The Man in the Hoodie

So just what is it like playing for Bill Belichick?

Over the years there have been several books written about Belichick’s reign as the head coach of the New England Patriots. There have been countless magazine articles and television special reports. His personal life has been laid out in sometimes unflattering detail.

Throughout it all, there’s never been a lot of comment from the people who deal with him every day. No, not the media; they’ve come to despise him. I’m talking about the players, the guys he leads onto the field each week.

What’s it like playing for the man in the hoodie?

“It’s interesting, it’s testing, it’s challenging,” said Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard. “I learned a lot during the time I was there. He’s quite a coach.”

Huard is the only player on the Chiefs roster who has a Super Bowl ring. In fact, he’s the only guy in the building, counting the coaching staff and front office with the piece of jewelry that all of them are working so hard to get.

He spent three seasons with the Patriots, earning Super Bowl rings after the 2001 and 2003 seasons.

“I look back on my time there and although I didn’t play, it was one of the best times of my life,” said Huard, who in three seasons got on the field just four times as he played behind Tom Brady. “I was part of two championship teams and that’s a great experience.”

And Huard said there’s no doubt once you walk into the Patriots building who is in charge of the operation.

“He’s a great leader,” Huard said of Belichick. “I’m not sure if he intimidates people, but he’s a powerful presence. He demands a lot out of you, more mentally than physically. It’s a very challenging work environment.

“You either can do it, or you can’t. The guys that can’t, they are gone and it doesn’t matter who you are and how you came to be part of the team. ”

How does he challenge players mentally? Belichick does that by demanding extra mental preparation from all his players, even those who don’t always get in the game.

“It can show up by calling you out in front of the entire team,” Huard said. “It can be ‘Damon who is their third nickel back corner on third down?’ This comes on Wednesday, before you’ve gotten your book on the opponent.

“He expected you were going to watch a little film on Monday and Tuesday on your days off. There’s always that pressure there, of being called out in front of your peers and not being prepared. That’s quite a motivator. It can be pretty uncomfortable.”

There are no protected favorites when it comes to Belichick’s probing. “Oh no, he’ll get after Tom Brady as much as anybody,” Huard said. “It happens to everybody, from the so called stars to the third quarterback who doesn’t play very much. I think it’s probably one of those things where if he goes a long time and doesn’t call you out, then you had better be worried because he’s not thinking about you.”

Many coaches like to play the good cop-bad cop routine. One minute they are tearing a player and his performance to pieces, the next they are rubbing his shoulder and telling him everything will be OK. That’s not how Belichick operates.

“It’s really a business-like atmosphere,” Huard said. “There are times when he’ll encourage you or pat you on the back for doing something good, but there isn’t a lot of idle chatter. He expects you to do your job and to always be prepared.”

Over his 12-year NFL career, Huard has played for three different coaches who have won Super Bowls: Belichick, Jimmy Johnson (in Miami) and Dick Vermeil (with the Chiefs.) All three took a different approach to how they led their teams. “There’s no one way,” Huard said. “Coaches use a lot of different methods. It always comes down to performance.”

In this case, the performance of Belichick’s teams speaks for itself.

“They know how to win,” said Huard. “It comes when talent combines with preparation.  He does a great job with both.”