NFL: The ruthlessness of "The Patriot Way"

The New England Patriots, love them or hate them, are one of the most successful franchises in the history of professional football. Since the introduction of the salary cap in 1994, no team has managed the kind of consistent success that the Patriots have enjoyed.

In large part, that success is attributed to head coach Bill Belichick’s unique philosophical approach; a philosophy that has come to be known simply as “The Patriot Way”. This mysterious concept is actually quite a basic premise. It revolves around simple ideas rules, for the players, for the scouts, for the coaching staff and for Belichick himself, that are enforced without exception and without hesitation.

From a personnel standpoint, Belichick’s concept is one that the famously media-shy coach has said time and time again in press conferences and interviews: “I did what I thought was best for the team.”

Nothing and no-one will ever be put before the needs of the team as a whole, and that relates to everything; not just the players on the field, but the personnel department, finance, marketing, PR. Every aspect of the team is considered when decisions are made. If Belichick believes that keeping hold of a player would be detrimental to the team in any way, he won’t hesitate to cut them. The Pats head coach is one of the few in the National Football League with the audacity and confidence to do that – to let any player go, no matter who that player is or how unpopular it would be to cut him. I have no doubt that Belichick would even cut Tom Brady if he thought it was the best decision for the team.

That approach has not always been a popular one. In fact, it was this aspect of his management style that contributed to his dismissal from his first head coaching post in Cleveland. In 1993, Belichick decided that incumbent quarterback and local hero Bernie Kosar had diminished to the point where he was not the right man for the job anymore. To the outrage of the Browns fans and local media alike, the head coach did the unthinkable and cut him. He was ostracised by the Cleveland community after that, and never regained their support before being fired in 1995.

While the ruthless philosophy hasn’t cost the future hall of fame coach his job in New England, he has cut an unpopular figure at times over the years with some of his more unsentimental transactions. His ruthlessness in personnel matters has become the stuff of legend in NFL circles, and there are countless examples to look at over the years.

Drew BledsoeDuring the 1990s, Bledsoe was considered the face of the Patriots franchise. In March 2001, the star quarterback was signed to a then-record 10 year contract worth $103 million. However, after the emergence of Tom Brady in the 2001 season following an early season injury to Bledsoe, the former Patriots star never regained his place in the team despite his contract and his position in Patriots history. He was traded to Buffalo in 2002.

Lawyer Milloy

One of the best defensive backs the Patriots have ever employed, Milloy gained 3 All-Pro selections (1998, 1999, 2001) during his time in New England and was part of the Patriots All-1990s team. In 2001, he led the Patriots with 113 tackles. He was also one of star quarterback Tom Brady’s best friends on the team.

But Milloy had a disappointing season in 2002, and in the 2003 off-season Belichick wasn’t happy with neither Milloy nor the $4.5 M cap space his contract was taking up. After failing to renegotiate to reduce the cap number, Milloy was released by the Patriots five days before the opening game of the 2003 season. Of all Belichick’s roster moves, this may have been the most unpopular among fans and players alike.

Richard Seymour

Seymour was part of all three Superbowl winning New England teams, and was also a four time All-Pro selection at defensive tackle during his time with the Pats. In September 2009, the Patriots traded him to the Oakland Raiders for a first-round pick in the 2011 Draft. With Seymour entering the final year of his contract, Belichick saw it as too good a deal to pass up. During the episode, the Boston Herald reported that Seymour felt “blindsided” by the trade.

Tiquan Underwood

Tiquan Underwood is not a household name by any standards. He was a backup wide receiver for the Patriots in the 2011 season, and was made famous by perhaps the cruellest of Belichick’s many personnel decisions. On February 4, 2012, the night before the Patriots played in Superbowl XLVI, Underwood was released to make room on the roster for defensive end Alex Silvestro.

Wes Welker

Wes Welker is one of the most productive players the Patriots have ever had, and his resume is so good it almost seems made up. He was the first (and only) receiver in NFL history with at least three 110-reception seasons, and the first with five 100-reception seasons. Since joining the Patriots in 2007, Welker has caught more passes than any player in the league, and ranks in the top five in yardage. He was selected to the Pro Bowl, the All-Pro Team, or both, in every season of his outstanding Patriots career.

However, following the 2012 season, the Patriots and Welker could not agree on a new contract, and in March 2013 Welker signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos. Reports suggested that Belichick was happy to see the 32 year old Welker leave, as he had already agreed a deal with the much younger Danny Amendola, who will take over Welker’s role in the Patriots offence in 2013.

Kyle Love

The latest decision that Belichick has made for the good of the team came last week, when he cut defensive tackle Kyle Love. This one feels a little different than the others though. This one wanders into an ethically questionable area that makes many observers, even the most loyal Belichick fans, a little uncomfortable. Love’s dismissal was not based on age, a lack of productivity or locker room chemistry. It happened solely because Love was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Some may think that what Belichick has done is deplorable. After all, Love’s condition was (arguably) out of his own control, and the chances are that with modern medicine and expert help, he will be able to manage his diabetes and still be an effective player in the NFL. In fact, he has already been signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars roster after spending less than a week as a free agent. So obviously there are teams that think he can still play ball.

However, the fact is that sentiment, while admirable, is not a useful quality to an NFL head coach, or any professional sports coach for that matter. Personal attachments to players can be devastating to the success of an organisation, and a coach needs to put himself above that. He needs to detach in order to be in the right frame of mind to make the tough decisions he will face on a daily basis.

Belichick does that better than most. He carries with him a rare ability to compartmentalise; to ignore his affection for players and take a purely dispassionate approach in order to make the best possible decisions for the football team. In the case of Kyle Love, he probably got it right. The Patriots had every right to cut the defensive tackle if they thought that his play would be affected by his condition. Perhaps he will have to lose some of his 315lb playing for health reasons. That loss of bulk alone could seriously damage his effectiveness as a run stuffer.

It would be wrong to mistake Belichick’s personnel decisions as an sign that he doesn’t care about his players. He is not the emotionless monster that the media portrays him to be. As I said before, I have no doubt that Belichick would cut Brady if he thought it was the best decision for the team, but that does not mean that he doesn’t care about his quarterback. His friendship with Tom Brady is well-known.

In fact, Belichick carries a deep caring for a lot of his players, and the evidence of that is clear for those who want to see it. Just watch Tedy Bruschi’s retirement press conference, where Belichick appeared unusually emotional, saying “How do I feel about Tedy Bruschi in five seconds? He’s a perfect player.” The admiration goes both ways too. When the Patriots won their first Superbowl title in 2002, the first two people to run to Belichick and embrace him were his daughter, Amanda, and Lawyer Milloy.

The Patriot way is unpopular because people don’t like Belichick’s cold, calculated approach in what is such an openly emotional sport. Passionate NFL coaches like Seattle’s Pete Carroll and San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh, who are often seen jumping around on the sidelines and give much more interesting and revealing press conferences, are far more popular in the NFL among fans and media personnel. That is understandable.

But it is Belichick’s unpopular approach that has set the Patriots apart from the pack. It is this approach that has directly led Belichick to an unprecedented 3 Superbowl championships, 5 AFC Championships and 10 playoff appearances in 12 years. The kind of respect that he commands is unequalled in the NFL; and only a few men in the entire professional sports world will ever experience it.

He got to that pedestal because of his ruthlessness; that ability to separate business from personal, to put the team before absolutely everything else, including personal relationships and his own popularity. And in the long run, it has paid off.

Would Patriots fans have liked to have seen Wes Welker or Lawyer Milloy stay in New England? Sure. Would it have given everyone a warm, fuzzy feeling to have kept Kyle Love on the roster and offered to help manage his diabetes? Of course it would. But when the chips are down, Patriots fans are always going to trust their head coach, a man with five Superbowl rings and a ready-made bust just sat waiting for him in the Hall of Fame.

So some may criticise the Patriot Way for its stony nature. Some may say that what Belichick is doing is heartless, cold and wrong. But what can never be disputed is that, right or wrong, the Patriot Way works.