The Chiefs and Falcons didn’t acquire controversial players, nor did they tweak their systems. What they did was spend money. A lot of it. The Chiefs began free agency by signing former Arizona Cardinal Steve Breaston, a good complementary receiver who Chiefs head coach Todd Haley knew from his days as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator. Breaston got $9 million in guaranteed money, or $26 million less than Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali, a gifted pass rusher. The Hali deal assured the Chiefs of having two of their defensive anchors, Hali and safety Eric Berry, locked into long-term deals through the middle of the decade.
In Atlanta, Thomas Dimitroff was able to find a pass rusher. Former Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards was signed to a deal that called for $11 million in guarantees. In Minnesota, Edwards didn’t always believe that former head coach Brad Childress treated his players like men; in Atlanta, he was almost assured of finding the opposite in the straightforward and fair Mike Smith. Under Dimitroff and Smith, the Falcons had run a 4–3 defense since 2008. It meant that they didn’t usually find themselves looking for the same defensive players as the Patriots. But when free agency began and they found themselves discussing adding Edwards, apparently he had also gotten the attention of New England. Ultimately, the Patriots decided that he wasn’t a match for them, and the Falcons were in position to happily sign him to a contract.
Despite the chaos of the lengthy lockout, each team went into the 2011 season believing that it was better than the year before, when all three won their divisions and two were top seeds. Each team had begun to take on distinct identities that were respectful yet different from one another.
The Patriots, the philosophical home base for the other two, seemed to be the most in transition. They were going to install that new defense, and they were going to do it with Belichick once again as the unofficial defensive coordinator. There was also the guesswork of the locker room, with the same question being asked week to week: Is this Patriot leadership group strong enough to straighten out a guy like Haynesworth, as previous groups were able to deal with Corey Dillon and Randy Moss?
The Falcons entered the season with a quiet confidence. Whereas Scott Pioli believed that the Chiefs needed to fortify several positions between 2010 and 2011, Dimitroff thought the Falcons needed to add some subtle pieces and get over some psychological hurdles (like finally beating a team like the Philadelphia Eagles). Dimitroff and Pioli, ironically, were still mindful of their Patriots training when it came to acquiring players, so they weren’t necessarily above acquiring high-risk players, just cautious of it, but they did not believe Haynesworth or Ochocinco, the former a high-risk player and the latter a high-attention one, were good fits for their locker rooms.
The major differences between the Falcons and Chiefs were defensive schemes, 4–3 vs. 3–4, and the collective maturity of the roster. The Patriots were different from the other two simply because of the three Super Bowl titles, which gave Belichick much more confidence, not to mention latitude with the public, to try unconventional things. Ultimately, though, the three team leaders, birthed from the same system, had one goal in common, a goal not achieved since February 2005: to stand on a podium holding the Lombardi Trophy.
Acknowledgments
As far back as 2004, when my first book was published, I’ve thought of writing about the process of team-building and drafting. There was a chapter in that book, Patriot Reign, that touched on the process, but it’s always gnawed at me for that reason: It touched on the process. There are several steps that scouts and evaluators go through before they think of which names to call on draft day, and I wanted to explore that journey more thoroughly.
In a sense, I think many of us do. The popularity of the NFL draft and fantasy football has made amateur team-builders of us all, leading to as much second-guessing for the people who put teams together as those who play in the games. I’m not ashamed to admit that analyzing how teams are built has been a nerdy obsession of mine for as long as I can remember. A couple years ago, I had the thought of “doing something” on the draft with the New England Patriots as the centerpiece. What you’re holding today is possible thanks to dozens of people who helped me bring that undefined thought into focus.
It was quite a blessing to be able to focus at all. In the early stages of reporting and researching, there was a surprising phone call from my wife, Oni. She was a few months pregnant and had gone for what we expected to be a routine appointment. Instead, she was told that she was being placed on immediate bed rest. It was a frightening time, although neither of us admitted just how frightened we were until after our son was born in December 2010, one month early but with no complications. I don’t know how she was able to do it, but Oni made everything seem normal while being a constant supporter of this project. I often told my editor, Mauro DiPreta, that my wife was just as exacting as he was when it came to staying on a writing schedule. There are many reasons it’s been a privilege to live in New England the last seventeen years, but number one is that this is the region where I met Oni, an incredible mother, my inspiration, and my best friend.
My literary family, agent Basil Kane and editor DiPreta, went to another level in the last couple years. I’ve always had good professional relationships with both of them, but we’ve grown to the point where we’re friends and the titles are secondary. Kane is always there with fatherly advice (“Make sure you stay in shape … and hug the kids for me”), and DiPreta has the rare ability to be brutally honest and critical while also encouraging. I’m lucky to have them both on my side. Thanks also to Aja Pollock and Jen Schulkind, who saved me more times than I can count.
There would be no book if the three principal characters, Bill Belichick, Thomas Dimitroff, and Scott Pioli, weren’t so secure. It’s uncommon in the increasingly spin-conscious world of pro sports to allow an author access without receiving some assurances in return. All three agreed to share insights about their organizations and themselves without ever asking to be in control of, or asking to see, what was written. They were generous enough to endure my lurking as well as my questions and requests for more than a year, although I may have gone too far when I peppered Pioli with questions a couple days before day one of the draft. “Do you realize I have a draft to get ready for?” he said. “When I get fired, maybe you’ll be kind enough to let my family live in your attic.” Teasing aside, all three men provided quite an education on my favorite sport, and I’m thankful for that.
The teams for which they work were extremely helpful, too. Arthur Blank and Clark Hunt were accommodating and generous with their time. Robert Kraft and his entire family have maintained the same level of professionalism over the years. I’ve attended many games in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and seen the passion of Patriots fans. It was fun to witness a similar level of devotion in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium and in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. The achievements of Belichick, Dimitroff, and Pioli wouldn’t be as meaningful without their observant and critical fans.
Each organization has several people in it, or affiliated with it, who contributed to this project and helped me connect some loose ends. I’d rather not put them all in a cluster, so I’ll break them down region by region:
Atlanta: Helen Dimitroff, Angeline Bautista-Dimitroff, Stephanie Blank, Kim Schreckengost, Mike Smith, Lionel Vital, Reggie Roberts, Laura Moore, Les Snead, Darryl Orlando Ledbetter, DeJuan Polk, Ran Carthon, Nick Polk, Dave Caldwell, Marvin Allen, Steve Sabo, Dean Stamoulis, Brian Cearns.
Kansas City: Dallas Pioli, Emily Claver, Daniel Hunt, Ryan Petkoff, Todd Haley, Phil Emery, Jay Muraco, Romeo Crennel, Anthony Pleasant, Otis Smith, Maurice Carthon, Jim Nagy, Joel Collier, Brad Gee, Pam Kramer, Joe Posnanski, Pete Moris, Field Yates, Ralph Marchant, Tripp MacCracken.
New England: Berj Najarian, Stacey James, Tedy Bruschi, Troy Brown, Vince Wilfork, Bianca Wilfork, Rosevelt Colvin, Ellis Hobbs, Josh McDaniels, Eric Mangini, Lenny Clarke.
Special thanks also to Ted Crews of the Saint Louis Rams, who went far above and beyond t
he call of duty to set up an interview with head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Roland Williams, who was a member of the Raiders when they lost the Tuck Rule game to the Patriots in 2002, was kind enough to recall each key moment of the game, even though it still bothers him to this day. Mike Lombardi, Belichick’s director of player personnel in Cleveland, answered numerous questions about the conception and development of the draft system the Patriots, Chiefs, and Falcons use today. Neil Swidey, a terrific author, encouraged me even as he was at work on his own book. He sent frequent texts, sometimes to help me out of ruts and sometimes just to say hello. My bosses and colleagues at WEEI radio have been positive and helpful, from telling me to write more books (easier said than done, right?) to giving me the time to complete these projects. Alice Darling Secretarial Services in Cambridge, Massachusetts, put me at ease with flawless transcription work.
As usual, my extended family was supportive and understanding when I disappeared for long stretches of time as I tried to complete this book. Thanks and love to the Holley, Soberanis, Igartua-Preston, Johnson, Shakur, Robinson, Green, Cravanas, and Sales families.
Photographic Insert
Bill Belichick had big ideas about turning the Browns into winners. He had an all-star cast on his coaching and personnel staffs, but when it was time to bring his scientific player-evaluation system to the field, he wasn’t surrounded by enough of the right players. (John H. Reid/Getty Images)
Not many people in America expected red, white, and blue confetti to be falling on the New England Patriots after facing the mighty Saint Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. The game’s MVP was quarterback Tom Brady, pictured here celebrating next to Belichick’s father, Steve (blue sweater). (Heinz Kluetmeier/Getty Images)
Belichick hired Scott Pioli as a low-paid scouting assistant in 1992. Ten years later, Belichick and Pioli became synonymous with team-building at a championship level. (Courtesy of AP Photos)
After a letdown in 2002, the Patriots needed reinforcements. Pioli and Patriots owner Robert Kraft found a safety with the temperament of a linebacker in free agent Rodney Harrison. A couple of longtime Patriots veterans had to train Harrison how to be their kind of enforcer. (Courtesy of AP Photos)
Wide receiver Randy Moss was a controversial acquisition for the Patriots in 2007. Touchdown catches like this one against the Cincinnati Bengals became so routine that it carried Moss, Brady, and the Patriots to a historic regular season. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
For six seasons, Michael Vick wasn’t just the Falcons’ quarterback; he was one of Atlanta’s most dazzling entertainers, too. But in 2007, his secret life brought the franchise to its knees. (Atlanta Falcons/Jimmy Cribb)
One of the best decisions Arthur Blank and a few partners made came in 1978, when they cofounded retail giant the Home Depot. Thirty years later, the stylish owner of the Falcons had to figure out the best way to restore trust and stability to the team. (Atlanta Falcons/Jimmy Cribb)
When Belichick and Thomas Dimitroff first worked together, it was a head coach—groundskeeper relationship. Years later they would speak as fellow team-builders. (Atlanta Falcons/Jimmy Cribb)
Dimitroff witnessed the seamless relationship between Belichick and Pioli in New England. He wanted to have something similar with his head coach in Atlanta. He interviewed bigger names, like Rex Ryan, but went with the smart and steady Mike Smith. (Atlanta Falcons/Jimmy Cribb)
Many Belichick disciples were able to leave Foxboro and still enjoy a good relationship with their mentor. But this photo of Belichick and former Jets and Browns head coach Eric Mangini, who used to be one of Belichick’s star pupils, says it all. (Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
Lionel Vital has worked with two generations of Dimitroffs. When Thomas got the job in Atlanta, one of his first calls was to Vital, a man who always gives unfiltered analyses of players. (Atlanta Falcons/Jimmy Cribb)
AFL founder Lamar Hunt, playing football here with five-year-old son Clark in 1970, is credited with numerous sports innovations. One is naming the Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won in January 1970—and haven’t returned to since. (Courtesy of AP Photos)
Clark Hunt had no idea that Pioli had connections to the Chiefs long before Kansas City asked permission to interview him. Hunt thought getting Pioli to interview was a coup; having him accept the offer to be general manager was even better. (Courtesy of AP Photos)
Quarterback Matt Cassel’s fortunes literally changed when Brady was injured against the Chiefs in the first game of the 2008 season. The next time Cassel saw a Kansas City uniform, he was wearing it and Pioli was once again one of his bosses. (Courtesy of AP Photos)
Officially, the drafting of Alabama receiver Julio Jones was an organizational decision shared by the likes of Blank and Smith. But Dimitroff had begun dreaming of the possibility six months before it happened. On the afternoon of the draft, Dimitroff told one of the people he respects most in the league of his plan to acquire Jones. The response was “I wouldn’t do it.” (Atlanta Falcons/Jimmy Cribb)
Pioli, a student of NFL history, hired the son of a legendary scout as his first head coach. Todd Haley’s scouting genes allowed him to see a lot, and his fiery tongue was a guarantee that he’d always share what he saw. (Courtesy of AP Photos)
Belichick often gave a young Pioli unsolicited family advice. And to this day, when he’s on the job, Pioli has managed to stay close to his eight-year-old daughter, Mia. (Courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs)
About the Author
MICHAEL HOLLEY is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Patriot Reign, Never Give Up (with Tedy Bruschi), and Red Sox Rule. He was a Boston Globe sportswriter for ten years and is currently the cohost of The Big Show on Boston sports radio station WEEI. Holley lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons.
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Praise for Other Works
PRAISE FOR PATRIOT REIGN
“The oft-inscrutable Belichick is given a human face…. Patriot Reign is irresistible for football fans, connoisseurs of football coaches and, indeed, students of successful businesses.”
—Boston Herald
“For devoted New England fans or those interested in the makings of a professional football organization, Patriot Reign is required reading.”
—Boston Globe
“Enlightening…. An X-and-O guy’s dream … the best thing I’ve read on football in recent years…. Superb.”
—Peter King, Sports Illustrated
“A fly-on-the-wall look at how a champion is assembled….”
—New York Times Book Review
PRAISE FOR RED SOX RULE
“Engaging…. Holley puts Francona’s managing style in perspective through accounts of his hard-luck playing career, descriptions of cantankerous managers of the past, and analysis of how the game has evolved over the years.”
—Providence Journal-Bulletin
“Extremely insightful into how being a manager of a major league team has evolved, and how Francona has become the embodiment of that evolution.”
—Providence Journal
“An inside look at how Francona manages games and his ballclub…. Fascinating.”
—Kennebec Journal (Maine)
Credits
Cover design by Adam Johnson
Cover photographs © by David Lee/Shutterstock Images
Title typeface courtesy of Agence Eureka
Copyright
WAR ROOM. Copyright © 2011 by Michael Holley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the
express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-208239-8
EPub Edition © NOVEMBER 2011 ISBN: 9780062082411
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War Room Page 37