Master Motivator

from http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/football/patriots/view.bg?articleid=1046155

Master Motivat

By John Tomase
Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick possesses no shortage of tricks when it comes to inspiring his team to perform. He beat the living hell out of them at practice last week and they responded with a 56-10 drubbing of the overmatched Bills. Here's a look back at some of his other memorable motivational tactics.

• With the Pats facing adversity after adversity during training camp in 2001, Belichick took the team to an IMAX theater to watch Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure about the British explorer whose team survived 22 months awaiting rescue following a 1915 shipwreck.

• After an ugly loss to the Dolphins in 2001, he had defensive coordinator Al Groh bury the game ball during a funeral ceremony on a practice field.

• That same year, when the Pats were caught in a tight division race, Belichick showed the team Tiznow's come-from-behind victory at the Breeders' Cup. He paused entering the final turn to ask who was leading, then scolded that all that mattered was the finish line.

• Brought an anchor into the locker room when he felt his team was out of shape, declaring that those players were weighing the team down.

• When a Colts player said the league should just give them their Super Bowl rings the way they were playing before the 2003 AFC title game, Belichick broke out his own Super Bowl rings and told his players, "No one gives you these. You have to earn them."

• A year later, before another playoff tilt against the Colts, he held up a Herald in the locker room with the back page headline of "Vanderjerk" after the Indy kicker had predicted the Patriots [ team stats] were, "ripe for the picking."

• Before Super Bowl XXXIX, he showed his team the route for the parade that the city of Philadelphia had already planned for the Eagles.

• And early this season, when the Pats were under assault during Cameragate, he brought friend and comedian Lenny Clarke into the locker room on the eve of their game against the Chargers for what amounted to a Belichick roast to break the tension.