New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for his preparation and for trying to gain every advantage possible.
It’s playing the game within the game, when even the nuances of the game are often never ignored under his watch.
Take it from former Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan, who played for New England from 2013-2016. He won two Super Bowls during that timeframe and recorded a career-high five interceptions in his rookie season. He then signed a deal with Tennessee in the 2017 offseason, before playing for the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ryan got a firsthand look at Belichick’s preparation during the season. It went just beyond X’s and O’s. It also extended to knowing the officials and picking up their nuances as well. Ryan elaborated on this when appearing on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.”
“Knowing who the umpire is, knowing who the referees is. Knowing what penalties they call the most. And if they’re a crew that doesn’t major in defensive pass interference, doesn’t major in defensive holding, we’re going to try to do that a little bit more,” said Ryan. I remember wearing gloves the color of the opponents’ jerseys.
“Wearing white gloves, if they are wearing white on the road, so we can get away with white gloves, so they can’t see the holding as much. Just kind of playing the game, right? ‘What does the umpire look to call? And we’re not going to do that. If they’re going to call a lot of holding, then Belichick might put boxing gloves on our hands during the week, so we can’t hold at all in practice. So you’re going to cover with your feet.”
This just goes to show the amount of preparation Belichick puts into his craft. The defensive-minded coach expects his players to have a similar work ethic. It’s no wonder New England has been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL.
