One of the most interesting documentary series out there, at least when it comes to the sport of football, is NFL Films’ A Football Life. Since its premiere in 2011, the show has been nominated for two Emmy Awards and has produced multiple noteworthy episodes – starting with the two-part first episode about New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, filmed over the course of his team’s 2009 season.
Belichick was the first member of the organization to be extensively featured in an episode of A Football Life, six others have since followed him. The latest is former Patriots defender Willie McGinest, one of the most important players of the franchise’s three Super Bowl winning teams of the early 2000s – a leader on and off the field, and a player that produced more postseason sacks than any other in league history.
The episode about his upbringings in Long Beach and his transition from highly-touted prospect coming out of USC to core player in New England premiered last Friday. Unfortunately, it was aired right when the Boston Red Sox played their postseason opener against the New York Yankees (a series Boston ultimately won 3-1): naturally, most of the northeast was glued to the game instead of the story of Willie McGinest.
But fret no longer about missing A Football Life, for the NFL uploaded a 25-minute clip to its YouTube account yesterday! The video covers the essential points of the full-length documentary, including soundbites by Patriots owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and former teammates Tom Brady and Rodney Harrison.