American Sniper: Bill Belichick Taking the Patriots to the Movies

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be screening the movie "American Sniper" for the whole team during this upcoming week. The movie features Bradley Cooper (an admitted Eagles fan) in a Clint Eastwood film as one of the greatest snipers in American war history. The message from the film is one of compassion in the face of danger and struggles.

This isn't the first time that Belichick has taken the team to the movies and each movie has a distinct take on individuals overcoming adversity.

In 2011, he hosted boxer Micky Ward and featured "The Fighter", where local actor Mark Wahlberg plays the main character. The message was received by the players.

"Seeing the trials and tribulations that Micky Ward went through," Safety James Sanders said back in 2011. "It shows you that physically and mentally you can push yourself to levels that you think you may not be able to push yourself to. I think it was him sending a message to the team -- it's training camp, things aren't always going to be going right, you have to be physically and mentally tough and try to push yourself through as hard as you can."

Remember that this was the season the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl.

Belichick put on another Wahlberg film before the Patriots 2013 Week 16 game against the Ravens, when he showed the team "Lone Survivor".

"I think the movie certainly had the messages of leadership, perseverance, preparation, and then execution," Belichick told the media. "It’s one thing to prepare, it’s another to actually go out there and play the game and go through the battle the way they do. So, that was a great message, no question, and a great movie."

The Patriots went on to win their next three games by an average score of 39.3 to 16.3, including a divisional round playoff game against the Colts. Maybe the Patriots can win their next three weeks with the message from American Sniper on the screen and in their minds.