Among NFL fans outside New England, Patriots coach Bill Belichick has a reputation as a duplicitous schemer. But one Patriots player says Belichick is the most honest coach he’s played for.
Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount said on NFL Network that the reason he and his teammates succeed under Belichick is that Belichick is always completely forthright with them.
“I want to say the biggest part that sets us apart is the coaches,” Blount said, via Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. “Bill is a straight shooter. He’s 100 percent honest. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, he doesn’t hide anything from you. We know he expects greatness from us . . . and I feel like that’s what sets him apart from other coaches.”
Blount didn’t say which “other coaches” he meant, but he’s played for Jeff Fisher in Tennessee, Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano in Tampa Bay and Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, as well as Chip Kelly at Oregon. In all of those stops, there have been indications that he didn’t see eye to eye with the coaches. In New England, Belichick and Blount have had no problems working together.