Ernie Adams

So if they were at 60% chance, it dropped to 51.1% chance of winning the game, right? You get what I'm saying.

So those little things are the things that Bill Belichick and Ernie Adams were always watching for.

So the field goal... thing the Ryan Pagnetti post that went viral this year about the Patriots video board having the field goal polls posts and then I ran the numbers of you know how much more what what was a kicker's baseline across these years and how much did their baseline shift in New England it was basically worth one missed field goal per season as in you know we can't say that it was definitely because of the video board thing but across those years when Belichick was the coach the the Foxborough was the toughest stadium for opposing kickers to kick at in the NFL across that span of time.

And there was the kickers against their own personal baseline were roughly across a full season, roughly one missed kick per season worse.

Quote, End quote.

The book also charts Belichick's relationships with the most important people in his football life, such as his friendship with longtime collaborator Ernie Adams, and his not-quite-friendship with Bill Parcells, under whom Belichick first made a name for himself on the national stage as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants.

Halberstam carefully explores the difference between Belichick and Parcells.

Quote, Belichick was much less skilled than Parcells at reaching his players emotionally and thereby challenging them to do more.

He learned under some incredible people.

I mean, Charlie Weiss and Ernie Adams and Bill Belichick.

And he learned on some really, really good football coaches.

And he knows that he has to do things that are that his quarterback can do.

And maybe Shottie is at a point where he can't take over more stuff.

But there was a book recently, and it's about Belichick's guy, the old math guy, Ernie Adams, I think is his name.

And Ernie Adams is talking about how many times Bill Belichick would MF him.

and just tell him to shut up, and he would just override it.

Wow.

Mm-hmm

... will be like, "I hate analytics," and yet he had Ernie Adams, who was, like, the, basically the godfather-

Yeah

... of football analytics, so.

Yeah, which is really interesting when you look at it, guys, because now there's all these teams that have analytics guys.

You know, they have their Stretch, they have their Ernie Adams, the guy that's supposed to be in your ear telling you about that stuff and sort of telling you what to do.

I, I think personally, it, it has to do with the idea of so many of these coaches now are so enveloped on one side of the ball, and they're involved in the play calling.

And I've always said a lot of those guys, like the stadium could be on fire around them, and they're just looking at the laminated play sheet, and they'd have no idea.