The Patriots have long been one of the NFL’s most successful teams. With over 20 years of Belichick tenure, it is only natural that the Patriots are one of the league’s most successful teams in terms of both wins and championships. Well, they had a pretty good year in 2014, but Bill Belichick still had one last trick up his sleeve for his Patriots.
Bill Belichick made his feelings known on the sideline during Julian Edelman’s fake punt in Super Bowl LIII. “You know what? I can’t really say anything at this point,” Belichick said to reporters after the game. “I’m not sure what emotion I’m feeling right now. I’m sure it’ll be a combination of a lot of things.” Belichick went on to say that he could do nothing more in the game and that it was all out of his hands.
Few know exactly what New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick stands for behind closed doors. Julian Edelman is one of the few who does. Edelman played under Belichick in New England for more than a decade, and in that time he earned the respect of the legendary coach. But that didn’t make him immune to criticism. In a recent podcast interview with former Patriot Chris Long, Edelman talked about how he felt Belichick’s explosive anger during the shootout, and it wasn’t pretty.
Bill Belichick coached Julian Edelman for 11 seasons
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talks to Julian Edelman on the field during the 2016 AFC Championship Game | Christian Petersen/Getty Images Not many NFL players get the chance to spend time with Belichick in New England. The Patriots believe that every player on the team is replaceable. If you make a mistake, they replace you with someone else who can do your job just as well.
Edelman is one of those rare cases who has played his entire career under Belichick. The reliable receiver played all 11 NFL seasons with the Patriots before announcing his departure from the team earlier this year. He finished his career with the fourth most receiving yards in franchise history and also has three Super Bowl rings in his time in New England. Belichick was attracted to Edelman because of his tireless work ethic and dedication to the Patriot Way. That didn’t stop him from embarrassing the WRs during a spirited kicking session after a gross error on the practice field.
Edelman describes what it is like to experience Belichick’s anger
What happens in the Patriots building usually stays in the Patriots building. We don’t know much about Belichick’s daily activities because …. Well, nobody’s talking about her. And you’ll probably never get a detailed explanation from Belichick himself. But during a recent appearance on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast, Edelman explained what Belichick does when a player irritates him during practice or during a game. Edelman said the head coach publicly humiliated the players during the shootout so they would not make such mistakes again.
These sessions are known in the building as BillTube or Lowlights. During the interview, Edelman talked about the worst BillTube session he has ever attended. When I liked to fight in practice, Edelman said. I got into a fight with Stephon Gilmore. Belichick] turns it on and sits there and rewinds 45 times. With silence! He sits down, rewinds 45 times, stands up and says: But what do we do? We can’t let this happen! He just went ahead and called me: You know what, Edelman? You think you’re tough around here. He jumped me in front of the team. But I think he liked it.
Chris Long was always afraid to make a mistake with Belichick
Long also played under Belichick for a time in New England. He spent one season with the Patriots in 2016, between stints with the Rams and Eagles, and won the Super Bowl that year. The former defense attorney said he was so afraid of Belichick’s wrath that he bought a house right next to Gillette Stadium so he would never be late. He also drank five cups of coffee a day to stay awake during team meetings. Long has been involved in many embarrassing BillTube recordings, and he has made it a rule never to be the subject of those recordings. I don’t think anyone has ever tried to screw anything up, Long said.
But if you screw up, you’ll burn yourself in the big room. I was relieved to know that everyone was probably happy that I wasn’t making mistakes. That was the predominant feeling in the room. It wasn’t like that at all: Fuck you, Chris. I never followed you, like after the Pittsburgh game, I think you dropped the ball. I thought so: My God, he’s yelling at Julian… My God, he’s yelling at one of his best players. Many remember Belichick admitting to Jules in 2016, but Edelman can’t even put his finger on that incident because there have been so many in his Patriots career. It’s happened so many times I don’t even remember, he said. COMPARED TO: Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft made strong statements to honor Patriots legend Adam Vinatieri
