Building a winner, brick by brick

Authors chronicle Pats' rise to the top, Bruschi's comeback

October 21, 2007|Brion O'Connor

The Blueprint: How the New England Patriots Beat the System to Create the Last Great NFL Superpower
By Christopher Price
Dunne, 278 pp, illustrated, $24.95

Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery, and My Return to the NFL
By Tedy Bruschi
Wiley, 266 pp., illustrated, $24.95

It may be pure coincidence that these two books are rolling off the presses at the same time, yet there's an undeniable symmetry between them. "The Blueprint" deals with an innovative strategy for football supremacy. "Never Give Up" focuses on a successful personal game plan gone terribly awry. The former, written by Patriot beat writer Christopher Price of the Boston Metro, is a humorous if uneven look at the Patriots, from the Keystone Cop antics of the 1960s and '70s, to the juggernaut they've become under Robert Kraft's ownership and coach Bill Belichick's guidance. The latter, penned by Patriot linebacker Tedy Bruschi with radio show host and former Globe columnist Michael Holley, is a bit more polished and personal, and serves as both a cautionary and inspirational tale.

"The Blueprint" opens with a homespun observation ("No one thought that [the Patriots would be special in 2001], and if any football writers says they did, they're lying.") and quickly develops a tidy snapshot of Belichick ("a dour man") and the "simple set of core beliefs" he relied on to create a model NFL franchise. To illustrate how far the Pats have come, Price regales us with tales of folly from the team's history: from linebacker Steve Kiner frozen in place during a play against Houston in 1973 (Price quotes late Globe columnist Will McDonough: "Edgar Chandler asks him what he is doing. Kiner says he doesn't know, and adds 'I think I better leave the field now.' ") to a wonderful observation on the team's dilapidated Foxborough residence: "For roughly 30 years, Schaefer Stadium . . . was much more than a home for the New England Patriots. It was a metaphor for professional football in New England."

Price's research is thorough, and his storytelling shows a creative flair. But he has an irritating habit of repeating pet clich&#xE9;s, including "mortgaging the future," "in over his head," and "slow slide toward mediocrity," as well as setting up quotes - a gaffe usually corrected in Journalism 101. And at several junctures, he repeats quotes or vignettes, leaving the reader with an odd sense of d&#xE9;j&#xE0; vu. There are also several conflicts and inconsistencies. For example, Pete Carroll was either the most successful coach in Patriots history, proving how inept the Patriots ownership was in firing him, or a "featherweight" who was too easy on his players, demonstrating the need for Belichick's strong hand to right the ship.