There probably isn’t a high school football coach in the state of Massachusetts who hasn’t been influenced in some way, shape or form by Bill Belichick.
With Belichick and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announcing Thursday they had mutually agreed to part ways after Belichick spent the last 24 seasons patrolling the Patriots sidelines — and guiding them to six Super Bowl championships — we asked some of our North Shore high school gridiron coaches about him and the influence he’s had.
Here are their thoughts:
DAN O’CONNOR, Gloucester
I think the obvious thing anyone will first think of is his success, the Super Bowl victories and the way he cultivated a culture of winning and consistency. His attention to detail and ability to coach any position and situation on the field is remarkable.
I think that over the last few years things obviously haven’t gone the way people in New England are accustomed to and change typically happens when that’s the case. In terms of anything I take from him in my coaching, I’d say I always marvel at how he seems to stay relatively calm regardless of the situation on the field and confident in his team to succeed.
MIKE FLYNN, Pingree
(former NFL lineman and Super Bowl champion for the Baltimore Ravens)
I think what made Bill special was his attention to detail. As a head coach, it’s easy to get bogged down in the details. Hard to do your job. But he embraced it: “The Grind.”
I was there (on the team) in New England for the 2008 preseason for a few weeks. Not enough to know him personally but long enough to see how the team prepared. How information was presented to the players. It was very impressive.
BRIAN ST. PIERRE, St. John’s Prep
(former NFL quarterback for the Steelers, Cardinals, and Panthers)
I’ll say this: the level of success his teams accomplished I think may never be reached again. I think he’s a very good defensive mind, and his passion for the history of the game is unique.
MARK BETTENCOURT, Peabody
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady changed the way kids grow up in New England. I grew up with Steve Grogan and Tony Eason with mediocrity at best. The last 20 years have made young kids from New England feel like winners (with some help from Pedro, Papi and the Red Sox). I think it’s amazing that two men can have such a huge impact on tens of thousands of people.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Bill Belichick every game I saw. Win or lose, he handled himself the same way. He never got too high or too low. I could never be as stoic as he is but I always try to simulate his ability to stay even-keeled in any situation. I always try to teach my players and coaches not to get too high when we win or low when we lose. That all starts with me as head coach and that’s something I must credit to Belichick.
DAN CONNORS, Essex Tech
Watching Bill Belichick was a huge influence on me as a coach because he reminds me that player development is of the utmost importance. and of course, to ‘ignore the noise.’ The way he believed in a certain way of doing things and stuck to it was very influential; I think he influenced a lot of coaches much moreso than kids and players.
I also think be should get a lot more credit for developing Tom Brady (and Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman) than he does.