War Room: Bill Belichick and the Patriot Legacy

Description

Michael Holley takes readers to the front offices and closed-door meetings at three of the top NFL teams, where he explores the victories and the disappointments, and the risks and the rewards taken by three of the greatest master strategists in the game: Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, Scott Pioli of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Thomas Dimitroff of the Atlanta Falcons. War Room follows Belichick, Pioli, and Dimitroff through the entire 2010 season-from training camp 2010, through the Super Bowl, and into the April draft-exploring the personal connections of the three men and the increasing influence of the Patriot way. Belichick and Pioli have been friends since the 1980s, when Belichick was a young coordinator for the New York Giants. They worked together in Cleveland, New York (Jets), and New England. In 2008, Pioli left for Kansas City to build a Midwestern Patriots model. A year before Pioli left, Dimitroff was the surprising top GM choice of the Falcons, who dreamed of building Patriots South in Atlanta. The culmination of the narrative will be all three men preparing their teams for the lifeblood of the NFL, which is the draft, as all three franchises seek to improve themselves through similar philosophies but perhaps different strategies.

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 he is the cohost of The Big Show on Boston sports radio station WEEI. Holley lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons.

"A deeply reported, thoroughly engaging look at what it takes to succeed in the NFL." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Crisply written, the story moves along like a two-minute drill. It also sparkles with interesting anecdotes and tidbits....WAR ROOM is a lively, fast-paced insider's account that will please ardent and casual fans alike." -- Boston Globe "WAR ROOM is going to take you into the inner world of pro football. I recommend it highly." -- Peter King, Sports Illustrated "The ultimate book for pro football geeks." -- Publishers Weekly "Fans will want to read how Belichick transformed the once-lackluster Patriots into the most successful franchise of the past decade, which Holley explains in an engaging chronological narrative." -- Booklist