The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower

by Christopher Price

Book Overview

For years, the New England Patriots were a certifiable joke of a franchise. They were run on the cheap and were once the very example of how not to manage a team. They hired inept coaches---one of whom (Clive Rush) was nearly electrocuted when he grabbed a microphone at his introductory press conference. In 1968 their scouting director, Ed McKeever, suggested they draft a wide receiver . . . before someone in the organization realized the player had been dead for six months. They plucked ex-players out of the stands minutes before kickoff---Bob Gladieux was enjoying a beer at the game when he heard his name called over the P.A. (The Patriots had cut a player earlier that morning and found themselves short. Gladieux, who would go on to spend four years in the league as a running back, made the tackle on the opening kickoff.) And they played in a run-down stadium that was one of the worst venues in professional sports. There were brief moments of success, but on each occasion, front-office infighting would invariably cause the franchise to slide back down to the basement again. ? But in the first four months of 2000, everything changed. The hiring of head coach Bill Belichick and Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli and the drafting of quarterback Tom Brady turned the fortunes of the franchise around. And their nontraditional approach to acquiring personnel---remembering that it's not about collecting talent, it's about assembling a team---quickly led to three Super Bowl titles in four seasons. It's a feat that, in the salary cap era, with free agency, planned parity and balanced scheduling, is in many ways even more impressive than anything achieved by the past dynasties of Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and San Francisco. Along the way, Christopher Price has had a front-row seat for football history, chronicling the rise to power of the NFL's unlikeliest superpower. Price takes the reader inside the franchise to give him a dynamic portrait of a mighty organization at the height of its power. Readers are immersed in the locker room during the strange and tumultuous days of 2001 and 2003, when major personnel moves involving a pair of the most popular players in franchise history---Drew Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy---threatened to rock their championship foundation to the core. Readers get an up-close look at the team that dominated the league on the way to a record-setting winning streak in 2004. And Price analyzes what went wrong when they fell short in 2005 and 2006, and how they plan to return to Super Bowl form in 2007. ? The Blueprint ?will explore how the Patriots went from the dregs to a dynasty, becoming the gold standard for professional sports franchises everywhere. It will prompt sports fans (and those who study organizations) to acknowledge what many football insiders have believed for a long time: when it comes to building a successful system, the Patriots have the Blueprint. ? Praise for Christopher Price's Baseball by the Beach: A History of America 's National Pastime on Cape Cod ? "[Price] provides anecdotes bound to amuse some, astound others, and inform all." --- Cape Cod Times ? "[Price] captures the true essence of the game and its people." --- Front Row, New England Sports Network ? "An excellent job . . . a solid, definitive story of the Cape Cod Baseball League." --- The Cape Codder

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312368380
• ISBN13: 9780312368388
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent look at the Patriots' great run in the last seven years.

Though not quite as good or groundbreaking as Michael Lewis' seminal "Moneyball", "The Blueprint" is an outstanding read. Well written and highly readable, this one is well worth the time of any NFL fan. The first third of the book details the sometimes woeful, sometimes thrilling first four decades of the New England Patriots franchise. Owned by the Sullivan family, the team was too poor and cheap to compete with the Hunt's of the world and consequently had no championships prior to the miracle Super Bowl win of 2002. Since then, the Pats have become the gold standard for the NFL and all of sports. They win and win big in the age of the salary cap and have proven that, despite roster turnover, great management and great ownership is the most important element for a winning franchise. Until a better book comes along, "The Blueprint" will remain the best one ever written on the Patriots and on of the better sports books of the year. Recommended very highly to all sports fans.

Price continues to write great stuff

I've read alot of his daily stuff, and LOVE his writing style. He's as good as they come. The book has some nice insite, and is well written. If you're a sports fan in general, you'll love this book.

A good read

An excellent look at how they do it. Really, how can you be in 4 of the last 7 Super Bowls and still wind up with 2 first round draft choices. Of course one has been taken away. Nevertheless they had them. I mean who else could get Randy Moss to block effectively. They make mistakes but not many

Excellent Read for football fans or not

Really enjoyed the book. It came from a building the team point of view versus a typical jock read. Well written and would highly recommend for the ave football fan like myself. Jaime Leger Providence, RU

Perfect Christmas Gift for New England Patriots Fans!

This book reminds me a lot of Michael Lewis' Moneyball--the only difference is Christopher Price's analysis in this case pertains to professional football. This book traces the trials and tribulations regarding the history of the New England Patriots Football Team. Christopher Price's book received a very favorable review in the New York Times Book Review, November 11th edition. This should be a no-brainer as a Christmas gift for anyone who is a New England Patriots Fan!!!