Though the NFL's Spygate Scandal casts some doubt on the genius of Ernie Adams and Bill Belichick, Education Of A Coach, which is David Halberstam's portrait of two football lifers and the friendship that built the New England Patriots into a dynastic powerhouse, in the National Football League, is no less potent for it. This was always a story about the men and not the achievements which inspired its writing. Thus, it succeeds in giving us glossed portrayals of difficult men who seem to have generally refused to grant Mr. Halberstam much by way of full and honest disclosure.
No matter how reluctant the participants may have been, there is a lot here for fans of coaching, fans of the Patriots, and fans of excellence in sport. We will never know Bill Belichick, but we will know his father who coached at Navy for longer than some lifespans. We'll never know Ernie Adams, but we'll see how the theory of innovation brought his football team into the 21st century and forced a league to catch up to it. Perhaps that's enough. I know I was satisfied in this tale which is as much about the history of second chances as it is about football. (3/5 Stars)
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