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Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the day Bill Belichick was hired as the Patriots head coach.
The NFL’s longest-tenured head coach has piled up a boatload of accomplishments over these two decades. A record six Super Bowl titles. Seventeen AFC East titles. A total record of 267-94 (.739 winning percentage).
To commemorate this anniversary,
The Athletic spoke to a number of players and coaches who have worked with Belichick over the years, from the Giants to the Browns and present and former Pats.
The question for each was simple: What’s your favorite Bill Belichick story?
They told tales of practice fights, disciplinary measures, hard coaching tactics and a hilarious usage of a “Cops” episode in the team meeting room.
They surely didn’t disappoint.
Former Patriots linebacker Willie McGinest
He was working our asses off in camp. We had a preseason game the next day, and he wanted to go half pads. We didn’t want to put the pads on anymore, so we were going to revolt. Everybody went in and we all got together, like, “Nobody take your pads out. Just take your helmets and your shells.” So we all did that and went out there (to practice) except for one guy. I think Larry Izzo was the only guy who didn’t do it. We all went out there with no pads. He was like, “What the fuck is going on?” We were like, “Man, you’re beating us down. We’re tired.” He called us up to talk to everybody. It was a calm atmosphere. He explained the reason why he wanted us to put the pads on. We were going to end up taking them off (during practice), but he wanted us to put them on for one particular period. So everybody went back in, all the way back in, put our pads on and our helmets. We played the game and thought it was over and done with. Well, the following week, he beat our ass in practice. Without us knowing it, he kicked our butts – long days, padded practices, kicked our butt. Without saying anything, we knew that was our punishment for what we did. He was still the Jedi in knowing how to get what he wanted out of us without saying much.
Former Giants and Browns linebacker Carl Banks
My best story was our first work week meeting of the Super Bowl (XXV, against the Bills) when (Belichick, then the Giants defensive coordinator) stood up in front of the team and insulted us. He told us we were going to let Thurman Thomas get 100 rushing yards, and the room erupted. I mean, literally, the room erupted. We were a defensive team, and that was the last thing we wanted to hear from him. Then he gave us his reasoning behind it, and it made sense. We had the ultimate faith in him, but that moment when he stood in front of the team and said that, I think we all lost our minds. The reason he said it was that they don’t run the ball anymore. He said the swing pass was essentially their run game, then he gave us an eight-game case study. He went through eight games including the playoffs when they didn’t deviate from it. They had one running play, and it was a draw. Everything else was a swing pass to Thurman Thomas. He was like, “We’re going to play the pass, and if they get 100 yards running, we’re going to win this game anyway.” That was the genius of Bill. He could give you a plan and the data behind it to prove where the tendencies hold up. We live in a world of analytics now, but he was doing that type of stuff long before the analytical movement. It’s football instincts. He told us this was how we were going to do it, and we’re going to punish their receivers. Because if we play our basic defense, we won’t be back in our zone fast enough, so we’re going to line up here, wait and put as many speed bumps in their crossing routes as possible, and we’re going to punish them every time they throw a crossing route. And that’s what we did.
Former Browns running back and wide receiver Eric Metcalf
One time I was late to practice. I had been hanging out all night, and I was late because I was riding with someone who turns out their license was suspended. So they got stopped, and this was why I’m late. So I call into the office and tell them to tell Bill (who was then the head coach in Cleveland) that I’m going to be late. So I walk into the meeting room, and Bill is like, “Eric, why don’t you tell the team what happened? Why are you late?” So I start telling the story, and he slips on the screen a version of “Cops” that is so similar to it. It’s playing behind me at the same time. He had it all cued up and ready the time I got there. People don’t realize Bill is actually funnier than people think. I also saw him at a Super Bowl party one time, and he had a couple, which is OK. It was after the season. I had a buddy with me. He’s like, “I don’t care what you do, you tell some free agents to come to Cleveland.” My buddy always talks about how he was looking.
Former Browns running back Leroy Hoard
I used to golf with him in the offseason. It was me, him and Steve Crosby, the running back coach. We play a hole and look over. Bill says, “What’d you get?” I say I made bogey. Bill said, “I made 5.” Steve goes, “I made 5.” Bill looks over and says, “Hmm, you seem to be having trouble counting.” That was just everything that he was. Football was football with him. Anytime he gets in public arenas, he seems awkward. Him yelling “No days off” was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Right? When you think of Bill Belichick, you don’t think of him yelling something like that at a rally. That just isn’t him. But he is comfortable in his environment. If you think he talks in code to the media, you should see the hints he used to drop to the players. Same thing, but you knew where he was coming from. He would just say it, and it wasn’t that big of a deal. I remember one time we were at practice, and two guys get into a fight. He goes in there, blows the whistle, stands there in between them and, boom, he gets hit. So guess what, he says, “Fellas, I’m not stopping any more fights. But if you get hurt, I’m fining the both of you every day one of you guys is out.” That was it. I’ll always remember him jumping in there to stop the fight, getting clocked and then, hey, I’ve got a solution for this. When you know how he is, there’s no one story that stands out. It just all fits together. I remember at least 20 times a day, he would just yell out, “Eric” and “Scott.” Eric Mangini, Scott Pioli. When you look at where they came from and how they grew, you’d think, hey, I have an opportunity to learn and grow, too. That’s how he is.
Former Patriots running back Kevin Faulk
It’s just one of those things where you knew Bill was a quiet person when he first got there. He didn’t speak to hardly anyone. You would be walking in the hallway and say good morning, and he wouldn’t say anything for a while to me. Then after a while, you’re like, “Good morning,” and he’s like, “Good morning.” And I’m like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up, coach. What’s going on?” I’m like, “You know you haven’t told me good morning for a while, and today, and today you just up and say good morning back?” He’s like, “Oh, no, don’t worry about it.” You know who he is as a person and as an individual, but it’s a funny story.