During Bill Belichick’s 24 seasons as Patriots coach and caller-of-most-shots, peeks behind the curtain at how the dynasty operated were scarce. Because of that, the ones we did get — usually an entertaining and insightful but message-controlled NFL Films production every few years — tended to stay with us.
Maybe in some cases more than they should have. The two-part “A Football Life” documentary on Belichick, which simultaneously chronicled the frustrating (by Patriots’ standards) 2009 season, came out 13 years ago, in 2011. And yet we still cite anecdotes from it often, particularly Belichick’s stunningly candid declaration to Tom Brady during an ugly loss to the Saints that he can’t get through to some of the players.