That was then: Celebrating what was

54thMA

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Have not seen the Meyer quote before, but it rings true from life experience.

I'm well into middle age, though younger than BB who turns 65 tomorrow. I thought as I grew older that I would have more patience. True as to some things, but glaringly wrong when it comes to dealing with problem people.

You've accomplished certain things in your career and life, and more than once have been burned by chasing fool's gold. You reach the conclusion that life is too short to be around knuckleheads, people who present situations that stress you out or piss you off. To the extent possible, you drive these people from your life.
What a great post this is.

I own my own business, have done so for about 20 years; in the beginning, anytime I ran into a problem customer, I'd bend over backwards to do whatever it took to appease them/keep them as customers, they continually annoyed and stressed me out, but I figured it's better to have a customer than to have to go out and find new ones.

I shitcanned that approach about 5 years ago; now when I run into a problem customer (or as I call them, "the 1%"............), I cut them loose and let them go drive someone else nuts. I want to have customers I enjoy working with, selling to and being around, not some ballbreaker who works my last nerve.

Drive them from your life is exactly right; life is too short for sure.
 

BigSoxFan

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May 31, 2007
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What a great post this is.

I own my own business, have done so for about 20 years; in the beginning, anytime I ran into a problem customer, I'd bend over backwards to do whatever it took to appease them/keep them as customers, they continually annoyed and stressed me out, but I figured it's better to have a customer than to have to go out and find new ones.

I shitcanned that approach about 5 years ago; now when I run into a problem customer (or as I call them, "the 1%"............), I cut them loose and let them go drive someone else nuts. I want to have customers I enjoy working with, selling to and being around, not some ballbreaker who works my last nerve.

Drive them from your life is exactly right; life is too short for sure.
(Trying not to make a United joke in my head)
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

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Sep 9, 2008
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Have not seen the Meyer quote before, but it rings true from life experience.

I'm well into middle age, though younger than BB who turns 65 tomorrow. I thought as I grew older that I would have more patience. True as to some things, but glaringly wrong when it comes to dealing with problem people.

You've accomplished certain things in your career and life, and more than once have been burned by chasing fool's gold. You reach the conclusion that life is too short to be around knuckleheads, people who present situations that stress you out or piss you off. To the extent possible, you drive these people from your life.
I also think he's reached a certain level of zen in the last few years that he hadn't maybe had before. I have no basis for what I'm going to post other than gut feelings by watching him on the sidelines and hearing some of the things he says (or reading between the lines) when he's interviewed by a good interviewer or in a context where he wants to be forthcoming.

I think he's achieved all there is to achieve. To the extent he ever cared about reputation, his is secure and there's not much left to strive for there or perhaps even to stay engaged. The winning is surely still the reward, but to put what he puts into it, I wouldn't be surprised if what he needs to stay engaged at a high level has changed. I think he seems to derive satisfaction out of the micro stuff. The situations. I think he seems like he takes a lot of satisfaction out of being prepared for difficult, uncommon situations and maybe he's enjoying the games within a game and it's keeping him engaged, even if being in the situation means the team is in a less than optimal scenario. I'm not saying I think he enjoys being down 28-3, or that he would necessarily elect to have the clock running up 4 with an opponent on the one-yard line and facing the choice whether to call time out. But I'm also struck with just how comfortable he seems in those moments. I think he does enjoy it on some level. He's gone well past the point where he has to worry about the stuff that less experienced coaches have to worry about in those moments. He knows he's prepared. He knows the team is prepared. He doesn't have anything to prove. He can rely on feel, and judgment, borne of experience. And I think that has to be a really rewarding feeling.

I also think the quote about wanting certain players isn't just that he doesn't want to be around guys he doesn't like, but also that he's probably enjoying the challenge of just coaching up whatever is thrown at him. It's kind of like the drill he puts his players through -- in the middle of practice when they're tired shouting out, "third and four, 2:15 left, no time outs," or whatever. I think in part, he may actually like the challenge of doing that to himself. I doubt very much he's a black and white thinker. I don't think he looked at Collins and thought, "this move is obviously better for the football team." He probably saw it as a 55/45 decision, but at this point, I think he feels free to take the risk. So, it turns out it was really 45/55 -- big deal? Or he takes a flyer in the draft drives us crazy, or does something unconventional like go into the draft with virtually no first and second day picks. Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't. But he's just doing to himself what he does to his players -- throwing a situation at himself with the confidence of knowing that he'll figure it out. I got Jacoby Brissett and a short week? Not ideal, but, fine, let's get to work.
 

Rough Carrigan

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I also think he's reached a certain level of zen in the last few years that he hadn't maybe had before. I have no basis for what I'm going to post other than gut feelings by watching him on the sidelines and hearing some of the things he says (or reading between the lines) when he's interviewed by a good interviewer or in a context where he wants to be forthcoming.

I think he's achieved all there is to achieve. To the extent he ever cared about reputation, his is secure and there's not much left to strive for there or perhaps even to stay engaged. The winning is surely still the reward, but to put what he puts into it, I wouldn't be surprised if what he needs to stay engaged at a high level has changed. I think he seems to derive satisfaction out of the micro stuff. The situations. I think he seems like he takes a lot of satisfaction out of being prepared for difficult, uncommon situations and maybe he's enjoying the games within a game and it's keeping him engaged, even if being in the situation means the team is in a less than optimal scenario. I'm not saying I think he enjoys being down 28-3, or that he would necessarily elect to have the clock running up 4 with an opponent on the one-yard line and facing the choice whether to call time out. But I'm also struck with just how comfortable he seems in those moments. I think he does enjoy it on some level. He's gone well past the point where he has to worry about the stuff that less experienced coaches have to worry about in those moments. He knows he's prepared. He knows the team is prepared. He doesn't have anything to prove. He can rely on feel, and judgment, borne of experience. And I think that has to be a really rewarding feeling.

I also think the quote about wanting certain players isn't just that he doesn't want to be around guys he doesn't like, but also that he's probably enjoying the challenge of just coaching up whatever is thrown at him. It's kind of like the drill he puts his players through -- in the middle of practice when they're tired shouting out, "third and four, 2:15 left, no time outs," or whatever. I think in part, he may actually like the challenge of doing that to himself. I doubt very much he's a black and white thinker. I don't think he looked at Collins and thought, "this move is obviously better for the football team." He probably saw it as a 55/45 decision, but at this point, I think he feels free to take the risk. So, it turns out it was really 45/55 -- big deal? Or he takes a flyer in the draft drives us crazy, or does something unconventional like go into the draft with virtually no first and second day picks. Maybe it will work. Maybe it won't. But he's just doing to himself what he does to his players -- throwing a situation at himself with the confidence of knowing that he'll figure it out. I got Jacoby Brissett and a short week? Not ideal, but, fine, let's get to work.
Very good post.
It's interesting that he's remained engaged and in the moment, still. By the time he was done at age 59, Chuck Noll had lost his sense of the game. In that NFL network feature on the drafting of Elway and Marino they quote Noll as being a deciding voice in passing on Dan Marino saying that they would build the team the same way they did when he first got there, from the defense out. But it wasn't the same league that it had been. You couldn't commit assault and battery on receivers any more. A great quarterback was more important.

By the end of his coaching career at age 65, Don Shula was portrayed, in some articles, as an old man more interested in what the press was saying about him than anything else. That ain't gonna be Bill Belichick.

And at the end of his coaching career at age 64, Tom Landry seemed frozen into the devotion to habits that had once been radical innovations, unable to adjust in response to the reactions to his one time revolutions.

Bill rolls on.
 

cmurphycode

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Feb 9, 2009
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I agree. Interestingly, if you can adapt constantly, spotting trends and finding inefficiencies, then getting older only makes you more effective (at least until you can't handle the mental grind). That's a big "if", of course - and Belichick seems to do it better than most. But as you gain experience evaluating players, strategies, and preparation, you can act with more information as facets of the game change.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Nothing particularly flashy but here is a preview of this season's "3 Games to Glory" (available May 2). Shows Pats running hills in late January. The point is to show how hard they're working even into the post season.

Here is the link to the Pats site with video if you can't view from embedded tweet.


That's an awesome teaser---we all know how it gets tied in, and they don't even need to be explicit about it.

Boy do I love this team.
 

bakahump

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They have fun winning.
Running hills in Late Jan means you have games in Late Jan or early feb, which means your winning.

I am sure running Hills in Jan is alot more fun then running them in Late July or Early August.
 

Dollar

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May 5, 2006
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Ordered the BluRay but also saw that its $13 pre order on iTunes. If the features match I'll return the BluRay
I'm wondering the same thing. The Pro Shop's Blu-Ray version is $49.99 and the trailer says it has over 7 hours of footage, while iTunes only shows a run time of 2 hours 50 minutes. Maybe that's the reason for the price difference, or maybe iTunes mis-priced their version way too low.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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I'm wondering the same thing. The Pro Shop's Blu-Ray version is $49.99 and the trailer says it has over 7 hours of footage, while iTunes only shows a run time of 2 hours 50 minutes. Maybe that's the reason for the price difference, or maybe iTunes mis-priced their version way too low.
I'd split the difference and get it from Amazon. They have it for $37 now. The first 3 3GTG DVDs were pretty much just the games, if I remember correctly, but the last one they put out on Blu-Ray had a ton of other stuff on it.
 

Dollar

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I'd split the difference and get it from Amazon. They have it for $37 now. The first 3 3GTG DVDs were pretty much just the games, if I remember correctly, but the last one they put out on Blu-Ray had a ton of other stuff on it.
Ah, thanks for the info. I have been checking Amazon for it constantly, so they must have just added it recently. This one says run time of 200 minutes so I don't know what to believe anymore.

And you do remember correctly, the last 3GTG was amazing and had tons of features that I had never seen before and was well worth the purchase.
 

simplyeric

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Feb 14, 2006
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They have fun winning.
Running hills in Late Jan means you have games in Late Jan or early feb, which means your winning.

I am sure running Hills in Jan is alot more fun then running them in Late July or Early August.
And every one of those guys now 100% knows it's worth doing. Next time BB tells them to run, they'll run. That's gotta be a great thing about being BB right now: he must have near total buy-in from every player. And any player who isn't on board, well, fuck 'em. It must be easier to be a coach when you have that.
 
They have fun winning.
Running hills in Late Jan means you have games in Late Jan or early feb, which means your winning.

I am sure running Hills in Jan is alot more fun then running them in Late July or Early August.
This is the key. Tom Curran always tells two stories. The first is he was talking to some Saints after their week long, preseason scrimmages with NE. He said the Saints players were surprised how much differently the Pats ran things. The Patriots took practice much more serious, NE's workouts were much harder physically and every second of each day was accounted for. One Saint told him "I've been talking to the Patriots players all week. Those guy are miserable. But hey, it pays off for them in the end and they know that." I'm paraphrasing but the Saint definitely used the word "miserable" .

The other story occurred in the 2014 preseason. Brandon LaFell and Revis were on their way back to their rooms after a long day at camp. LaFell told Revis that he had never worked this hard before. LaFell said, "We better fucking win...because this is ridiculous." Revis agreed and expounded on those thoughts. I think it was McCourty who told them just to keep working and doing what the coaches said and in the end it'll be worth it.

I don't think most players enjoy busting their ass - especially if they aren't used to it. But @simplyeric is correct, Belichick has earned a tremendous amount of trust that he's putting the players in the best position to succeed - individually and as a team. That's gotta be invaluable from a coaching standpoint.

Edit - Grammar
 
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E5 Yaz

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Kraft wants to trademark "Unequivocally the Sweetest"

He's getting to be a tad much
 

joe dokes

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Jul 18, 2005
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But who the hell would want to use Unequivocally the Sweetest?
You never know what the marketing geniuses at Acme Corp will come up with:


http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75qjam.phtml


Jam Hawkers
Written by: Michael O'Donoghue
.....Jane Curtin
.....Chevy Chase
.....Dan Aykroyd
.....John Belushi
.....Garrett Morris



Jane Curtin
: . . . And so, with a name like Fluckers, it’s got to be good

Chevy Chase: Hey, hold on a second, I have a jam here called Nose Hair. Now with a name like Nose Hair, you can imagine how good it must be. MMM MMM!!

Dan Aykroyd: Hold it a minute folks, but are you familiar with a jam called Death Camp? That’s Death Camp! Just look for the barbed wire on the label. With a name like Death Camp it must be so good it’s incredible! Just amazingly good jam!

John Belushi: Wait a minute . . . Dog Vomit, Monkey Pus. We offer you a choice of two of the most repulsive brand names of jams you’ve ever heard of. With names like these, this stuff has got to be terrific. We’re talking fabulous jam here!

Chevy Chase: Save your breath fella! Here’s a new jam we’ve just put out. It’s called Painful Rectal Itch. You’d have to go a long way to find a worse name for a jam. And good? MMM WAH! With a name like Painful Rectal Itch you gotta bet that it’s great . . .

Dan Aykroyd: Mangled Baby Ducks. That’s right, Mangled Baby Ducks! Picture a jam so good that you’d dare to call it Mangled Baby Ducks! Great Jam! It’s beautiful jam!

John Belushi: Wait a minute, wait a minute, this is it - 10,000 Nuns and Orphans.

Jane Curtin: 10,000 Nuns and Orphans? What’s so bad about that?

John Belushi: They were all eaten by rats! Oh, it’s so good! MMM!

Garrett Morris: Hold it, hold it everyone, your attention please, I have here a jam called, Oh God, [mumbles] Ick! Yecch!

Dan Aykroyd: It’s so good it’s sick making!

Chevy Chase: Oh, that’s gotta be great jam!

Jane Curtin: So if it’s great jam you’re after, try this one, the brand so disgusting you can’t say it on television. Ask for it by name!
 

Tony C

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"I started asking him about it and he made this point to me and I shared this with our team. He said, 'At this point in my career, I want to coach guys I like. I want to coach guys I want to be around and that's it and 'I'm not going to coach anybody else.'"
Have not seen the Meyer quote before, but it rings true from life experience.

I'm well into middle age, though younger than BB who turns 65 tomorrow. I thought as I grew older that I would have more patience. True as to some things, but glaringly wrong when it comes to dealing with problem people.

You've accomplished certain things in your career and life, and more than once have been burned by chasing fool's gold. You reach the conclusion that life is too short to be around knuckleheads, people who present situations that stress you out or piss you off. To the extent possible, you drive these people from your life.
I know I'm behind on this thread, but that BB quote hit me strong, too, and agree fully with DC Missile but with a caveat. I've learned the same lessons, but I think the lesson is not just that life is too short to be around knuckleheads (tho it is), but that knuckleheads always fuck you in the end. In football terms, Cincy drafts them every year and every year in the playoffs they fuck up. Cincy shouldn't stop because these guys aren't choir boys. They should stop because knuckleheads are going to be knuckleheads -- be it in football or whatever the various careers we're all in, avoid the foolsgold and stick to people you can trust.
 

TheoShmeo

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I'm not much of a gambler and I wont actually place a bet on this (unless happenstance takes me to Vegas and even then it would be small dollars). But the crazy thing about this off season is that 7:2 looks like a smart bet right now. Meaning I think the odds are actually a little better that they'll win. Nothing is guaranteed, injuries could change things and football is a strange game, but a very good team, with the best QB and HC in the NFL, just made a series of incredibly smart moves. There's a lot to celebrate.
 

Stitch01

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Might be fair odds, but its probably a bad bet, likely smarter/better ways to get your money in on the Pats.
 

BigSoxFan

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Yeah, 11 would have bee great if you could get it. BetOnline has it at 12. I put a nominal amount on that over, as it seems like a push at worst. Forget 12.5.
At 12.5, bet the under. That way, either you win money or your consolation is that your favorite NFL team just went 13-3 or better.
 

djbayko

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At 12.5, bet the under. That way, either you win money or your consolation is that your favorite NFL team just went 13-3 or better.
Nah. I don't agree with this line of thinking. My buddy made a large bet against the Pats in the SB. Is that really going to make you feel better about losing? Now you're just a traitor. Never bet against your team.