Here’s one thing Bill Belichick has been right about all along.
The New England Patriots head coach explained in a video NFL Films published Wednesday why he believes criticizing players is one of the most useful methods of improving them as individuals and the team as a whole. The video clip shows a younger Belichick sternly urging Patriots players to execute perfectly, and he explains in an interview why criticism is so important in football and perhaps the wider world.
“I don’t see how you can improve unless you can accept constructive criticism,” Belichick says. “I don’t know how you can get any better.
“That’s what a football team has to do. It has to accept constructive criticism, recognize what it didn’t do well or where it’s weaknesses are and then improve on them to get better.
“I mean, we’re gonna sit in here and tell them what they did wrong and tell them, you know, what we think is not sufficient. If that’s gonna take the player to say ‘oh, well he’s picking on me,’ and just shut it down and build up a wall and not accept any coaching, how’s he going to get any better? It won’t happen.”
If you focus on your weaknesses and can accept constructive criticism the sky is the limit for you and your team.#WednesdayWisdom | @Patriots pic.twitter.com/Qm34q8XhNX
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) April 22, 2020
Belichick is a notoriously demanding coach, and not every player he has come across has coped with his scrutiny.
However, his teams’ results and achievements speak for themselves: a record six Super Bowl championships as Patriots head coach, two more as an assistant with the New York Giants as well as over 300 wins during his legendary career.
