Bill Belichick will go down as one of the best coaches in NFL history, and his reputation has been felt all across the league.
Current and former Patriots players largely have been positive about their experience being coached by Belichick. There are some outliers like Asante Samuel, who don’t hesitate to take a shot at Belichick while praising Tom Brady’s contributions to the New England dynasty.
But those on the outside are left with stories and only can speculate on what it would have been like to play with the Patriots at their peak. That’s what A.J. Hawk did while holding hosting duties on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday.
“(Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones), did you ever want to play for Bill Belichick?” Hawk asked. “He’s one of the things I wished I got to experience, what it was like to play for the Patriots, especially in their prime with Tom (Brady) there and what it was like to be on a Belichick-led team.”
“Bro, who wouldn’t?” Jones replied.
“Yeah, what is it?” Hawk said. “Is it because we don’t really know?”
“I don’t know,” Jones said. “I guess if you come from a winning pedigree, you like winning or have anything to do with winning, with everything that he’s done, that’s a guy you’re like, ‘Damn, I wished I could have went through there.'”
“Yeah, most people are like, ‘He’s a lot different than you think. Bill’s actually funny. If you’re a pro and you do things right, he’s great. He’s awesome,'” the Green Bay Packers Super Bowl champion said.
Logan Ryan was a former Patriot that shared fond memories from his time in New England, and Matthew Judon has been all in on the “Patriot Way” to the point of being the team’s unofficial recruiter, which proved successful with Chris Board. Other former Patriots players like Cassius Marsh don’t have fun memories under Belichick. But there appeared to be one cure to anyone not having a great time.
“You got to win, though,” Hawk said. “In order for you to love it, you have to win. However they brand that team, if you’re winning, you can get away with whatever you want as a coaching staff and everything. But the second you stop winning, issues will happen. Guys will start asking questions. Guys are not going to be as willing to do the little things that other players may think are stupid.”
That would seem to fit for a player like Rob Gronkowski, who’s personality never seemed to be an issue during his nine-year tenure in New England. It’s unlikely Hawk or Jones are the only retired NFL players to have wondered what life under Belichick would have been like, and fans are left to their imaginations on what other notable players could have made made their way to New England.
