Bill Belichick continues to snort in the face of advanced analytics
Bill Belichick is already on the record taking a dump on the idea that advanced analytics have an impact on football games for the Patriots.
The crusade apparently continued during a recent GM summit that also included Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, among others. According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who covered the event from a Falcons perspective, Belichick at one point expressed more displeasure with analytics, and Reid shared his sentiment.
“I’d prefer good football players, good fundamentals, and good execution,” Belichick reportedly #Falcons take part in GM forum, QB summit — #Patriots Bill Belichick and #Chiefs Andy Reid are not fans of analytics. “I’d prefer good players, good fundamentals and good execution,” Belichick said. https://t.co/8ofx1y4qol pic.twitter.com/KIEWAdnS5p
It’s impossible to believe that Belichick has never “used analytics” as a head coach or GM. When he said during a press conference in Sept. 2019 that advanced stats had “less than zero” importance in decisions like what to do on fourth down, that had to be an exaggeration.
But Belichick almost certainly has an edge over most other head coaches in the National Football League who rely more heavily on analytics for decision-making, with his mastery of situational football and game flow. Advanced metrics often disregard elements that only pertain to the specific situation in the particular game happening at that moment. Someone may tell Belichick that the Patriots’ chances of winning increase by whatever percent if they went for it on this fourth-and-3, but Belichick might respond “Yeah but their defense is dominating, our quarterback isn’t executing, and I don’t see them going 97 yards in 90 seconds if we punt. So we’re punting.” *Spits on the paper*
Is some nerd with a spreadsheet going to question Belichick, and his near-five decades of experience and 311 combined regular-season & playoff wins? Especially after the way he stared down Pete Carroll and let the clock wind all the way to Malcolm Butler snagging that ball from Russell Wilson?
“Well, I’m not saying it’s a gut thing,” Belichick said during the aforementioned 2019 presser. “It’s an individual analysis based on the things that are pertinent to that game and that situation. I don’t really care what happened in 1973 and what those teams did or didn’t do, I don’t really think that matters in this game – or ’83 or ’90, you know, pick out whatever year you want. It’s not really my thing. And I like math, too, by the way. I really do. I like math.”
The last part of that quote is why Belichick surely looks at the math problems sometimes. He just doesn’t use it as a crutch, nor as a total replacement for situational awareness and eye tests. He and Reid are still the league’s two best coaches for a reason. The equations can only take you so far, until your execution comes into play. At some point, you have to draw the line between numbers and humans.
You can’t win the Super Bowl without humans.
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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
