In modern football, a ‘scout’ is someone who grades players, such as NFL Draft prospects, to determine their fit on a particular team, but that hasn’t always been the case. When Steve Belichick wrote his book, the scout’s role was more like that of his military namesake: someone who goes on ahead to see what the enemy is up to.
Teams in the late 50s and early 60s did share film, but it took time to arrive, so an advance scout would watch forthcoming opponents in person and bring back the kind of intelligence that could tilt the balance on gameday. They would analyse the formations, the play calls, and even time how long it took the punter to kick the ball. Belichick’s book, first published in 1962, is a detailed guide to doing that job well and has since earned a reputation as the bible of football scouting.
At the time of writing, Steve Belichick was coaching at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he built a reputation for his sharp eye and systematic approach to breaking down the opposition. He passed that expertise on to his son, Bill, who used it to become a coaching legend, but he also shared what he knew in Football Scouting Methods. His emphasis on rigorous preparation, detailed observation, and consistent data collection feels strikingly modern, even if the formations and tactics have changed.
Title: Football Scouting Methods
Author: Steve Belichick
First published: Ronald Press, 1962
Buy the Book: Amazon US | Amazon UK*
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The first half of the book is primarily about decoding offensive and defensive formations. Many of the eras dominant schemes, such as run-stopping five and six-man fronts, are no longer defensive staples, but the principles will be useful even to modern readers. Belichick walks the reader through the process of identifying alignments and tendencies, as well as paying attention to the flow of a game through the lens of structure and repetition. Later chapters shift toward application: how to track what you’re seeing in real time, organize your notes, and use templates and charts to make your findings usable for coaches and players.
What sets Football Scouting Methods apart is its extraordinary attention to detail. Belichick offers specific techniques for gathering useful insights, from logging the receivers’ routes in warmups to watching the quarterback’s footwork as a tell for which side of the field he’s likely to target. There are practical tips sprinkled throughout, many of which carry the distilled wisdom of hours spent high above the field, pencil in hand and eyes fixed on the subtleties of play. Even the whistle doesn’t stop the scouting process: he reminds us that the search for information continues between plays, between series, and even on the sidelines.
Though many of the specifics reflect the game as it was played in the early 1960s, the mindset behind the book has proven timeless. Belichick’s approach, methodical, relentless, and always curious, helped define the methodology of what today is called film study. It became a discipline. And in that sense, Football Scouting Methods is more than just a historical artefact. It’s a foundational text in the evolution of football’s intellectual culture, with insights that still echo on coaching staffs and quality control teams across the sport.
THE AUTHORS
Steve Belichick spent most of his career as a coach at the US Naval Academy. Though his son, Bill Belichick, has eclipsed his reputation, Steve Belichick was a highly respected scout and his methods live on through Football Scouting Methods.
QUOTES
“It must be remembered that the primary objective of scouting is to gather as much pertinent information as you can. In order to do this, you must carefully observe and record what the opposition does.”
“It should also be remembered that although the play is over and the whistle has blown, the search for information should not cease.”
“Every football team has a pattern. It is the purpose of scouting, and the analysis of scouting, to establish what the pattern is and how to defend as best you can against the strength and take advantage of the weaknesses.”
REVIEWS
This is a technical book written as a guide for others in the coaching business, so it’s one to avoid for fans who prefer a biography or a history read. However, if you are interested in the strategic side of the game, perhaps having had your appetite whetted by Take Your Eye Off the Ball, then this is a very accessible read. Belichick’s style is quite dry but he’s very clear and many of his observations are every bit as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.
Shane Richmond, Pigskin Books
“…a book so important in the development of scouting that a jacket quote was provided by Paul Brown, the godfather of modern coaching.”
Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated
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