Parcels and run his own show. And we discover that the team won, despite the drama and negative feelings surrounding the trade of Drew Bledsoe to the Buffalo Bills and the release of Lawyer Milloy.

While most of the book focuses on the coach and the organization, Holley does provide the players' perspective. While Belichick is a bit aloof with his players, the players themselves understand that the system works and winning (and losing) as a team is what they are all about. Of course it's easy to buy into the system with two Super Bowl rings on their fingers.

This is a very short book and a quick read but is full of insight into the Patriots organization. This is a must read for Patriots fans. Avid football fans probably would also enjoy the book to see how a winning team operates.


Rating:
Summary: IF YOU ARE A NFL FAN - GET IT
Review: My only complaint is that Holley didn't continue his special relationship with the Patriots. Therefore, no Patriot Reign II. When I was done with the book, I only wanted to learn more, especially since the Patriots appear to be continuing their success.

If you are not a Patriots' fan, this book is still great. It is an inside peek into a successful coaching model. If I were cheering for a different NFL team, I'd want the Coach to read this book!!!



Rating:
Summary: Worst book I can recall reading.
Review: This book is really a sad waste of paper. (Isn't it possible to give this book no stars?) I have never reviewed a book on Amazon, but this was so bad, I felt compelled to write.

The author took a year or two off from his regular duties and this is all he could come up with? This is nothing more than another fan parading as a "journalist" who simply fawns over his subjects, providing no interesting insights, unless you consider the lightning bolt about Belichick ordering a shrimp cocktail and eating the whole thing interesting.

In fact, it's written so simplistically that you would think it was written for kids if not for the constant direct quote of profanities which really serves no purpose at all.

I'm sure the author scored a lot of points with Belichick but sure didn't deliver much for the reader.

Rating:
Summary: Lacked Cohesion and Direction, but still fun for Pats fans
Review: This book is such a quick read and contains so little depth of material, it makes it hard to understand what the author was doing during the 1-year sabbatical he took to write the book. I did not find it to be well structured. Many places seemed to be just rambling story-telling, versus trying to explore a topic in depth. It also does not give a sense of what differentiates Belichick from all the other coaches in the league. It paints a pretty good portriat of who Belichick is, but talking about how a good work ethic (among other things) leads to success does not explain why what he does works better than the rest of the league (who are likely trying to do the same things).

If you are a Patriots fan, it does contain some interesting behind the scenes stuff, including dealing with the departures of Bledsoe, Milloy, and the Tuna. The books assumes a lot of knowledge on behalf of the reader, so if you don't follow the NFL at all, don't bother. It is a quick read and it doesn't require a big investment in time, so if you are a Pats fan forgive the flaws and enjoy the content.

Rating:
Summary: Great Perspective
Review: This was a fun book to read if you are intrigued with the inner workings of professional football. It was gratifying to see how everyone from ownership to coaches and players learned and corrected past mistakes. This book also brought to light some common misassumptions the average fan has for pro football. For example, it was funny to read Belichick's perspective of half time adjustments and how the organization looks at the combine and prepares for the draft. If you really like pro football, you'll really like this book.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not objective
Review: Two Super Bowl victories in three years are enough to make people consider you great. However, in the fickle world of professional sports, that title could pass away very quickly. Words like dynasty are uttered with wild abandon in sports, and remember that in the middle year of the two Super Bowl victories, the Patriots never even made the playoffs. Many other coaches, such as Lombardi, Noll, Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Shula, Madden and Walsh have a record over time much better than that of Bill Belichick. Therefore, while I enjoyed reading this history of the life of Belichick and the New England Patriots since he took the helm, I feel that some of the praise is overdone. On the front inside of the dust jacket, there is the phrase, "some would say a genius." I went to the ESPN web site and read some interesting statistics about other NFL coaches. The worst record the Raiders had in the ten years Madden coached them was 9-7 and his winning percentage was an incredible .731, second only to Vince Lombardi. Now that is coaching genius.
There is no question that Belichick is a good coach and works hard. However, being a workaholic should be listed as part of the job description of a NFL coach. The descriptions of how he feels everything should be dedicated to football reminded me of some of the stories about Vince Lombardi. That demand for mindless dedication led to what I considered a disturbing aspect of the book. When the Patriots leadership were evaluating college players, they were ranking players lower who took their studies seriously. In their eyes, a player who didn't spend all their time on football in preparation for the NFL was not someone they were interested in. After all, if you were interested in college, "There's summer courses to pick up grades; there's the spring semester" and when your NFL career was over, you could go back to school. I am a college instructor, so in some ways I found this attitude offensive. Athletes should be commended for staying in school, studying hard and getting their degrees, not given demerits for it.
There is no question that at this time the Patriots are the best team in the National Football League. Shortly before this review was written, they set the all-time record for consecutive wins, a streak that spans two seasons. However, the difference between victory and defeat in the NFL is a very thin margin, and the current peak could quickly be replaced by a valley. The author refers to the Patriots organization as the gold standard, I would call it the current gold standard. I have followed the NFL for over thirty years, and have heard many of the same things said about many other coaches. Some of them were considered chumps shortly after they were so highly praised. While Holley is accurate in his praise for Belichick, the only comparisons made to other coaches are to Bill Parcells, Belichick's former boss and now a rival. This is unfortunate, as I would have been interested in learning how he compares to other very successful NFL coaches.
Holley was granted extraordinary access to the Patriot organization, allowed to sit in on strategy sessions, draft evaluation meetings and just plain old breeze shooting get-togethers. He learned a great deal about how they do things, and he explains it well. However, there does seem to be a lack of objectivity in the book, as Holley very rarely (if at all) criticizes anyone in the Patriots organization. Some admission of errors by the Patriot coaching staff would have made the book appear more genuine.