If there is one head coach who arguably has borne the brunt of the NFL’s trials and tribulations, it is Bill Belichick. So, who better to offer his pearls of wisdom than the coach with over 50 years of experience?
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As Robert Saleh becomes the latest victim of this cutthroat nature of the league, Belichick promptly put on his advice hat for Saleh, sharing the insights that once helped him navigate a similar situation.
In the latest episode of “Coach with Bill Belichick,” the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach and his crew shed light on the recent events around the New York Jets, especially the Robert Saleh situation.
As former coaches, Bill and his crew clearly had a soft spot for Saleh and thus advised the former Jets honcho on how to get out of the pit that he found himself in.
As per Belichick, the best way to deal with this problem is by keeping things simple. He urged Saleh to treat this as any other setback in his life and to introspect on it in the same manner.
The Croatian also encouraged Saleh to do an in-depth analysis of his time in New York, figuring out his mistakes and where he could have done better.
“For better or for worse, take the experience, learn from it, figure out what you could have done better or maybe what you would do in a different situation, and understand what the issues were that you could learn from.”
Rather than being bitter about the sacking, channeling that energy into improving his shortcomings is solid advice.
However, for most former coaches, time off the field can feel like a nightmare. Fortunately, Belichick even had a solution for Saleh if he felt this way.
Belichick urges Saleh to work under a coach
The former Patriots head coach told Saleh that if he gets an opportunity to coach right away, he should consider it. He then admitted that what helped him personally after his Cleveland Browns sacking was working under Coach Bill Parcells in New England.
Belichick further elaborated that working under Parcells helped him take a backseat and observe the coaching process without stress. Just one year under his tutelage really helped Bill grow as a coach as he also realized the mistakes that he made in Cleveland.
“For me, after leaving Cleveland, working for Coach Parcells was really refreshing. It kind of gave me a chance to sit back and watch him do it, having been in that seat when I was at the Giants. I just had never been a head coach.”
“So I learned a lot more that way (under Parcells) and learned that there were some mistakes that I made at Cleveland,” he continued.
It’s moves like this that helped Belichick achieve the success that he did. Lowering your ego and demoting yourself as an assistant head coach to learn requires immense love for self-improvement.
So, the task for Robert Saleh is simple: follow Bill Belichick’s advice. When the GOAT HC says something, it’s more or less the correct advice!
