The Patriots Dynasty — What can businesses learn from the most successful franchise
With 1st and Goal in the 4th quarter of 2019 Superbowl, the Patriots decide to run the ball into the end zone, to score a touchdown, using a rookie running back instead of passing the ball using their G.O.A.T quarterback.
The call was made based on the situation to win the game rather than please a star QB and improve his stats.
In a somewhat similar situation in 2015 Superbowl, the Seahawks called a pass play against the Patriots leading to an unlikely win for the Patriots from the jaws of defeat. This play summarizes what the Patriots are made of.
The Patriots have shown us time and again what an “average” well-coached team can achieve against star-studded rosters. But how they have been doing it for such a long time is a lesson for every team in every business irrespective of the field.
No one is above the team
Bill Belichick has had so many coordinators and assistants leave him to take up head coaching jobs over the years but none of them have been as successful as him.
These assistants almost always try to emulate what they had in New England but it never seems to work.
The decision to run the ball in 1st and Goal with a rookie for the only Touchdown in the game not only showed us that no one was above the team but a leader in Tom Brady who was ready to accept a diminished role in the game and shine the light on a rookie. Belichick could have thrown the ball to make his star QB happy, but that’s not what he called.
The Belichick-Brady marriage has been successful over the years because of Brady, who was willing to take one for the team (like his reduced compensation) and Belichick, who creates a game plan to win rather than please his star players.
Never forget that neither Tom Brady nor Belichick was in the G.O.A.T conversation before they were a team. Brady was never a highly touted QB out of college nor was Belichick successful as head coach before New England.
Team chemistry trumps Talent
There is a famous saying which goes like “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard”.
This can be modified for a team sport to be more like “team chemistry beats talent when talents don’t have chemistry in the team”.
Any team can have star-studded talents lined up but without chemistry, it wouldn’t matter. This is one area where the New England Patriots have shined through the years.
Most people might argue about team chemistry within the Patriots citing the rumors from the last offseason, but what people don’t realize is, even if the rumors were true, the Patriots have always had professional chemistry.
There might have been a difference of opinion in the locker room, there might have been unpleasant conversations but in the end, everyone held each other accountable to do their job. Even in bad defeats, no single person would stand up in the podium discussing team issues as we have seen in other franchises.
Everyone did their job no matter what the issue was like we would see in a family. This is built into the team DNA and one of the main pillars behind their successful 18-year run.
For a guy like Brady to let Belichick treat him like every other player after 18 years in the game and still be the leader in the locker room that Belichick wants him to be, sets the tone for the rest of the team.
Lack of a team leader like Tom Brady to execute the game-plan designed by Belichick is exactly the reason why none of the Belichick’s assistants have been successful as a head coach.
Brady and Belichick will forever be one of the greatest sports duo in any team sport ever, thanks to their chemistry on and off the field. Replicating Belichick’s method could be easy for his assistants but replicating the culture at New England and the relationship that Belichick holds with Tom can never be replicated. We could all learn a thing or two from the Patriots dynasty!
