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Bill Belichick vs. the NFL: The Case for the NFL's Greatest Coach
Bill Belichick started collecting Lombardi Trophies like some people collect coasters and won his fourth Super Bowl title in 2015. No other NFL team has been as successful since Belichick became the Patriots' head coach in 2000, winning titles after the 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2014 seasons, along with Super Bowl appearances after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. But is Belichick the best NFL coach of all time? In Bill Belichick vs. the NFL , author Erik Frenz not only explains what separates Belichick from his peers and compares his accomplishments to some of the all-time legends, but tells why, if there were a Mount Rushmore of NFL coaches, Belichick’s face would already be on it. From his upbringing as a coach's son to learning under Bill Parcells to creating his own coaching tree, he has established a new standard that may be unparalleled in football history.
- GenresSportsNonfictionFootball
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2016
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57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 8, 2017
I have been following Erik Frenz' writing ever since he covered the Patriots, so when I saw he had written a book about Bill Belichick, I went ahead and bought it.
It turns out that was probably a mistake. While I've always quite enjoyed Erik's articles, and thought they had a good mix of facts, X and Os and commentary, I never got into this book and thought it was overly reliant on facts and feels more like a collection of individual articles than a book.
Maybe it is the fact that the idea of comparing Belichick to other greta coaches necessitates such an approach of comparing him against each. But somehow it fails to ever get below the surface of Belichick, or in fact the other coaches.
I did learn a few things about many of the coaches and the history of the game - but really just tidbits, that can't be done justice within each chapter.
Ultimately, a bit disappointing.
It turns out that was probably a mistake. While I've always quite enjoyed Erik's articles, and thought they had a good mix of facts, X and Os and commentary, I never got into this book and thought it was overly reliant on facts and feels more like a collection of individual articles than a book.
Maybe it is the fact that the idea of comparing Belichick to other greta coaches necessitates such an approach of comparing him against each. But somehow it fails to ever get below the surface of Belichick, or in fact the other coaches.
I did learn a few things about many of the coaches and the history of the game - but really just tidbits, that can't be done justice within each chapter.
Ultimately, a bit disappointing.
March 15, 2018
This thing is not a good read.
It is not even a book.
It is an opportunistic commercialisation masquerading as a book.
The only reason I give it one star is because I don't know the option to give it any fewer.
A tedious and contextless list of numbers and downs and distances devoid of any real characterisation of one of Sport's most interesting men. I am dissapointed because I think that Belichick's life story and viewpoint (which I have glimpsed in fragmented interviews) are deeply compelling, and this book, while trading on his name, has been written with all of the urgency of Satoshi.
If you are looking for a biographical answer to the question "How does a mind like Belichick's form? What are it's processes? What can I learn from his journey?' this book is not it.
If instead you want to memorise, or relive, some of the specific numbers that evoke particular moments in your sporting history - if simply mentioning names like Lawrence Taylor, or reading simple sentences like "Bill Belichick's masterful defense shut out the opposition to 17 points or less for the 5th game in a row that season" brings you joy, then this book may very well be exactly what you are looking for.
Everybody else, feed it to the worms in your mulch pile, for then at least, a copy of this book can take its proper hierarchical place as worm faeces.
Erik Frenz, you did not do a good job with this one.
It is not even a book.
It is an opportunistic commercialisation masquerading as a book.
The only reason I give it one star is because I don't know the option to give it any fewer.
A tedious and contextless list of numbers and downs and distances devoid of any real characterisation of one of Sport's most interesting men. I am dissapointed because I think that Belichick's life story and viewpoint (which I have glimpsed in fragmented interviews) are deeply compelling, and this book, while trading on his name, has been written with all of the urgency of Satoshi.
If you are looking for a biographical answer to the question "How does a mind like Belichick's form? What are it's processes? What can I learn from his journey?' this book is not it.
If instead you want to memorise, or relive, some of the specific numbers that evoke particular moments in your sporting history - if simply mentioning names like Lawrence Taylor, or reading simple sentences like "Bill Belichick's masterful defense shut out the opposition to 17 points or less for the 5th game in a row that season" brings you joy, then this book may very well be exactly what you are looking for.
Everybody else, feed it to the worms in your mulch pile, for then at least, a copy of this book can take its proper hierarchical place as worm faeces.
Erik Frenz, you did not do a good job with this one.
November 15, 2017
Esperaba un poco más del libro. Sacando los últimos capítulos donde aborda las cuestiones desde un punto de vista propio y elabora argumentaciones que, de acuerdo o no, son válidas, el resto del libro repasa en estadisticas el camino de Belichick con los Patriots y lo compara con cada uno de los grandes entrenadores de la historia. Pero no va mucho más allá de los números.
Es un libro fácil de leer, pero insisto con que esperaba más.
Es un libro fácil de leer, pero insisto con que esperaba más.
September 25, 2017
I wish it had more in depth stories of the PAtriots runs. The book was mostly just numbers and game logs. Overall fun to read.
January 23, 2025
Amazing great read for any football fan!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews