Chapter 3 Summary

Bill Belichick was hired by the New England Patriots as head coach on February 14, 2000. The team was his responsibility now, and the Patriots were in bad shape as a group. There was no leadership and morale was low; the team had been in decline for the past several years. The majority of players were split between green recruits who were years from their peak and experienced players who were past their prime. Out of six additional draft picks the Patriots had received as compensation for losing Parcells, only one had turned out to be a performer who was soon badly injured. The team was also ten million dollars over their salary cap. Bad oversight resulted in overpaying average players, but not compensating talented ones; which resulted in good players leaving.

Belichick started work immediately in finding new talent, specifically in finding players with...