The Patriots have frequented Media Day/Opening Night at the Super Bowl quite often over the last few years, making an appearance in three of the last four years at the event. As such, people are running out of things to talk about. Fortunately there's an old standby: how do you make Bill Belichick laugh? 

It was clearly a theme coming out of Monday night's shindig, as there were multiple individual interviewers who walked up to the coach and asked him about jokes, along with various reporters who checked with Patriots players about making Belichick chuckle.

Quarterback Tom Brady, who knows him about as well as anyone who has ever played for him, provided the definitive list of four things that will make Belichick smile and/or laugh. And they're basically what you would expect. 

"I have no idea," Brady said. "Just say Navy, lacrosse, Lawrence Taylor ... Bon Jovi. Those four."

Brady then pointed over at Belichick's podium and yelled "HE'S SMILING! LOOK! HE'S SMILING!"

*narrator's voice*

"Belichick wasn't smiling."

Go ahead and add "his dad's hats" to the list. Belichick, who showed up to Minnesota in a boss-looking fedora, smiled talking about his outfit -- he was looking sharp in a suit -- and gave NFL Network's Willie McGinest the scoop on the hat choice.

"That was my dad's hat, so I thought I would just toss that one on today," Belichick explained. "I felt good about wearing it ... Minnesota's a good place to have a hat."

The Patriots coach was actually in a pretty solid mood at Opening Night. According to the NFL Network "Belichick Smile Counter," Willie McGinest managed to get Belichick to smile NINE TIMES. There's an argument he only smiled six times, but whatever, he was in a good mood. Belichick is secretly usually in a good mood during Super Bowl week, and he understands Monday is a goof-off time, so why not enjoy it? Tuesday is time for practice.

So why not chuckle at the world's worst joke? 

This is Media Day/Media Night/Opening Night in a nutshell. Someone willing to walk up to Bill Belichick and harass him with something that is a borderline "knock-knock joke," fully expecting him to be OK with the situation. Incredible, really. 

At least now we know how to get Belichick grinning. Just mention his four favorite things in the world. One imagines he would also be willing to talk about deep sea fishing and/or punters. 

He doesn't know it, but Belichick will probably love talking about Kyle Lauletta, the Richmond quarterback who played lacrosse and has family that went to Navy, at some point in the near future too.