Bill Belichick proves he's not always grumpy when he's asked real questions
Belichick is happy to talk about real stuff, unlike whether Tom Brady is going to be benched
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2 min read
In his 21 years as an NFL head coach, Bill Belichick has earned the title of arguably the greatest coach in the history of football. He's also earned a reputation as a grump when he's forced to spend valuable minutes away from football to talk with members of the media.
He scoffs at reporters. He refuses to give real answers with which they can work. Unless, of course, he's asked a real question about football.
Here's some proof that Belichick can actually serve as a great interviewee, as long as he's asked real questions (via the Boston Globe):
What does a player need to make that transition inside and have success?
It's a different type of matchup. Generally, when an end works against a tackle, it's pretty much just those two guys. Sometimes a back or a tight end might chip him, but for the most part it's pretty much truly a one-on-one situtation from a wider alignment with rush-late responsibilities on the edge.
Inside there's a third guy involved somewhere between the center and guards against usually two rushers, unless you blitz, but let's just say that you don't. If you rush four, then it's some version of three-on-two in there, so you're dealing with another guy that you're just not dealing with outside. The guards generally have a little less length and a little less athleticism than the tackles, but you also have a little less space in there.
Seeing the way the protection slides, which way the center goes, whether you're rushing on the guard or rushing on the center -- as a defensive end, you're really not that worried about which way the slide is going because that doesn't affect you too much. It might affect you from the inside to make an inside move on the tackle. The guard might be there, but again, I'd say overall that's less of an issue than when you're playing inside, so there are some scheme things, there's a little matchup difference.
It's different for the guards to see those guys inside like that, too, that usually have more length, more speed, more quickness, less power generally.
Compare that lengthy response to this:
The difference? One question was about Tom Brady's viability as a starting quarterback. The other question was about the difference between pass rushing against a guard and pass rushing against a tackle.
Ask Belichick about something asinine -- no, Jimmy Garoppolo is not going to steal Brady's starting job -- and he won't put any effort into his response. Ask Belichick about football, and he'll sometimes respond with a meaningful answer. Of course, that doesn't mean he won't ever be terse, like he was when reporters questioned his decision to the kick the ball off to start overtime last year.
The moral of the story: If you ever sign up for a football course taught by Professor Belichick, don't raise your hand at the end of the lecture to ask why he wore a sleeveless sweatshirt to class.
