BY SAM HOLLINGSWORTH
We’re all familiar with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his everyday press conference bravado.
He ignorantly refuses to answer important questions. He blatantly belittles questions from the media that, while obscure and sometimes irrelevant, could spark something interesting. While subtle and, for the lack of better terminology, brutally honest in his conversations with the media, The Man in the Hoodie is just … kind of … a dick.
He knows it. We all know it. And that’s that. Not only do I believe Belichick would not be offended by reading this, I think he expects it. There’s no way he can go out there and say some of the things he says and not walk away from the podium thinking, “Well, that was rude.”
But, is first-year Broncos head coach John Fox the nicer, more personable version of Belichick?
I'm calling it.
Like Belichick, John Fox is a defensive-minded coach. He was, too, once the defensive coordinator for the Giants, as was Belichick.
Formerly the head coach of the Panthers — from 2002-10, which included a Super Bowl loss to the Patriots — Fox and his Broncos play the Pats at Gillette Stadium this Saturday night at 8 p.m.
When asked by the media recently about the acquisition of Josh McDaniels to the Patriots staff, Fox answered: “We just played them a month ago so I don’t view it much differently. I don’t know Josh very well. I wasn’t here (when he was coaching) so I’m not really that familiar. I just stay in my lane. Other people make those rules.
"It doesn’t really matter what I think.”
See? Reads like a Belichick quote, but sounds much more pleasant.
As for Fox's level of concern for McDaniels serving as a sort of Broncos insider... Nah.
“When you do this for a living, you have a pretty good idea of most of the players,” Fox said. “You (studied) them in college or coached them before and guys just move cities, that's kind of what this league is.”
McDaniels' knowledge of the Broncos is, in fact, a huge advantage for the Broncos. But like Belichick, Fox won't elaborate. Yet he's so nice about it, so while reporters crawl into a shell after an answer from Belichick, Fox has them nodding their heads.
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