Tuesday, August 11, 2020

War is Like Football or Is Football Like War?

So much crossover between football and war--blitzing and all that.  Well, Trump thinks that the best football coach of our time would "be a as good as any general out there."  Putting aside the question of whether winning many nail-biters in the big game and going 5 and 3 is better than the US military over the same period (narrator: it is), what kind of advice would Belichick give?
  • Norms of civilian control of the military?  Feh!  Belichick doesn't care about the norms.  He is willing to have lineman be eligible receivers while wide receivers report as ineligible.
  • He loves special teams, so what is the equivalent of the overlooked aspect of the war game?  Would he love those who pilot transport planes as much as he loves left-footed punters?
  • Have more press briefings but provide less information.
  • Belichick would seek out mid-priced, older weapon systems that can do more things than faster, slicker, more expensive systems.
  • The officers that study under him would go on to, at best, mixed results for other military units.
  • His mastery of technicalities might mean heaps of almostwarcrimes.
  • Belichick would not care where the generals came from--West Point?  Meh.  It is not so much about prestige as about past performance.
  • Belichick's recommended strategy would change from week to week, driving the generals crazy.
Any other suggestions?  And, no, no deflation jokes since I believe in the law, ideal gas law! 

No comments: