Just finished reading "Patriot Reign"

[slash83]

the book by Michael Holley, it was pretty good alot of good info how the team runs different aspects of the game when it comes to the draft, free agency, scouting and also preparing for an opponent. It was actually pretty funny too when your hear Belichick talk smack bout players such as the old DT Steve Martin and Patrick Pass, also at the end when he comes face 2 face with Tom Jackson of ESPN after the comments he made how the team hates there coach. Overall a really good read I reccomend it.

 

[363839]

the book by Michael Holley, it was pretty good alot of good info how the team runs different aspects of the game when it comes to the draft, free agency, scouting and also preparing for an opponent. It was actually pretty funny too when your hear Belichick talk smack bout players such as the old DT Steve Martin and Patrick Pass, also at the end when he comes face 2 face with Tom Jackson of ESPN after the comments he made how the team hates there coach. Overall a really good read I reccomend it.

Wasn't it Weis that was talking smack about Pass?
So long ago since I read it.

 

[slash83]

Wasn't it Weis that was talking smack about Pass?
So long ago since I read it.

I think it was Belichick but im not for sure, it was funny tho...

 

[Seymour93]

I haven't read the book. I know what Weis said about Pass, but what did BB say about Martin? Any other players get the wrath of the coaches?

 

[slash83]

I haven't read the book. I know what Weis said about Pass, but what did BB say about Martin? Any other players get the wrath of the coaches?

Belichick just talked how he sucked VS the run, and how he was always complaining to the media about different crap, and the week leading up to the jets game he was talkin about how Kevin Mawae the jets center at the time was a dirty player, a day or 2 before the game he got cut lol.

 

[DarrylS]

Patriot Reign is a good read, but found the "Education of a Coach" and "Moving the chains" give more depth about BB and #12.. Holley is a good writer, but Halberstam and Pierce bring it to a different level.

 

[naclone]

Patriot Reign was a revelation because to that point, there was ZERO information coming out of Foxboro. So when it was announced that Holey had been shadowing the team for the past year or so and given all access to write a book I remember it being a very big deal.

I just finished the Bruschi book yesterday and like Patriot Reign, there is a lot of great info in there, but something about Holley's writing just bugs me. In particular, he has this nasty habit of switching time frames mid paragraph and doing a lousy job of re-establishing the setting.

For example, he might lead off a paragraph with "in november of 2003 this, that and the other thing happened." and then he'll go on to say, "but 3 months earlier, the pats never could have guessed it would go down like that."

so then, the beginning of the next paragraph you have no idea if we're in November of 2003 or August. and it can take a couple paragraphs sometimes before we know where the hell we are in the timeline.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Really liked the book, but enjoyed "Education of a coach" much better.

I thought the Belichick dissing of Jackson one of the funniest I have read. Has anyone ever heard a Jackson comment on that story?

Just curious.

 

[everlong]

The thing about Patriot Reign was it was written more like a continuous newspaper article vs a book. It had a lot of good information but it left me wanting more depth of the details especially regarding the free agent and draft analysis of player.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

I enjoyed the book as well, but if you really want to get into BB's head, Halberstam's "Education of a Coach" is a must read...great for the beach in the waning days of summer...

 

[BionicPatriot]

The thing about Patriot Reign was it was written more like a continuous newspaper article vs a book. It had a lot of good information but it left me wanting more depth of the details especially regarding the free agent and draft analysis of player.

I beleive this book came out right before we opened the 04 season, so remember there was not the same abundance of info there is now. I liked Patriot Reign, it was a good read but like many others, I thought it did nothing in terms of digging up dirt.The Parcells piece was maybe the biggest story, nearly 10 years after it happened, I'd go for some updates on the here and now personally.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Even though I'm not a big fan of him personally, Felger's "Tales from the Patriot's Sideline" was a decent read too.

 

[patsfan209]

I read Holley's book a few years ago, so I'm running on scattered memories here...

I thought the book primarily revealed some of Belichick's true feelings on certain issues. Like why he decided to let Brady stay as the starter for the rest of the '01 season, which of course I agreed with his reasons.

I think it was in this book (correct me if I'm wrong) that BB explained how peeved he was in Super Bowl XXXI with the distraction of Parcells going to the Jets because he had a good gameplan all set and ready. BB really wanted to win that game, and BB's quotes gave you the feeling BB felt Parcells screwed him there, not just Kraft and us fans. When I read these parts, I wasn't shocked since I had that feeling for years that he and the Patriot assistant coaches weren't too happy about it either. The book finally confirmed it for me.

He also frankly revealed why he and several Patriot assistants (which included Weis and Crennel) moved over to the Jets with Parcells - not because they were necessarily "loyal" to the Tuna: its because had they not done so, they would all be unemployed for one year! Now that was a surprise to me.

 

[patsacolachick]

Ya know I just couldn't get into "Education of a Coach", I know Halberstam is brilliant but it seemed like so much of that book regarding BB was a retelling of things I'd already read about him, aside from his family's background I really didn't find any new insight into BB. I actually preferred Holley's book as far as really getting a feel for how things are run in the Pat's organization.