Tom Thibodeau will be rooting for the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl this Sunday.
“Most people tend to root for the teams in the area they grew up in,” says Thibodeau, who was born and raised in New Britain, Conn. and attended Salem State University — which is about 15 miles north of Boston. “For me, it was the Pats. Of course, going to school in Boston, and following them from the time they were in college, and then when Bill got there, it was pretty strong.”
The Bill he is referring to is, of course, Bill Belichick. Winner of a record five Super Bowls in his 18-year Patriots career, and the subject of a new ESPN documentary, Belichick made an appearance at the Timberwolves game against the Bucks on Thursday with his team in town for Super Bowl 52 on Sunday.
Thibodeau met with Belichick before the game, and after it said that Belichick “may be the greatest coach of all time.” When asked about him after practice on Friday, his eyes lit up.
“The big thing is, when anyone who has done anything great, and not necessarily just in sport, but to do something great for a long period of time, that’s the mark of greatness. And I think you can learn from everybody,” he said.
“I’ve had the good fortune of watching practice, and watching their team plays, and how they execute. You can’t help but learn.”
He calls Belichick a great teacher, a natural leader and a genuine person — one who brings order to his team through a no-nonsense approach to coaching. He believes that is the reason why his message has resonated with his team year after year in a league where coaches constantly find themselves on the hot seat after their message has grown stale.
“He has a great way about him,” says Thibodeau. “When you watch him interact with his players, [and] you can tell there’s a great connection there.”
“Preparation is a big part of winning, and he’s the best at it”
Before last year’s Super Bowl, when the Patriots came from behind and beat the Atlanta Falcons, Belichick noticed that most of Julio Jones’ routes would go from right to left. He and his coaching staff concluded that because Atlanta’s star receiver was exploding off his left foot but not his right, he was hiding an injury.
Jones ended up with four catches for 87 yards, but it was an example of how much he prepares for games, and his keen eye for certain things that others may not see.
“Preparation is a big part of winning, and he’s the best at it,” says Thibodeau. “He’s so good and thorough, and nothing gets overlooked. And to be able to convey to the players, and the players carry it out: You can see that they’re all on the messaging, the communication is so clear and concise that they’re all on the same page.
“They understand, he challenges them every day, mentally, physically to be ready to play.”
There are many coaches that Thibodeau admires and models his style after. He mentioned Tony La Russa, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley, Doc Rivers, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Krzyzewski by name, but that was far from a complete list for him.
“We all learn from each other,” he says, “and the key is every year you’re faced with new and different challenges, and you have to adapt.”
He didn’t become friends with Belichick until he was hired by the Patriots, but “followed him because I liked Bill Parcells a lot,” he says. “I knew who he was, and then, of course, when he got to New England, that’s when I started following him more closely. You can learn a lot from football coaches.”
Thibodeau says he’ll watch the 30 for 30 on Belichick and Parcells, but he isn’t sure if he’ll attend the Super Bowl, even though it’s in Minneapolis and the Wolves don’t play until Wednesday in Cleveland.
“Depends on if I get my work done,” he said.
