SAN FRANCISCO — The Bill Belichick fans see today is someone Everson Walls knows very well.
Walls spent the majority of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, but he did play in parts of three seasons with the New York Giants, too. And his first year in the Meadowlands also was Belichick’s final one as Giants defensive coordinator.
The former All-Pro cornerback got to know Belichick quite well that year, and Walls says the way he acted in 1990 is very similar to the 2016 version of the New England Patriots head coach.
“Same way he is now. Nothing’s changed. He still acts the same,” Walls told NESN.com’s Michaela Vernava on Friday at Super Bowl Radio Row. “But we saw more of him behind the scenes. Behind the scenes he’s actually kind of cool, got a sense of humor, likes to laugh a little bit — not too much. He tries to keep things in line.
“Y’all just see more of him now. … Now that he’s a head coach, there are more moments of him showing his reluctance.”
But, every once and a while, a smile navigates its way through the reluctance.
For an extended interview with Walls, visit NESN’s YouTube page.