Bill Belichick and the ‘below-the-line’ level – New England Patriots Blog – ESPN Boston

“Everybody has to understand that there’s a ‘below-the-line’ level,” he said. “When it’s below the line, we can’t live with it. It hurts the team. Now we’re all going to make mistakes, and nobody makes more of them than I do. I understand that mistakes are part of the game. I’ve been in it long enough to know there’s no perfect player, no perfect game or practice. If you go out there and compete against high-level competition, they’re going to make some plays, too. “But there’s a below-the-line [level] and we just can’t live with that and expect to win,” he continued. “That’s the bottom line. Things are going to happen that are below the line that we have to correct, but we have to stay above the line. It’s as simple as that. That line is drawn at every position with various criteria. It’s not scientific, there’s no textbook on it, how to handle each situation. … That’s a critical part of coaching in any sport. Particularly football, but any sport.