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And I mean ancient.
The Belichick-era Patriots are, I would say, as close as any sports team has ever come to this ideal (minus the killing part, of course ).
When one player goes down, what's the message to his replacement? "DO YOUR JOB."
It's very simple, but very powerful, nevertheless. As but one example, the first few weeks after Brady was hurt, Cassel's job was not to lose games--and he did his job. As he became more comfortable, his job was to lead the team to victories, and he did.
So, while the Patriots may be suffering heavy casualties this week, remember--the Patriots are prepared, and the Patriots will continue to do their job: "consistently compete for championships."
* * *
Edit--it just occurred to me: the Chiefs have Pioli, and the Donk--er, Broncos have McDaniels. San Diego must be thrilled.
The Achaemenid Persian Immortals, usually referred to as the Persian Immortals or The Immortals were an elite force of Persian soldiers who performed the dual roles of both Imperial Guard and standing army during the Achaemenid Empire's expansion and during the Greco-Persian Wars. Herodotus describes the Immortals as being heavy infantry led by Hydarnes that were kept constantly at a strength of exactly 10,000 men (also written as the "Ten Thousand Immortals") — every killed, seriously wounded or sick member was immediately replaced with a new one, maintaining the cohesion of the unit.
The Belichick-era Patriots are, I would say, as close as any sports team has ever come to this ideal (minus the killing part, of course ).
When one player goes down, what's the message to his replacement? "DO YOUR JOB."
It's very simple, but very powerful, nevertheless. As but one example, the first few weeks after Brady was hurt, Cassel's job was not to lose games--and he did his job. As he became more comfortable, his job was to lead the team to victories, and he did.
So, while the Patriots may be suffering heavy casualties this week, remember--the Patriots are prepared, and the Patriots will continue to do their job: "consistently compete for championships."
* * *
Edit--it just occurred to me: the Chiefs have Pioli, and the Donk--er, Broncos have McDaniels. San Diego must be thrilled.
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