Bring forth a coach who is happy in defeat, and you’ll find a coach who doesn’t put enough of his soul into his job.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has taken plenty of heat for the way he handled himself Sunday following the team’s 33-14 playoff loss to the Ravens. His team couldn’t get out of its own way, and the Pats had their worst performance of the entire season in all three phases of the game.
When Belichick stepped to the podium, he offered a series of moody, one-sentence answers that provided little explanation for the Patriot pounding, which angered pundits.
Yesterday, Belichick evidentially thought better of his performance and addressed the media for a half-hour to discuss the loss, the Patriots’ offseason self-evaluation process and how that will lead to their improvement in 2010. Once the emotional overflow wore off, Belichick was more candid, and he even addressed his previous day’s actions.
“Our season ended. It’s the finality of it,” Belichick said. “[It’s like] you’re on a treadmill, and you hit the stop button, it stops and you fall off. And that’s where you’re at in the NFL playoffs.”
Throughout Belichick’s successes and failures in his coaching career, he’s been consistent with his machinelike demeanor, and his players have thrived while emulating Belichick’s traits. But the fact is, Belichick is human and should probably be afforded the right to get mad when his season ends.
As Belichick said yesterday, “What was there to be upbeat about [after the loss]?”
Would it have made the Patriots’ 19-point loss any easier to stomach if Belichick showed up to his news conference with a smile and a picnic basket full of rose pedals? Would it have allowed them to replay a first quarter in which they were outscored by 24 points?
If Belichick was overjoyed after the loss, that would be reason to worry.
