Rhetorical Analysis on “the Incredible Redemptive Powers of Bill Belichick”

Ashraf Ahmed

Professor Craig Smith

ENG1020

1 February 2017

                   Rhetorical Analysis on “The Incredible Redemptive Powers of Bill Belichick”

Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coach to ever coach the game of Football. Football is one of the most popular team sport that only played in the United States. Football can be coached and played variety of ways. However, in order to win championship in the game of Football, teams search for coaches that has the winning habits and the winning mentality to win games. Bill Belichick is surely one of them “Because to his players, he is more a benefactor than director” (Les Carpenter). In Carpenter’s article “The Incredible Redemptive Powers of Bill Belichick” has a lot to talk about the legacy that Bill Belichick held behind the New England Patriots organization. He is coaching the New England Patriots since 2000. In his 17 years with the Patriots, he led them to six Super Bowls and recently his team will be in another Super Bowl in two weeks for seventh times. Through his article, Carpenter evaluates how successful Bill Belichick became when it comes to coaching his players the right ways and winning football games. Carpenter develops an evaluation argument in his article. In this essay, I will evaluate Carpenter’s position of Bill Belichick on his success, and I will also identify Carpenter’s opinion through the use of ethos, pathos and logos.

       In les Carpenter article “The Incredible redemptive powers of Bill Belichick”, Carpenter discusses the success that coach Bill Belichick had with the New England Patriots organization in the past 20 years. Carpenter explained how much respect and passion coach Belichick has, not just to his players but also to the New England Patriots organization. In Carpenter’s Article, he also discusses the way Belichick treat his players. Whenever there are experience and veteran players, he treats them different than he does to rookies and first/second year players. Bill Belichick expect his experience players to already know what’s ahead and what needs to be done in order to win football games. In Carpenter’s article, Carpenter is the rhetor, who telling his opinions on Bill Belichick and how great of a coach Bill Belichick is. The purpose of this article is to make the audience understand in order to win championship in the game of Football, you need a coach like Bill Belichick who has the winning mentality and cares about winning. In this article, the audience are the football fans of the New England Patriots and also the fans throughout the nation that has support and respect for Coach Bill Belichick.

        In Carpenter’s article, he uses an evaluation argument to claim that Bill Belichick is a legendary coach when it comes to winning championship. As Carpenter addressed in his article, “Of course, not every coach has the luxury of .739 winning percentage and six Super Bowls, as   Bill Belichick does.” Carpenter is trying to connect with his audience that not every football coaches has the winning mentality and has the winning percentage with more than multiple Super Bowls like Coach Belichick. In his Article, Carpenter also discusses, how coach Belichick ability to move players from their perspective position to a new position. As Carpenter included in his article, “He is never afraid to move a player into new position or unfamiliar role to make them succeed.” In this scenario, Carpenter claims that Belichick has the faith and trust in his players and he knows in order for a player to perform good and succeed, the player has to be placed in the right position.

        Bill Belichick is an emotional coach. He cares about his players but he also gets the best out of his players. In Carpenter’s article, he uses pathos to describe his take on Belichick mean side to his tough coaching side. In his article, Carpenter describes that coach Belichick always wants the best out of his players. Whenever players are not doing what they are supposed to do, he will simply ruin their career. As Carpenter addressed in his article, “He’s often portrayed as a tyrant, relentlessly driving assistant coaches or dumping stars at the moment of their decline.”

Carpenter explains that Bill Belichick is not afraid to let go his star players, or even his assistant coaching staff if they are not doing what they are supposed to do. In Carpenter’s article he also included, this year in Christmas day, Bill Belichick released one of his star player due to lack of performance. Carpenter also talks about the good and tough coaching side of Bill Belichick in his article. Belichick might be a mean coach to many but he has a lot of support and respect from his players and also from the organization based on how he coaches and wins football games. Bill Belichick shows his emotions to his players simply by “do your job” (Carpenter). In pregame speech Bill Belichick doesn’t say much to his players, he just simply says three words with a straight face, do your job. Based on Belichick mean and tough coaching side, Carpenter analyzed in his article that everything coach Belichick does is just to get his players and staff ready and that shows how he much he cares about winning.