There is no question that the New England Patriots organization holds itself to a higher standard.
So it should come to no surprise that no one is safe from the wrath of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Former defensive end Chris Long gave an example to how the team approached the week after a loss.
“There’s no windows in the building. A lot of coffee. A lot of guys with, like, big cups of coffee,” Long said on the Ryan Russillo Podcast. “A lot of guys shuffling in, no talking. Then there’s like, the awkward quiet moment when you’re like, ‘Ok, when’s Bill coming in,’ when the small talk stops. Then Bill comes in. And it can go for an hour.”
When the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach walks in front of his team, he plays no favorites and points out flaws in every single player’s performance.
“It’s just straight up,” Long said. “That’s what you miss a lot in pro football. You want your head coach to get up there and call it how it is and do it in front of the entire team. No favorites. Don’t sugarcoat it. And that’s what’s done.”
When Belichick turns on the film, the things you thought you can hide are pointed out in-plain sight in front of every coach and every player.
The team’s best players as well as coaches past and present like Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have had their worst moments thrown back in their face. Something that Long says is a great motivator.
“Your mistakes are up there on the big screen for everybody to see and they’re addressed head on,” Long said. “That can be ugly, but it needs to happen.”
The Patriots have this week off and take on the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
2 Responses
I miss Chris Long…..Why did he leave the Pats?
Signed with Philadelphia for more money than the Patriots were willing to offer.