With how the media has portrayed him over the years, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if a football enthusiast like yourself pictured Bill Belichick as a grumpy old football coach. Now, with the release of the ‘Dynasty’ docu-series, the former Patriots head man has once again faced the fury. While some believe that the downfall of the franchise occurred because of him, others feel that he was the sole reason why Tom Brady left Foxborough. His former players, however, do not feel the same way, especially Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater.
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During their recent banter session on the ‘Games with Names‘ podcast, the wideout duo delved into how their head coach, Bill Belichick, always took care of his players. Edelman initially posed the question to Slater about whether he had the retirement talk with Bill before hanging up his cleats this year. The now-former special team captain acknowledged that his former head coach isn’t really a sentimental individual, but he still let Bill know about retiring this year.
Just before stepping onto the field one last time, Slater knew it was time for him to call it quits, and he approached Bill and expressed his gratitude for all the years they spent together. He also noted that he had a very good relationship with his head coach and the latter never shied away from extending his supporting hands. Edelman, at that very moment, revealed something that isn’t typically discussed about the 6-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.
“Did you not instantly feel a switch flip when he knew you were gonna retire?” Edelman asked.
Edelman then recalled the exact moment he had his retirement talk with Bill. He initially felt that he would get typical coach talk from Bill, but that wasn’t at all the case. “He was like—nourishing,” Edelman revealed. The ex-wideout emphasized how unexpected it might be for some to even think of Belichick reacting that way, but it was consistent — he was, without fail, supportive towards every player in his system.
Matthew Slater was Always Intimidated By Bill Belichick
The three-time Super Bowl-winning wideout revealed that he was actually ‘intimidated’ by his head coach, as he is known to have a strong demeanor. Yet, there were more than a few moments when Bill significantly surprised him whether with his supportive or thoughtful nature.
“There was always a part of me that was a little bit intimidated by him when he cane to coach. He is such a strong figure,” Slater said. “But there was moments that he surprised me all the time with how supportive he was or thoughtful he was about different things. And I think that doesn’t get talked about enough.“
Ever since the release of the docu-series, the focus has shifted back to Bill Belichick, who, after a 24-year-long stint, has nowhere to call home. He has been vilified out of proportion by constantly getting his name dragged through the mud. However, several former players like Edelman, Slater, Rob Gronkowski, and even the owner of the club, Robert Kraft, have expressed a different perspective.
Surely the debate will rage on for the rest of eternity, but for now, the one thing that truly matters is for Belichick to find a new team to coach. Every head coach vacancy has been filled this year; therefore, we have to wait till the next cycle for an answer.
