Bill Belichick doesn’t always feel like talking.
But when he finds a subject he likes, he can go on and on.
Jim Wyatt of the Titans official website found such a subject, getting Belichick to open up about new Titans General Manager Jon Robinson.
“Jon is smart, works hard, and is team oriented. He showed a strong commitment to finding the players and specific types of players we needed, digging out information on their individual personal characteristics, and understanding the projection of how each player would contribute and fit into our program,’’ Belichick said. “He did many ‘extras’ that went beyond the normal duties in his job. Jon patiently worked his way up through the Patriots organization and was unselfish in his team-first attitude to do whatever he could to help us win.
“Jon educated me on the changes in the landscape of scouting and we made adjustments in our process as a result of his perceptive comments.”
Robinson spent 12 seasons in New England on the college scouting side, so Belichick knows him well. And while he was effusive in his praise of Robinson when Wyatt approached him at the Senior Bowl, Belichick asked for more time to come up with a more thorough answer. And then he delivered, via email.
“I always respected Jon’s opinion and knew that the information he acquired was accurate,’’ Belichick said. “Although I was responsible for the final decision, I relied on Jon [and many others] for their information and input to make those decisions. Jon did an outstanding job in helping me and Nick Caserio [the Patriots director of player personnel] in this process. Jon also did a great job of training our younger scouts — this accelerated their contributions to the process.
“Jon Robinson is an asset to any football program.”
Robinson said what many would imagine about Belichick, that “you have to earn his trust.”
And it seems apparent that Belichick came to that conclusion about Robinson, who know has a chance to put his own stamp on a team.