Bill Belichick\'s upcoming book \"The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football\" focuses more on emotional intelligence and leadership than tactical football strategy, according to a review from ESPN. The book, set for release on May 6, comes after Belichick and the Patriots \"mutually agreed to part ways\" following his legendary coaching tenure.
Rather than a tactical manual or tell-all memoir, Belichick\'s book emphasizes how leaders should connect with and motivate people. This focus seems to address criticisms about Belichick\'s perceived inability to connect with players, especially as his New England dynasty ended with three losing seasons in his final four years.
In the book, Belichick discusses the importance of helping players and staff clear their minds to focus on winning. He shares how he personally handled Super Bowl logistics for the team, arranging tickets, hotel rooms and transportation, rather than delegating these tasks.
\"If I expect to be able to ask my slot receiver to play in a pinch at cornerback in front of a hundred million viewers on TV, I don\'t get to ignore his request for a hotel room with a nice view,\" Belichick writes.
The legendary coach addresses some career mistakes but notably omits controversies like Spygate or the Malcolm Butler Super Bowl benching. He does explain his fourth-down decision in Super Bowl XLII against the Giants and why the Patriots passed on drafting Lamar Jackson in 2018.
Belichick dedicates significant space to discussing firing and being fired, calling his Browns experience \"traumatic.\" He reflects on how job loss affects not just careers but families, writing: \"When you get fired, that distinction [between work and family] gets bulldozed.\"
The book comes as Belichick transitions to college coaching at North Carolina, despite former Patriots Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Julian Edelman expressing skepticism about his fit in the college environment. Brady had remarked, \"I would be frightened,\" when asked about Belichick recruiting 18-year-olds.
Belichick acknowledges that his intense focus on winning isn\'t universally appealing: \"My program is not for everyone. Neither am I. But to get to the top, and stay there, is close to impossibly hard.\"
The review contextualizes how Brady applied Belichick\'s principles in Tampa Bay. After quarterback Baker Mayfield commented that Brady created a \"high-strung environment\" where \"everybody was pretty stressed out,\" Brady responded: \"I thought \'stressful\' was not having Super Bowl rings... This wasn\'t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland with my kids.\"
\"Getting used to winning,\" Belichick writes in his book, \"is the quickest way for it to stop.\"