Bill Belichick has a playbook of ‘sick burns’
It's a much smaller playbook than the one used by the actual Patriots.
Bill Belichick is indisputably one of smartest coaches in NFL history. He appears to handle extremely complicated issues with ease. Yet his motivational tactics and style of humor are often direct and simple.
In a new feature for The Ringer, writer Kevin Clark explored Belichick’s laconic method of employing humor with his team. In many cases, it revolves around comparing professionals on the Patriots to Foxborough High School players.
“I’m going to go down the street to Foxborough High School and find someone to take the snap,” Belichick allegedly told former backup quarterback Zac Robinson. And as Clark explains, multiple players (including Jimmy Garoppolo) have been on the wrong end of this quip.
In fact, wide receiver Julian Edelman once referenced this tactic in an E:60 interview on ESPN a few years ago:
And the advice he gives to players on his football team is often straightforward and uncluttered. After all, some of Belichick’s most brilliant game plans were strikingly simple for his players to understand.
Clark’s piece, titled “Bill Belichick Is the Master of the Sick Burn,” offers insight into a side of Belichick that fans don’t often see. The humor is a tool for Belichick. It helps him communicate with his players in a direct manner. The results speak themselves.
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