Host Chris Fowler: Meyer's clenched
jaw intensity and wry but well-hidden sense of humor kind of reminds you of
another Ohio-born [sic] coach in Bill Belichick, the guy who's got those
three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots and also a few ideas worth
borrowing. While Belichick communicates regularly with quite a few college
coaches – Charlie Weis, his former assistant,
and Tom O'Brien is right there at Boston College – the Foxboro-Gainesville connection might just surprise you. Wendi Nix
has the story.
Nix: Florida head coach Urban Meyer
runs one of the most innovative offensive systems in college football. A
fact not lost on Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who last spring
traveled to Florida to workout a number of Gator players in advance of the
NFL Draft.
Meyer: I think it shows what kind of
guy he is, that he spent five hours working the guys out himself,
interviewing them himself and asking the head coach and the position coaches
about them. There's almost zero chance of error if you do it the right way,
and that's why I really admire the way he does things.
Nix: The mutual admiration began in
2005 when Belichick visited Florida to study Meyer's spread offense. In
turn, Meyer has tried to stress the same accountability and ownership
Belichick demands from the Patriots.
Meyer: He even made the comment to me
that the leadership he has at New England is all positive. Tom Brady and
some of these great players are the hardest working guys on the team. Some
programs are stuck with their best players, or their leaders, [being] the guys
that don't believe in work ethic and don't believe in living right off the
field. That's not by accident. That's the way they select their players.
Belichick: We have a lot of good
players on our team. They're very good people, they're good leaders, and they
give a great example to not only the younger players, but to all of us.
Florida QB Chris Leak: They're always talking about them, and he shows us all the pictures of their
Super Bowl rings. And, I mean, that's what you want as a player. That's why
you have so much respect for them, because they invested so much of their
time and of their lives to be the best that they could be.
Meyer: The discussion we have with
our players [is], the biggest decision they have to make is do they wear all
three at once or do they just wear one or two. Where, these other teams are
having [to make] decisions on who's suspended, who's not suspended, who's
holding out. New England, they're there to win Super Bowls.
Nix: The connection between the teams
can be seen on New England's roster. In April, Belichick spent two of his
ten draft picks on Florida's Chad Jackson and Jeremy Mincey. Shortly
thereafter, he invited three more Gators to Patriots' rookie camp, and Meyer
to a minicamp in June.
Patriots WR Chad Jackson: It was like
they were best friends. They were always talking. We were over there running
plays or something like that [and] Coach Belichick's not even paying
attention. They were over there catching up on things. I could see that
they're real good friends and they have a real good relationship.
Belichick: His program, in a lot of
ways, is similar to our program, to what we demand of our players. So that
makes it a good evaluation process.
Nix: What in particular has he tried
to glean from you, do you think, in your program?
Meyer: Nothing. I think he just comes
down here to maybe get a few good players.
Fowler: The two coaches plan to visit
again in the off-season. |
