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http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/
December 23, 2005
History lesson
Posted By: mreiss | Time: 01:17:51 PM
Bill Belichick changed his regular routine today, and instead of holding a press conference, he invited the media into one of the Patriots’ meeting rooms.
There, he showed some old footage from the Great Lakes football team of the early 1940s, as well as footage from his father’s first professional game with the Detroit Lions in 1941.
As he showed the film, Belichick's passion for football -- and its history -- was evident. There are rare times when he lets his guard down and today was one of those days.
About 20 media members were present as the film rolled in a room where large color action pictures of current players hang on the walls. The pictures were fresh -- there was already one from Saturday's win over Tampa Bay -- but the footage was vintage.
While showing the black-and-white film, which was cued up on a nearby computer, Belichick held a clicker and pointed to certain players and formations.
One Great Lakes player who Belichick kept referring to was Bruce Smith. Noting that players played both offense and defense, Belichick said Smith was one of the great stars from that era. After Smith scored a touchdown on a long run, Belichick said: “That gave them a 6-0 lead at that point, which in those days was like a 1-0 lead in soccer today.â€
He also illustrated how plays have evolved, showing a jump pass, with a player running toward the line of scrimmage, then jumping as he threw the ball to another player. Belichick pointed out the difference in formations (the single wing was prominent) and how the quarterback often didn’t get snapped the ball. Another position, the center, rarely blocked.
After the Great Lakes footage, Belichick shared a story of how his father, Steve, was working for the Detroit Lions in 1941 in the equipment room. At the time, the coach felt Steve Belichick was better than the punt returner the team had, so he was suited up for action. On the film, Belichick showed his father running a punt back for a touchdown against the Packers.
In that same game, Belichick showed how Green Bay’s Don Hutson ran pass routes, and credited Hutson as the first true receiver in the game. He showed shots of the sidelines, noting that all players were sitting on the bench and only the coach was standing near the sideline. “When they said someone was a benchwarmer, they really meant it,†he joked.
After the film, Belichick answered some questions on the history of the game. From the tape he showed, it was clear the game required a different type of athlete, and the rules dictated a different approach than today. There was little passing in those days, which made the quarterback position unique.
“A guy like Johnny Unitas, he could have never played [in the 1940s]. He couldn’t run. You take a player like Billy Wade, who my dad coached at Vanderbilt, he was a single-wing tailback. He went to the Bears and they made him a quarterback. … Tom [Brady], he couldn’t play [in that era]. Michael Vick would be awesome in that offense. … You’re looking at guys who can punt, run, pass. That’s the order. If you couldn’t punt, you have to play somewhere else. You have to be a wingback, an end. Punt, run, pass -- that was the priority.â€
Belichick was candid when asked why the option offense wouldn’t work in today’s NFL.
“The way we’ve always coached the option in the league is to [defend] the pitch and let the quarterback take it, then kill the quarterback,†he said. “Let them run it all they want to run it. Lou Holtz tried to come up and run it with the Jets, with Richard Todd, in ’76. But you just don’t have enough quarterbacks. Even the college quarterbacks that run, those guys take a beating too. Even if they pitch the ball a lot of times, they get nailed.â€
Belichick also revealed that he recently spent time with Navy, because he has great respect for their running game. His idea was to study how their running game works and hopefully apply some of that to his current team. But he said he quickly learned that couldn’t happen, because almost all of Navy’s running plays involve the quarterback.
EXTRA POINTS: The Patriots practiced outside in the stadium today … The team had full attendance for the media access portion of practice … The media was present for stretching … Linebacker Tedy Bruschi drew the largest media crowd in the locker room … The Patriots will travel to New York on Sunday, but altered their regular routine to leave later in the day.
+++
Looking ahead, we’ll plan on posting our next update Saturday afternoon.
--Mike
December 23, 2005
History lesson
Posted By: mreiss | Time: 01:17:51 PM
Bill Belichick changed his regular routine today, and instead of holding a press conference, he invited the media into one of the Patriots’ meeting rooms.
There, he showed some old footage from the Great Lakes football team of the early 1940s, as well as footage from his father’s first professional game with the Detroit Lions in 1941.
As he showed the film, Belichick's passion for football -- and its history -- was evident. There are rare times when he lets his guard down and today was one of those days.
About 20 media members were present as the film rolled in a room where large color action pictures of current players hang on the walls. The pictures were fresh -- there was already one from Saturday's win over Tampa Bay -- but the footage was vintage.
While showing the black-and-white film, which was cued up on a nearby computer, Belichick held a clicker and pointed to certain players and formations.
One Great Lakes player who Belichick kept referring to was Bruce Smith. Noting that players played both offense and defense, Belichick said Smith was one of the great stars from that era. After Smith scored a touchdown on a long run, Belichick said: “That gave them a 6-0 lead at that point, which in those days was like a 1-0 lead in soccer today.â€
He also illustrated how plays have evolved, showing a jump pass, with a player running toward the line of scrimmage, then jumping as he threw the ball to another player. Belichick pointed out the difference in formations (the single wing was prominent) and how the quarterback often didn’t get snapped the ball. Another position, the center, rarely blocked.
After the Great Lakes footage, Belichick shared a story of how his father, Steve, was working for the Detroit Lions in 1941 in the equipment room. At the time, the coach felt Steve Belichick was better than the punt returner the team had, so he was suited up for action. On the film, Belichick showed his father running a punt back for a touchdown against the Packers.
In that same game, Belichick showed how Green Bay’s Don Hutson ran pass routes, and credited Hutson as the first true receiver in the game. He showed shots of the sidelines, noting that all players were sitting on the bench and only the coach was standing near the sideline. “When they said someone was a benchwarmer, they really meant it,†he joked.
After the film, Belichick answered some questions on the history of the game. From the tape he showed, it was clear the game required a different type of athlete, and the rules dictated a different approach than today. There was little passing in those days, which made the quarterback position unique.
“A guy like Johnny Unitas, he could have never played [in the 1940s]. He couldn’t run. You take a player like Billy Wade, who my dad coached at Vanderbilt, he was a single-wing tailback. He went to the Bears and they made him a quarterback. … Tom [Brady], he couldn’t play [in that era]. Michael Vick would be awesome in that offense. … You’re looking at guys who can punt, run, pass. That’s the order. If you couldn’t punt, you have to play somewhere else. You have to be a wingback, an end. Punt, run, pass -- that was the priority.â€
Belichick was candid when asked why the option offense wouldn’t work in today’s NFL.
“The way we’ve always coached the option in the league is to [defend] the pitch and let the quarterback take it, then kill the quarterback,†he said. “Let them run it all they want to run it. Lou Holtz tried to come up and run it with the Jets, with Richard Todd, in ’76. But you just don’t have enough quarterbacks. Even the college quarterbacks that run, those guys take a beating too. Even if they pitch the ball a lot of times, they get nailed.â€
Belichick also revealed that he recently spent time with Navy, because he has great respect for their running game. His idea was to study how their running game works and hopefully apply some of that to his current team. But he said he quickly learned that couldn’t happen, because almost all of Navy’s running plays involve the quarterback.
EXTRA POINTS: The Patriots practiced outside in the stadium today … The team had full attendance for the media access portion of practice … The media was present for stretching … Linebacker Tedy Bruschi drew the largest media crowd in the locker room … The Patriots will travel to New York on Sunday, but altered their regular routine to leave later in the day.
+++
Looking ahead, we’ll plan on posting our next update Saturday afternoon.
--Mike
