Belichick: Brady’s Work Ethic ‘Like Tiger Woods’

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — From now through the end of the season, if New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick addresses the media at Gillette Stadium, you'll read about it here. We'll highlight one lesson learned from each of Belichick's press conferences and have it ready for you right away.

The Setup: Belichick was asked how a player like Tom Brady can improve his fundamentals when he has basically become the model quarterback in the league over the last decade.

What Belichick Said: "It's like Tiger Woods. The guy spends 13, 14 hours [a day] on the range when he's not playing. What's he working on? It's not like he's not a good golfer, but there are still things that he can work on in his game. I think if Tiger Woods can spend 14 hours on a driving range, we can spend time on techniques that we're doing. You're trying to perfect your craft. That's what every player is doing. Everybody is always working to get to a higher point. Tom and everybody else, that's what we're all doing."

What It Means: Belichick loves referencing Woods and will probably do so a few more times this season. While Brady has certainly become one of the two best quarterbacks of the current generation and will go down as one of the greatest of all time, the nine-year veteran has never stopped working diligently to improve. Most impressive is his perfect attendance at practice since the start of training camp on July 30. Belichick doesn't allow for complacency — not that Brady would fall into that category anyway — and he'll often cite examples to keep his players motivated in that regard.