I think BB is on the Autism spectrum

[Pats2000]

I'm not an expert, but he exhibits similarities to all of the people I've met who are on the spectrum. The lack of social norms, the ability to hyper focus, the lack of caring about appearance, the memory recall ability. Hell I even heard a story from a Kevin Faulk interview where he didn't respond to Kevin saying good morning for 3 years as they passed in the hallway. That has lack of social cues and awareness written all over it.

I think over the years BB has learned those social skills a bit more, but you can see he's only happy when talking X's and O's, football history, and fishing.

I don't think he's far into the spectrum, but definitely exhibits signs.

 

[Brick27]

 

[New England Pride]

...well then

Interesting post anyway.

 

[Charlotte Pats Fan]

This should go well.

 

[lancerman]

Most people who know Belichick say that he's actually pretty normal and funny. He puts on an act when dealing with the press and probably developed a good deal of disdain for them over the years. He's not stupid, he knows his persona.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

His characteristics are similar to mega successful leaders like the late Steve Jobs. He holds people to extremely high standards and has a brilliant mind which no one else really understands. For that reason many of his decisions are counterintuitive to the rest of us.

Belichick is a perfectionist who always demands improvement. I don’t think that he is autistic, but I think there are a lot of “symptoms” that could be misinterpreted. A lot of head football coaches have similar personalities to Belichick, along with leaders in commerce and military. Typically autistic people do not lead others well since they have trouble understanding human motivation and don’t like being in the spotlight.

 

[Deus Irae]

This looks like a great thread to put on ignore

 

[CutiePie]

who knows.......its possible

some people wont like you saying this

but i dont necessarily consider it bad thing.....lots of brilliant people were obviously wired differently neurologically

i also think of most personality and cognitive traits in a more dimensional way......as opposed to categorical

 

[Ivan]

I'm not an expert, but he exhibits similarities to all of the people I've met who are on the spectrum. The lack of social norms, the ability to hyper focus, the lack of caring about appearance, the memory recall ability. Hell I even heard a story from a Kevin Faulk interview where he didn't respond to Kevin saying good morning for 3 years as they passed in the hallway. That has lack of social cues and awareness written all over it.

I think over the years BB has learned those social skills a bit more, but you can see he's only happy when talking X's and O's, football history, and fishing.

I don't think he's far into the spectrum, but definitely exhibits signs.

Belichick’s demeanor is a conscious choice, that’s not the case for those living with autism.

 

[Tunescribe]

I'm not an expert, but he exhibits similarities to all of the people I've met who are on the spectrum. The lack of social norms, the ability to hyper focus, the lack of caring about appearance, the memory recall ability. Hell I even heard a story from a Kevin Faulk interview where he didn't respond to Kevin saying good morning for 3 years as they passed in the hallway. That has lack of social cues and awareness written all over it.

I think over the years BB has learned those social skills a bit more, but you can see he's only happy when talking X's and O's, football history, and fishing.

I don't think he's far into the spectrum, but definitely exhibits signs.

That's it! BB is an idiot savant!

 

[nabwong]

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

Ironic thread, considering BB could read this message board and draw a similar conclusion about a boatload of posters here.

Regards,
Chris

 

[borg]

That explains his...
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
We're on to Cincinnati
Fu*k Charley Casserley! Co*ksucker Motherfu*ker Sh*t TurdWanker

Ooops!
Must have been BB's Tourette's kicking in at the end there

 

[Wordsmyth]

We're onto Buffalo.

 

[maineman209]

I'm not an expert, but he exhibits similarities to all of the people I've met who are on the spectrum. The lack of social norms, the ability to hyper focus, the lack of caring about appearance, the memory recall ability. Hell I even heard a story from a Kevin Faulk interview where he didn't respond to Kevin saying good morning for 3 years as they passed in the hallway. That has lack of social cues and awareness written all over it.

I think over the years BB has learned those social skills a bit more, but you can see he's only happy when talking X's and O's, football history, and fishing.

I don't think he's far into the spectrum, but definitely exhibits signs.

Seriously, do you know the man personally outside of football? Or are you basing this diagnosis exclusively on vid clips, sound bites and 2nd/3rd-hand anecdotes?

As @Ivan notes, "BB's demeanor is a conscious choice." I'd add that a heightened ability to ignore distractions and focus on the job at hand, occasionally brutal honesty, and a sarcastic approach to unmitigated stupidity are not just characteristics of people on the Autism Spectrum. They're also characteristics of smart people who have reached a certain age - an age when they simply have fewer and fewer f**ks to give.

Although BB is only two months older than I am, he's waaaay ahead of me in accomplishing my ultimate goal - to become a cranky, old New England bahstid to all but the handful of people I truly care about. Frankly, he's a great role model.

 

[DarrylS]

I'm not an expert, but he exhibits similarities to all of the people I've met who are on the spectrum. The lack of social norms, the ability to hyper focus, the lack of caring about appearance, the memory recall ability. Hell I even heard a story from a Kevin Faulk interview where he didn't respond to Kevin saying good morning for 3 years as they passed in the hallway. That has lack of social cues and awareness written all over it.

I think over the years BB has learned those social skills a bit more, but you can see he's only happy when talking X's and O's, football history, and fishing.

I don't think he's far into the spectrum, but definitely exhibits signs.

Have you ever interacted with people on the "spectrum"???

Lack of social norms?? Wtf does that mean?? One time I was at an event with he and Jim Brown and #32 said(I paraphrase): "If Michael Jordan did half as much as BB did the world would be a different place".. have heard that same comment uttered before. What you see on the field is a well scripted personna that takes to focus off of the players and puts it directly on him. BTW he exhibited very well refined social graces in person..

"Hyperfocus" no need to comment on that idiotic statement.. would you prefer Rex Ryan talking about snacks and "shakey weights"???

Lack of caring about appearance, is a giant FU to the NFL rules that mandates that he must wear Nike Equipment on the sideline.. so he is not being sloppy, he does not care about what he wears... for years he wore the same green suit and then he met Linda Holiday.

If interested here is a layman's guide to what the Autism Spectrum is.. you should not be diagnosing BB or anyone, that is the sole venue of trained, licensed professionals..

Understanding autism - Autism Awareness Australia

 

[Kontradiction]

My girlfriend is an SLP and works with kids that are on the spectrum every single day. Not once (and she’s seen the most recent video of him “celebrating” TDs) has she said that she thinks he’s on the spectrum. It’s a **** thread.

 

[RobertWeathers]

BB autistic?

We know he has Tourette's Syndrome.

Just ask Tom Jackson

 

[PatriotsReign]

Not everything is a disorder. I view most of these labels as personality types, not disorders

Too many people view themselves as “victims” when they’re not. And chill out, I can say this because I have one of those “special” personality types. But I don’t need special treatment from anyone because I laugh at this crap

“Oh I have ADD and I need adderol”

No, you actually don’t

 

[PP2]

Most people who know Belichick say that he's actually pretty normal and funny. He puts on an act when dealing with the press and probably developed a good deal of disdain for them over the years. He's not stupid, he knows his persona.

Exactly. He knows the press isn't there to be his friend, so he gives them as little bait as possible.

I would actually say that he's on the opposite end of the spectrum, namely that he's, in fact, much more of a human being than almost all the coaches in the NFL. He treats and deals with players like they're human beings. He knows when to push hard, when to let up, and what buttons to press, and when to inject a bit of fun (such as the time when he stuck Vollmer in the backfield and told the whole team that if Vollmer could catch a punt return, practice was over).

It's his knack for understanding human nature that, IMO, separates him from everyone else and is what makes him one of the greatest coaches ever.

Exhibit A: of the hundreds and hundreds of players that have passed through New England over the years, how many players have actually spoken ill of their time in New England?