Somewhat surprisingly, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was an absolute smash hit during his co-host appearance on Pat McAfee’s “Draft Spectacular.”
There were many who thought Belichick would be hibernating underground for the next year as he awaits his next coaching opportunity.
However, Belichick enthusiastically joined McAfee for his ultra-popular draft show and impressed even his most harsh critics.
Besides his obvious expertise, what separated Belichick from the vast majority of draft analysts was his brutal honesty when discussing players.
While many other “experts” wave the pom poms for players and speak only glowingly of them – Belichick wasn’t hesitant to point out each prospect’s flaws and the different areas they need to improve on.
Belichick enjoyed his appearance with McAfee so much that he agreed to come on the “progrum” every Monday during football season.
He’s also expected to join the popular “ManningCast” which of course features two of his former rivals – Peyton and Eli Manning.
While his constructive criticism was unique and refreshing, Belichick also made it clear that patience is needed at all times when evaluating and developing all rookies.
“Brady didn’t play his rookie year,” he said. “You judge Tom Brady after his first year, and you have literally nothing. You’re talking about the greatest player that’s ever played.”
While it’s true that all rookies face adversity and will inevitably struggle at some point, Belichick did admit that there was one player who transitioned to the NFL flawlessly…
“Lawrence Taylor was a different story,” he confidently stated. “Lawrence Taylor from Day One impacted the team, showed he was the best player on the field, way better than everyone else, and [we] built a defense around him from that point going forward.”
Of course, this was far from the only time that Belichick has drooled over LT’s unmatched dominance…
Adding that the Hall of Fame Taylor was “the one exception to that rule,” Belichick stated that it’s natural for even the most talented of rookies to take some time to adjust to the NFL level.
“Once they figure it out, that’s when you know what you have,” he said. “It’s usually not Day One of his rookie year.”
Regarded by most as the greatest defensive player in NFL history, Lawrence Taylor’s decorated career speaks for itself.
Drafted by the Giants with the #2 overall pick in the 1981 draft, LT played his entire 13-year career with the G-Men.
A two-time Super Bowl champion, Taylor led the Big Blue Wrecking Crew defense and was named a Pro Bowler a remarkable 10 times … Even more impressive, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times.
All in all, Belichick surprised most people with his on-air presence and willingness to speak his mind.
We’ve seen countless times where legendary figures are terrible on the air. Whether that be because they struggle to communicate smoothly or perhaps they aren’t willing to truly speak their minds.
Although Belichick was justtt a little tight in the beginning of the show, he surely loosened up as the night went on.
He obviously chose the McAfee Show as his platform because he knows neither Pat or any of his guys will challenge him on anything or dare wander into any waters that Belichick wouldn’t approve of.
In other words, it’s a very safe and welcoming landing spot in the media world for Belichick.
It even got to a point where Belichick didn’t seem ready for the show to end.
As McAfee was trying to wrap up after the draft concluded, Belichick chose to drop this gem on us…
What are your thoughts on Belichick’s performance?
How do you think he will be as an analyst this coming season?
Is there a chance he’s done coaching for good? … Or do you think he will inevitably take a job next season, especially since he’s so close to breaking Don Shula’s all-time wins record?
Do you agree with Belichick that Lawrence Taylor was the most NFL-ready player ever???