Bill Belichick’s Son Gives Thoughtful Assessment Of ‘Obviously Old’ Dad

For someone who turned 71 in April, Bill Belichick doesn't act like the oldest head coach in the NFL.

Belichick, still a tireless worker, looked like his usual self during Patriots training camp, from providing hands-on coaching to occasionally losing his cool to ensuring no situation went overlooked. And he remained as enigmatic as ever in his dealings with reporters.

He's no spring chicken, something his son, Patriots linebackers coach Steve Belichick, will happily admit.

"He's obviously old," Steve said with a wry smile Tuesday morning. "He's definitely old."

Belichick largely conducts himself in the same way he's done since becoming New England's head coach in 2000. However, the six-time Super Bowl winner also is willing to keep up with the times.

"I haven't seen a ton of changes in terms of his approach and stuff like that," Steve Belichick said. "I think he does a good job of adapting. He's not suck in his ways. He listens. He listens to feedback, and he implements it how he wants to. But he's always open to feedback. He'll listen. And that's from a lot of people in the building -- players, coaches, support staff, everybody -- to try and learn and improve.

"I mean, I've never heard him say, like, 'I got this. It is what it is. We're done with it. We're not gonna progress or change based on what we have.' There's always a level of, 'What can we do better? What do we need to do better?' "

In recent years, Belichick has employed younger coaches on his staff -- including his two sons. And his willingness to consider their input doesn't go unnoticed.

"I appreciate that from him, especially as a young person," Steve said. "Sometimes, you get stuck in your ways more than him, being so old. But I appreciate him listening to us and taking the feedback we have. And as the head coach, it's up to him whether he wants to implement the changes or do things differently than how maybe (they were) done before. That's up to him.

"But he listens to our feedback, and he's not a micromanager. He lets us do what we do. He hired us to do a job. He has trust in us to do a job. But if it's not good enough, then he'll step in and tell you that it's just flat-out not good enough."

It's anyone's guess as to how much longer Belichick will coach in the NFL. One analyst recently reported he has one or two seasons left -- at the most.

But until he finally decides to retire, Belichick probably will coach like there's no end in sight.