INDIANAPOLIS – Perhaps there’s a soft side to Bill Belichick after all. He’s spent much of Super Bowl week in an awfully good mood, entertaining the media with tales about growing up as a football coach’s son, or cracking jokes about the Pro Bowl.
It’s a different side than the one normally seen: the stoic, grim-faced Belichick who prefers to keep all information on his New England Patriots in-house.
Additional Photos
But it’s also a side Patriots players have seen more this year as they’ve headed for another Super Bowl.
“We wonder about that all the time,” said wide receiver Wes Welker, with a grin. “I don’t know if it’s a lady in his life or what the deal is, but he definitely smiles a little more than he used to.”
But, Welker quickly added, “Trust me, he is just as hard on us as what he’s been since Day One, at least with me. “
And that bodes well for the Patriots, who are going for the fourth Super Bowl championship in franchise history today when they play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Since becoming the Patriots head coach in 2000, Belichick has transformed a once-bewildering franchise into perhaps the best in the NFL. He has led the Patriots to 11 consecutive winning seasons, captured three Super Bowl titles and put his name on the short list of greatest coaches ever.
His early success — the Patriots won the Super Bowl in his second season in New England — has allowed Belichick to make moves other coaches would be crucified for, such as using wide receivers to play defensive back, as he did with Troy Brown in the past and Julian Edelman now.
“The success he had early gave him the credibility, then following up (with two more Super Bowl titles), he moved into a category where no one can question him,” said Brian Billick, the former Baltimore Ravens coach and now a football analyst.
Those moves, said Billick, “are less risky when you’ve got the three Super Bowl rings in your back pocket, compared to the guy who doesn’t have that and tries to do the same things.”
Belichick’s strengths are well-documented. He demands excellence from everyone. He doesn’t accept half-efforts. He’s consistent with his message.
“He hasn’t disappointed,” said right guard Brian Waters, who joined the Patriots this year after 11 seasons in Kansas City. “He’s exactly what I thought he was going to be. But that’s why I came here. I knew he was going to hold me in high regard as far as high expectations for me. And he treats everybody the same.
“He expects everybody to play their best football, and at their highest level. And that’s something I respect.”
The consistency is what the players admire most.
“He wants things done his way, the right way,” said left guard Logan Mankins. “That’s all you can ask of your coach. He’s the same every day. He’s not going to be one way one day and be somebody else the next.”
Deion Branch, the wide receiver who was the MVP in the 2005 Super Bowl win over Philadelphia, left the Patriots for four-plus seasons but came back in a trade from Seattle in 2010. He said Belichick’s greatest attribute is his ability to teach the game.
“To me he’s a teacher,” said Branch. “He’s always teaching. You can just be sitting there and paying attention (and) he’s going to teach you something. I mean, I’ve been with him six, seven years and I promise you I learn something every day from this guy.
“He can get up and talk in front of the team each and every day for an hour and it’s going to be something different. And he’s been consistent, and that’s something that makes him very special.”
Belichick learned much of this from his father, the late Steve Belichick, who was an assistant coach at the Naval Academy. Young Bill Belichick would spend hours with his father breaking down film.
“(Football) was my life as a kid from when I remember, four, five, six years old, through the rest of my life,” said Belichick. “(My father) had a huge impact on my childhood, my love for the game and my involvement in the game as a coach, even though I played poorly.
“It was still a good experience to play, but coaching, really, has always been the love.”
And it shows.
“I just like to learn from a guy like that,” said Vince Wilfork, the Patriots defensive tackle. “One day, who knows, maybe I’ll be coaching Pop Warner and I’ll try to use some of his tricks. I can look back and say that I got it from one of the best coaches to ever coach the game, Bill Belichick.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.