Bill Belichick seems to always get the most out of his players.
New England hasn’t always had the most talented roster from top to bottom during the Belichick era, but the Patriots still manage to be Super Bowl contenders year in and year out.
Such was the case in the 2018 campaign, which concluded with the Pats hoisting their sixth Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. New England only had two Pro Bowlers on its roster last season and struggled with inconsistency but rallied together at the right time to claim football’s ultimate prize.
While the players, of course, deserve the bulk of the credit for the championship win, Belichick warrants similar praise for another stellar coaching performance. The longtime head coach once again was able to maximize his players’ talents, which might be credited to his candor with everyone on the 53-man roster.
And according to Brandon King, the straightforwardness often can be tough to find among football coaches. The four-year linebacker, for one, was a bit surprised to discover just how upfront Belichick is with his players.
“At the end of the day, you got coaches out there that might be like sugarcoat this, sugarcoat that,” King said Monday during an appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.” But with Bill, he lays it completely right on the line for you. He’s been a part of a lot of organizations, been a coach for longer than I’ve been alive. So he knows what it takes to get where we need to be. Honestly, if something’s not going the right way, he’s gonna tell you. He’s gonna come straight up to you and he’s gonna be like, ‘Look, this is this and that and you’re not doing this right. And if you do it, you gotta do this.’ Everyone has so much respect for him because he’s done it for so long.”
There’s no doubt Belichick has the respect of all of his players, which is an essential dynamic for any team hopeful of winning a championship. As we’ve seen with other teams around the NFL, elite talent often can go by the wayside if not properly managed.
Luckily for the Patriots, that’s never been an issue since Belichick arrived in Foxboro, and New England is poised for another successful campaign when the band gets back together in September.
