Patriots press conferences over the years - early on during my commute to work they would broadcast them live over sports radio in Boston and then later I'd just get clips on social media.
and it's weird, he is cantankerous and seems beyond arrogant and if he were just a regular guy people would say "what a dick" that guy is, but every now and then he gets asked a question and you are prepared for the typical Belichick monotone snark (the equivalent of "we're on to Cincinnati" - or whoever the next week's opponent is) and then he goes on for 30 minutes about the evolution of long snappers and the room is captivated hanging on every word.
When you can get him comfortable there are very few better story tellers, historians or engaging speakers on football. It's just unfortunate that it's so hard to do.
Hearing him talk about LT is nostalgic for me since LT is why I am a fan in the first place.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm sure I've seen it, but good re-watch.
on field prowess is that nothing is embellished, he was a game changer, a beast. Some players can get inflated due to nostalgia, era etc but not LT. He'd be dominant in today's game as well. More penalty flags obv but still wreak havoc :)
Just the way he says it, you know LT blew everyone's minds right away. Interesting about all the special teams roles too, I had kind of forgotten that.
You know how long it takes to know you have elite NFL talent? One practice. Not six games. Not six months. Not six years. One practice.
And you know what else is true about elite talent? They elevate by a mile everyone around them. They don't drag people down. They don't require ten other guys to lift them up. They lead. By example. By elevation. By energy.
The very last thing the 1981 Giants needed was another linebacker. Their linebacker room at the time they drafted LT was arguably the best in the NFL. But an argument can be made that all of the success for this franchise from 1986-2011 can be attributed to the single moment in time when by sheer luck the Saints were dumb enough to draft for need in George Rogers first and George Young was smart enough to draft the best player available second. By not checking the largest checkbox on the inventory of need, George Young established the lineage at that moment in time of a three decade championship run as good as any in NFL history.
You draft for talent. Schoen has only one mission in this draft. Get elite talent in the door. Forget about falling in love. Forget about checking boxes for need. Forget about positional value. Just get guys on this roster who at that first OTA will wow Daboll and staff the way LT wowed Belichick in 1981.
Just the way he says it, you know LT blew everyone's minds right away. Interesting about all the special teams roles too, I had kind of forgotten that.
LT tells the story something like “ I started the practice Third team and finish the practice team”
This is a story that he would always sleep during the defensive meetings. He was sleeping during the meeting where Belichick was installing the defense for the upcoming game. Belichick finally had enough and woke LT up. LT proceeded to the front of the room and drew the diagram showing what everyone needed to do. Then he went back to sleep.
This is a story that he would always sleep during the defensive meetings. He was sleeping during the meeting where Belichick was installing the defense for the upcoming game. Belichick finally had enough and woke LT up. LT proceeded to the front of the room and drew the diagram showing what everyone needed to do. Then he went back to sleep.
Yup. The off-field stuff overshadows that. The reason why he's the greatest football player ever is he had the superman physical traits with great football instincts and toughness. You never get everything all rolled up into one, but you did there.
I know BB can come across as dour & boring, but he was great in that NFL 100 All Time Team thing.
and it's weird, he is cantankerous and seems beyond arrogant and if he were just a regular guy people would say "what a dick" that guy is, but every now and then he gets asked a question and you are prepared for the typical Belichick monotone snark (the equivalent of "we're on to Cincinnati" - or whoever the next week's opponent is) and then he goes on for 30 minutes about the evolution of long snappers and the room is captivated hanging on every word.
When you can get him comfortable there are very few better story tellers, historians or engaging speakers on football. It's just unfortunate that it's so hard to do.
Hearing him talk about LT is nostalgic for me since LT is why I am a fan in the first place.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm sure I've seen it, but good re-watch.
Or just how much he would disrupt the way the game is played today?
Just the way he says it, you know LT blew everyone's minds right away. Interesting about all the special teams roles too, I had kind of forgotten that.
You know how long it takes to know you have elite NFL talent? One practice. Not six games. Not six months. Not six years. One practice.
And you know what else is true about elite talent? They elevate by a mile everyone around them. They don't drag people down. They don't require ten other guys to lift them up. They lead. By example. By elevation. By energy.
The very last thing the 1981 Giants needed was another linebacker. Their linebacker room at the time they drafted LT was arguably the best in the NFL. But an argument can be made that all of the success for this franchise from 1986-2011 can be attributed to the single moment in time when by sheer luck the Saints were dumb enough to draft for need in George Rogers first and George Young was smart enough to draft the best player available second. By not checking the largest checkbox on the inventory of need, George Young established the lineage at that moment in time of a three decade championship run as good as any in NFL history.
You draft for talent. Schoen has only one mission in this draft. Get elite talent in the door. Forget about falling in love. Forget about checking boxes for need. Forget about positional value. Just get guys on this roster who at that first OTA will wow Daboll and staff the way LT wowed Belichick in 1981.
Just the way he says it, you know LT blew everyone's minds right away. Interesting about all the special teams roles too, I had kind of forgotten that.
LT tells the story something like “ I started the practice Third team and finish the practice team”
I agree. If the question is :
Who was the most dominating football player in the history of the NFL?
I don’t know who is ahead of him.
Jim Brown is in that conversation. Who else?
Yup. The off-field stuff overshadows that. The reason why he's the greatest football player ever is he had the superman physical traits with great football instincts and toughness. You never get everything all rolled up into one, but you did there.