New England Patriots: The history lesson Bill Belichick never learned
Auerbach’s lesson and the New England Patriots
So how does this intertwine with the New England Patriots? Well, it seems, that Belichick never learned this lesson of sports history.
The lesson is, if you have the best player, the greatest winner in the history of the league with you, you treat him differently. And you make accommodations for him and with him.
Ostensibly, Belichick didn’t implement this lesson in the case of Tom Brady. As a result, he was wrong both historically and specifically in his treatment of Tom Brady.
The reasons for his failure to handle the franchise’s most valuable and valued asset ever are unknown. Maybe it was ego.
Maybe it was a sense that his word was law and no player was above the law. He was the sheriff and there’d be no outlaws in his town. Who knows. It’s irrelevant.
Yet it was the owner, Robert Kraft who made the ultimate mistake in the treatment of his star, Tom Brady.
It was his team, after all, and simply put, Kraft should have made the situation work for Brady for as long as the legend wanted to play. He didn’t and the rest is history.
Yet, it was Belichick, the coach who should have known better and acted differently, as well. He clearly seemed to have failed to learn Auerbach’s lesson.
Maybe he just didn’t care to treat his best player and the best ever in the sport any differently than anyone else. Whatever.
Belichick was mistaken and is now paying the price for the error. Post Tom Brady, his record is eight wins and 12 losses.
He either didn’t know about or failed to learn the lessons of the Red Auerbach/Bill Russell history and it has cost him dearly.
If he had, maybe his greatest player, Tom Brady, would still be winning games and Super Bowls for his team, the New England Patriots.
This singular talent, this relentless pursuer of victories certainly deserved to play out his entire career in Foxborough. It’s a shame that he didn’t.
dark. Next. The 5 faces of the New England Patriots: The stars, the coach, the dynasty
We’ll probably never know the whole story unless a definitive book is written by one of the two principals. Yet, as they say, it is what it is. We move on.
Fortunately for Patriots fans, we may very well have the next generational great talent on hand right now in Mac Jones. Lucky fans. And, lucky man, Bill Belichick. Very lucky, indeed.