FOXBORO, Mass. — Sometimes Bill Belichick can’t help but be a dad.
Belichick is publicly perceived to be grumpy and surly, but he showed off his finest corny and proud fatherly characteristics Monday, making his favorite bad joke and also interjecting to praise his son in separate media appearances.
Belichick said he’s not on “SnapFace” or “InstantChat” when asked about the Facebook Live video Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown posted Sunday. Referring to social media sites by incorrect names is Belichick’s most oft-repeated joke.
Belichick also was asked about the “big day for Rutgers” after former Scarlet Knights defensive backs Logan Ryan, Duron Harmon and Devin McCourty all had interceptions in the Patriots’ 34-16 win over the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs.
“And the safeties coach too,” Belichick interrupted.
Belichick’s son, Steve, another Rutgers alum, is in his first season as a position coach, manning the safeties, and by all accounts, it’s been a successful transition for the 29-year-old who previously served as a defensive assistant.
Free safety Devin McCourty earned second-team All-Pro honors while also being selected to his second Pro Bowl. Strong safety Patrick Chung seemingly every week draws praise from his head coach, and Duron Harmon could be in line to earn a big contract on the open market after another starting-caliber season as a Patriots reserve.
“I love being with those guys,” Steve Belichick said during the Patriots’ midseason bye week. “They’re great guys, great players, they work hard, they want to learn, they want to get better. That makes it easy for me as a coach because they’re looking to get better. It’s been outstanding from my end. You’d have to talk to them about their perspective, but it’s been outstanding from my point of view.”
It was a logical move to put the younger Belichick with such an experienced group. McCourty and Chung are two of the longest-tenured defensive players, while coaches and teammates have praised Harmon as a silent leader.
“I can’t even speak on how smart those players are,” Steve Belichick said. “We don’t get to play any snaps on the field. We don’t get to see anything on the field. We don’t get to hear the communication that the opponent makes on the field. Just being able to get that information from those guys is huge. They do a great job bringing good information back to us and not giving us — making stuff up and seeing ghosts out there.”
Communication is especially key between young coaches and experienced players.
“All the coaches listen, but him being younger, he listens a lot more to us and really respects our opinions,” Harmon said.
“Just having that type of relationship with him, just to be able to collaborate and make sure we’re all on the same page, we all have the same vision of what we want to do and accomplish on Sunday. It just makes it a lot easier for the whole group.”
Harmon said Belichick has done a “tremendous” job in his first season as a position coach.
Belichick attended Rutgers with McCourty in 2008 and 2009 and was a teammate of Harmon’s in 2011, the season he spent on the football team as a long snapper. He also was a college teammate of Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan.
“The first day he came to workouts (at Rutgers) he had his long hair, of course, and all of us were like, ‘Damn, that’s Belichick’s son.’ You know? Like, that’s close to greatness right there,” Harmon said.
There’s plenty of familiarity in Gillette Stadium for Belichick, who also gets to see his younger brother Brian, a scouting assistant, in the halls every day.
“It’s awesome. I love being able to work with my brother and my dad every day,” Belichick said. “It’s good to see them in the building, walking around. It’s different than anything the three of us have done in our whole life. It’s new for all three of us, and all three of us are enjoying it.”
Belichick also draws lessons from his grandfather (Bill’s father), also named Steve, who died in 2005 and was a coach and scout with Navy from 1956 to 1989.
“We get to hear stories about what he saw growing up and what he believes in, history from his grandfather,” McCourty said. “It’s been good. I think we’ve learned a lot of football outside of just being safeties that has helped us on the field.”
Thumbnail photo via Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports Images
