Contrary to popular belief, some actually appreciate Bill Belichick’s straight-forward style.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik explained last week during SiriusXM’s NFL media call why he enjoyed making trades with the New England Patriots head coach prior to or during the NFL draft. Dominik said Belichick eschews the negotiating tactic of befriending potential trading partners in order to soften their stances. Belichick instead approaches draft-day trade talks as one would expect.
“Bill’s very cut-to-the-chase, as you can imagine,” Dominik said, per The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. “I’ve done three or four trades with Bill, and everything is just like, ‘Get to the point, let’s go. Are you in? Do you want to do this or not?’ He’s not going to sit around and wait. I actually loved that. He got right to the point.”
Belichick has made 70 trades during his 19 previous drafts in charge of the Patriots, according to Volin.
New England owns 12 picks in this year’s draft, and many observers expect the defending Super Bowl champions to trade up or down in order to further their interests.
And rival coaches and general shouldn’t expect to exchange many pleasantries during those frenzied times that are draft days.
