The New England Patriots head coach is an economics major, and his exploitation of market inefficiency has helped him dominate the NFL
One of the most staggering things about the New England Patriots’ two decades of domination in the NFL is that, Tom Brady aside, their success isn’t built on a raft of superstars. That’s not say they haven’t had fine players: Randy Moss and the late Junior Seau are already in the NFL Hall of Fame and Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Adam Vinatieri will probably join them. But more than anything, the Pats’ five titles since 2001 have been about the team as a whole. And that’s down to the single most important person in the NFL: Bill Belichick.
The head coach’s ability to zig while others zag has kept New England ahead of every team in the league for 18 years, and led to a mindboggling period of sustained success that should be impossible in a league that is designed for parity through a salary cap and draft system. Belichick’s genius lies in his refusal to wed himself to one overriding philosophy. He’s a shape-shifter, constantly evolving his team’s style – and that flexibility has been on show this season. As modern schemes have expanded the field and the focus has been on the dominance of quarterbacks and smaller, more mobile defensive players, Belichick has returned to an old-school, power running system
Written by Oliver Connolly
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/29/bill-belichick-new-england-patriots-strategy-nfl-super-bowl-liii under the title “How shapeshifter Bill Belichick has beaten a league built for parity for 18 years”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
