It is possible for Bill Belichick to give answers at press conferences that are longer than one sentence.
He just has to be talking about football in general and not his own team.
Belichick pulled back the curtain a little bit on Wednesday, saying that most defensive players were moved to that side of the ball because somewhere along the way they weren’t good enough to play offense.
“I mean look, a lot of defensive players get moved (from) offense because they’re not good enough on offense, right?” Belichick said via Pro Football Talk. “High school coaches, college coaches, if they have somebody better and you have another good player at that position, instead of stacking them up you just move them somewhere where he can get on the field quicker.”
In the trenches, according to Belichick, it’s different. Offensive linemen generally gravitate to that position because they’re not fast enough to play on the defensive line.
When there are exceptions, Belichick has taken advantage. He occasionally used linebacker Mike Vrabel as a tight end, and Vrabel caught six touchdown passes for the Patriots between 2002 and 2007. He even caught go-ahead touchdown passes in Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX.
Wide receiver Troy Brown was “demoted” to defense out of necessity in 2004. He moved to cornerback to beef up an injury-depleted unit and intercepted three passes, playing a role in the Patriots’ championship that season.
Belichick’s revelation might not sit well with some defensive players, but perhaps it will inspire them to one day be like Mike.
Mike Vrabel, that is.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
