The Jump from Assistant to Head Coach

Bill Belichick breaks down the leap from assistant coach to head coach, sharing the challenges, responsibilities, and the mindset shift required to lead a team. A masterclass in leadership from one of the greatest.

[mk-ultramags]

I recently rewatched 'The Two Bills' and just the amount of experience coach had before he got to Cleveland, nevermind the Patriots, was invaluable. You see so many rookie HCs fail to manage even the most basic of tasks. For 20yrs(No it wasn't always perfect), I watched Coach have the Patriots ready to win before they ever stepped on the field. If I have one issue with Mayo, it's that he doesn't seem to have these guys prepared. Listening to this, I can see why. Idek what his support looks like right now. The staff is littered with first time guys. AVP is the only real experienced coach and while he's looking as if he'll be the scapegoat, i truly think he's been the only coach on staff that's actually done well this year, especially considering what he was handed to work with.

[lungi]

I’ve always found it fascinating how success as a coordinator, focusing intensely on one side of the ball, translates to someone immediately being seen as the next head coach. It’s almost as if excelling in that specific area automatically qualifies someone to manage an entire team. But I’ve always thought, the two roles are completely different. Just because someone thrives in a specialized role doesn’t necessarily mean they’re equipped to handle all the other responsibilities of being the head coach. The skill sets don’t always overlap, and I think that’s something that often gets overlooked.

[Bork]

This is why many coaches appreciate coaching more after they’ve been a head coach and are back to being a coordinator or position coach. True even at the high school level, after years of being a head coach I grew to love coaching football more when I took a few years off to be a c team dc. No BS, just coaching.

[marlibread]

Appreciate this, as someone who is ignorant of football. This helps me me understand further how the system works.

[jamesavinson]

I recently read a biography about Bill. It’s good to see that he landed the UNC position!

[Orcasrule]

Interesting insight! Totally explain why so many coordinators are better coordinators than head coaches. It’s a totally different job

[angelvalle]

The Patriots should give this guy a interview 😉😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆

[Jackllewellynn]

Greatest football mind of all time not even close. No one in the convo with bill.

[박철수-jh]

This is why I don't understand how its always the hot shot offensive coordinators that get the head coaching jobs, this year its Ben Johnson, who are the most coveted. A lot of the skills that a head coach needs don't overlap with clever play calling and X's and O's.

[gsyl]

I think he just explained, in a respectful way, why Mayo was fired and how Kraft failed at grooming him before hiring him. During Belichick's last year, Kraft should have had Mayo involved in the HC duties as a training/testing period and maybe they both could have realized sooner it's not a fit.

[jpete]

Kyle Shanahan should watch this. He still thinks he’s just an offensive coordinator.

[brandonryce]

He must also be talking about him as a GM. Because he legit was both HC and GM in New England

[kenwestbrooks]

'Coulda Ended Up Back There Next Season... Hey, Go HEELS!
❤BILL
❤TAR HEELS 😊

[NoellaScott]

I feel like I could easily be an MLB manager after watching since birth, playing for years, being a coach with kids, etc. I could take over the Yankees tomorrow.

I could never even fathom being an NFL head coach. I couldn’t be an assistant. It’s insaneeee what they do.

[rtractiongamer]

"He don't have to play Doc, all he's gotta do is kick." Bill Parcells

[kerry]

Giants owner, John Mara, needs to take notes from this.

[nickalbukerk]

Huh - you mean the Bears always hiring 1st time head coaches on the fly who have only been - a quarterback’s coach is a bad idea?! Shock!

[Slimjim]

You did a great job job in Cleveland I thought

[joemckim]

The best head coaches are guys who're good at being CEOs. Its good if a HC can contribute to offense and defense planning but its more important if he hires competent OCs and DCs to handle those jobs on a daily basis.

[Jeff-gevj]

Also didn’t help management was one leg out of the door with wanting to move the team out of Cleveland