What A Copout

Brady vs. Belichick.

Belichick's name drives me crazy. I misspell it every goddamn time. It is not pronounced the way it is spelled. I just spelled it Billichick before I Googled it for correction. I know the spelling is odd vis a vis the pronounciation (I was just dying to use vis a vis) so I over correct and mutilate it horribly.

It is the bane of my existence.

Perfect day for this discussion. Talking heads are constantly debating the "who is more important to the equation" issue. Today being the AFC championship game, well, it only adds heat to the debate.

My gut reaction was to say Brady is the shining piece of the puzzle. Because even with all the analysis, all the preparation, all the practice, when it gets down to game time you need a leader who exudes confidence and can back it up with success.

Even tougher in this game because the gridiron is populated by humongous egos. You cannot survive the NFL without supreme confidence.

Because it is a frightening game.

So when the other ten super sized egos gather in the huddle, they need to look into the eyes of a man who can still command attention. And respect.

Brady is that man.

He is such a dichotomy. Off the field, in press conferences, talk shows and in life he comes across as a pretty boy. Soft spoken and not particularly well spoken.

But on the field he is a monster. I love it when he slams his helmet down on the sidelines or when he gets right in the face of a teammate. Or when they are up 38 to2 and he gets pissed because they fail to convert on third and short.

He has the skills to back up his on field swagger. Early on I was not convinced that he was a sterling quarterback. I now have no doubts. He completes passes that knock me off the recliner.

He also has three rings. Hardware carries weight.

Belichick commands respect in his own anti-fashionably, grungy way. He looks like a shlump and bores you to death in press conferences, but when he talks to his players on the sidelines you can see the respect in their eyes. This is not always evident with other coaches.

His preparation is meticulous. He attacks the opposition's strengths as well as their weaknesses and tries to find ways to neutralize them. Which he often does. He is a field general. A military commander.

And an improviser. He will throw shit out there that will blow your mind. Some bizarre call in a situation that makes you cringe. Sometimes yes, sometimes no but at least he can spice up his strict discipline with fresh perspective. And catch people off guard.

Belichick brings misfits into the organization and inspires them to change their wicked ways and contribute to the team's success. Guys who have been nothing but trouble with other teams, who come to THE PATS and put the bad boy away and contribute enormously to the team's success.

Not a lot of coaches that can do that.

You also have to consider the Matt Cassel, 11 and 5 factoid. That was a beautiful thing and incredible testimony to Belichick, Cassel, and the focus of the entire organization. But I do not accept the fact that you can take any QB, plug him into the equation and succeed like Brady has succeeded.

I think there was a little fairy dust sprinkled on that season.

Another thing to consider is the intangible of the chemistry between Belichick and Brady. They have been together a long time and it is obvious that they click. They feed off each other. There is mutual respect there. There is experience, there is a track record of success, there is knowledge, there is insight, there is informed confidence.

This is a magical thing. Something you cannot measure but something that definitely contributes to THE PATS success.

Cranking it up a notch, you have to consider the entire organization.

Robert Kraft is a God. He has created an organization from the top down that is dedicated to excellence. An organization that demands subjugation of the ego and the self for the good of the team. An organization that has taken the cliché of "one game at a time" and turned it into a religious mantra.

A mantra with results.

There is also an atmosphere of genuineness within the organization. A sense that Kraft and everybody else in the organization cares about the players as people.

As much as that is possible in the NFL.

Organizational success starts at the top. Robert Kraft is the textbook example of how to run a football team.

Yup I am wimping out. I am not going to pick a name. because I think what THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS have is a unique situation. A magical, mystical moment in time.

It has succeeded enormously for 13 years now and that is pretty amazing.

They have created an organization based on a philosophy that permeates every aspect of the operation. They have created their own approach to the game that refines everything from player drafts to practice to game preparation to game execution to game improvisation to team communication, both internally and externally.

What I will say is that this organization is unique and the credit goes to Robert Kraft.

The success goes to Kraft, Belichick and Brady. Kind of like the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Only better.