There is no questioning that the way Bill Belichick runs a football team leads to plenty of success.
But it’s also fair to acknowledge that his coaching style probably can exhaust guys, especially veterans who have spent a while in the New England Patriots organization.
Given the departure of Tom Brady, followed by Rob Gronkowski coming out of retirement and requesting a trade to join his quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, many have asked if Belichick caused those guys to want out.
But while Belichick reportedly was not the driving force behind Gronk’s desire to leave New England, one of Belichick’s former players can understand why the tight end might’ve wanted to leave Belichick’s operation.
During an appearance on WEEI, former NFL tight end Mark Bavaro, who played under Belichick with the Cleveland Browns in 1992, explained why.
“Absolutely, without a doubt (Belichick’s coaching style could’ve worn him down),” Bavaro said, via WEEI.com. “It’s not so much Belichick. I say that about Bill Parcells all the time. Bill Parcells was great to play for but I don’t know if I could have kept up that pace under him. It was just so demanding. And Bill Belichick is from the same school. There’s not a lot of wiggle room for older guys with those two coaches. They expect and demand a lot from their players. There’s not a whole lot of fun going on on those teams but there is a lot of winning and that makes it worth it and that makes it great for a short while.”
The reality in all of this probably is that Gronkowski just wanted to play with Brady. Whatever the reason might be though, both the Bucs and Pats are going to have a new look in 2020.
