FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick doesn’t exactly come off as one of the boys with his public surly demeanor, but when it comes to LeGarrette Blount, the New England Patriots head coach addresses the running back like a teammate.
Belichick could be heard calling Blount “LG” during his mic’d up segment Tuesday on “Inside The NFL”. That resonated with New York Jets wide receiver/”Inside The NFL” analyst Brandon Marshall.
“He gave his player a nickname — (LG)”, Marshall said. “That’s respect, that’s love.”
It’s normal at this point for Blount, who has played under Belichick since the Patriots acquired him for a seventh-round draft pick in 2013. He left the Patriots as a free agent in 2014 but returned when the Pittsburgh Steelers cut him in November. He had re-signed with the Patriots two days later.
“That’s what everybody calls me,” Blount said Thursday. “I feel like it’s just — it just rubs off on people after you hear a handful of people call someone LG after a while everybody starts saying it. Can’t complain if he calls you that, because what’s LG stand for, life’s good, right?”
Blount seems to have a closer relationship with Belichick than many other Patriots players. The two can be seen chatting during practice at times. Belichick regularly refers to him by his nickname.
“I have a really good relationship with Bill,” Blount said. “I love Bill to death. He’s always had my back from the beginning, from the first time I met him until I think he’s probably going to have it forever. We just have a really great relationship. I like everything that he does, I respect him a lot. I think he’s going to go down in history as the best coach to ever coach this game.”
Blount is off to a stellar start to the season, leading the NFL with 75 carries for 298 yards and four touchdowns.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
