Getting to the heart of what makes Belichick successful

Every so often you happen across a little story so perfect that you just have to share it, even if it doesn’t really have much to do with anything else. This story is about New England coach Bill Belichick.

These days, with the Patriots undefeated and all, figuring out what makes Belichick tick is like the Holy Grail for football fans and sportswriters and business leaders, too. The guy is the best at what he does. The guy has won three Super Bowls as a head coach, two more as an assistant, and now he’s coaching what many consider the best team ever.

There are those who think it isn’t too difficult to figure Belichick’s success. He is obsessed, he’s smart, he’s cranky, he’s meticulous, and he’s willing to push pretty much any boundary in order to win. It’s like that old line from “Citizen Kane”: “It’s no trick making a lot of money when all you want to do is make a lot of money.”

But obsessed, smart, cranky, meticulous, competitive — these words describe 80 percent of coaches. There’s something else.

Last year, Belichick coached the Pro Bowl. As you guessed he took it too seriously. On Friday — a day normally reserved for a short practice and lots of beach time, Belichick gathered everyone together.

“I didn’t come all the way out here to get embarrassed,” he barked at the best players in professional football. Then, he had them practice their substitutions as if they were junior high kids. He yelled “punt team” and had the punt team run on the field. Field-goal team. Second-team offense. Faster. Again.

That insanity already tells you a lot about Belichick. But that’s not the story. No, the story comes from the game itself and involves Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. As you know there are no role players in the Pro Bowl. It’s a game of stars. That means some stars have to do some grunt work. Every year, coaches put Gonzalez — now a nine-time Pro Bowler — on the kickoff return team.

“I don’t know why they keep doing that,” Gonzalez says.

Nobody knows, but one of the byproducts is that Gonzalez’s family and friends get to laugh hysterically. It is one of the highlights of their Hawaii trip, watching Gonzalez look helpless and try his best to avoid contact on the kickoff team. Hey, come on, the Pro Bowl is a reward. Everybody says so. Nobody goes there to get hurt blocking on kickoffs.

So, first kickoff, Gonzalez stood back, the kick flew over his head, and he sort of looked for someone to block. Someone ran around him and tackled the return man. Business as usual. Only there was Belichick. He did not look at Gonzalez. He stared grimly at the field — you know that Belichick look. He did not even seem aware of Gonzalez’s existence.

Then, as Tony ran by, Belichick said this: “Why don’t you (bleeping) block somebody, Gonzalez.”

Gonzalez turned to look. Was that Bill Belichick? Was he joking? Belichick had the most disgusted look on his face. He still would not look at Gonzalez.

“It’s like I was a piece of dirt,” Gonzalez would say.

It was beyond imagination. Belichick had cursed at Tony Gonzalez, the best tight end in football, for missing a block. In a Pro Bowl game. On the kickoff return team. This would be like, what, your boss coming up to you at your Sales Person of the Year party and swearing at you because your shoes aren’t right for the occasion.

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To reach Joe Posnanski, call 816-234-4361 or send e-mail to jposnanski@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com