There will be a lot of stories and reflections from Bill Belichick’s 24 years in New England shared in the coming days, weeks and months following the news that the Patriots are parting ways with their longtime head coach. It will be tough to top what Ty Law told The Greg Hill Show Thursday morning.
The Patriots and Pro Football Hall of Famer was first coached by Belichick in 1996, his second NFL season, when Belichick was the Patriots’ assistant head coach and defensive backs coach under Bill Parcells. Law then had Belichick as his head coach for five years from 2000-04, winning three Super Bowls together during that time.
Law said Belichick “meant everything” to him as a player and completely changed the way he studied and played the game.
“He meant everything,” Law said. “One, he always held me accountable. That’s one thing about Coach Belichick, he’s always gonna put it to you straight. He wasn’t trying to have a buddy-buddy type of relationship. You had to earn those extra minutes or that extra time as far as him giving you the attention that you might want or need. He’s gonna do that hard-nosed coaching. I always appreciated that.
“I was fortunate to be able to have him early in my career as my position coach, so I got to be with him on an everyday basis, and I was able to see the transition from being a DB coach, a position coach, to a head coach. I was a little shocked, because I was like, ‘Damn Bill, you’ve changed.’ But I had to understand as a young player that he’s a head coach now, not just our coach and not just in our defensive back meeting room.
“What he taught me was how to look at the game and study the game and anticipate things before they happen. I was one of those guys where I tried to cover every route, every time, no matter what. And I was exhausted after games. Bill, he helped me slow down the game by studying. I was never a film guy before Bill Belichick. I felt like I was better than you, and that was just my ego or whatever it was. Like, I ain’t gotta worry about you, you gotta worry about me. But the game changed for me through his coaching and him sitting me down 1-on-1 and telling me, ‘This formation, anticipate this.’”
Law recalled one specific game when he was initially hesitant to trust what Belichick was telling him to do, but was won over when a play developed exactly the way Belichick said it would.
“He told me one time in New Orleans, and I will never forget the game, he said, ‘Ty, if they run it from this formation, you better sit on it,’” Law remembered. “He said, ‘You better sit on it, and if you get beat, I’ll take the blame.’ I said, ‘So I can squat on this, and if I get beat, you’re gonna take the blame?’ He said, ‘It’s on me.’ Sure enough, it happened exactly like he said. I squatted on it, I didn’t even back up, and I got an interception. That’s the type of coach that he was.”