Flipping the script on Bill
Chiefs receiver Hardman quizzed Belichick on pre-draft visit
MIAMI — In early April last year, the Patriots hosted a young wideout from Georgia on an official pre-draft visit.
They were in dire need of a talent infusion at receiver. Perhaps this wiry speedster could provide it. Or A.J. Brown or Deebo Samuel or N’Keal Harry, all of whom also visited New England.
PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK
Hours after his arrival, it was learned the young prospect had posted a photo of the Patriots locker room to his Instagram account and subsequently deleted it. The post was widely seen as a no-no; broadcasting private information during a time of football secrecy and fact-gathering, especially in Foxboro. What transpired offline was far more interesting: Mecole Hardman, now thriving with the Chiefs, role-reversed Bill Belichick during their sit-down.
“I kept asking him questions and trying to pick his brain, how he thought about certain things and coaches that have been under him. Just different stuff, his defensive philosophy, stuff that he thought,” Hardman said during Super Bowl week. “Stuff I just always wanted to know.”
He asked about Belichick’s assistants? And coaching philosophy? Yes, the rookie confirmed.
“I asked him what are you telling them, what are you drilling into them to be a good coach? Stuff like that, which you can bring to yourself and maybe help yourself as a younger guy.”
Hardman said he spoke with Belichick for 15 minutes during the visit, which was unlike any other he’d taken. The Pats ultimately wanted to test his recall and ability to grasp small parts of their playbook.
“They ask more out of you, so it’s really an interview being up there. They do things differently. Coach Belichick do a lot of things differently,” Hardman said. “Other visits were more having fun and seeing stuff. Being up there was more about seeing what you know than having fun.”
Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio described the process shortly after the draft’s first round while answering a question about Harry, whom the team eventually selected with its initial pick.
“We try to simulate what that (weekly) process would be: meeting, installation, walk-through, learn the material, come back, see what they’ve retained,” Caserio said. “So that’s the big thing.”
Hardman said he and Harry are friends, having met during various high school camps and an all-star game. While Harry struggled with injuries and inconsistency in his first NFL season, managing only a dozen catches, Hardman took off with 538 receiving yards and six touchdowns, including one he scored in a win at New England.
He hasn’t heard from Harry yet at the Super Bowl, but assumes he will if Kansas City wins or that they’ll at least connect in the offseason. It wasn’t long ago Hardman was happy for his friend when he realized a lifelong dream.
“When he got drafted by the Patriots, I was ecstatic,” Hardman said. “He was one of the top receivers in college, and I think he deserves everything he’s gotten.”
Warner: Team will adapt
Whether Tom Brady stays in New England or signs with another team this offseason, NFL Network analyst and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner — who knows a thing or two about switching franchises — believes Brady will feel at home.
The offense will be tailored to Brady’s liking, Warner says, because it’s happened before, and he deserves to have his environment molded to suit him.
“We saw Peyton Manning go to Denver (in 2012), and they ran what I would say was Peyton Manning’s offense more than the Denver Broncos’ offense,” Warner said Thursday. “So all these guys, these great players, any smart team is going to let them come in and then go, ‘OK, how do you want to shape this offense?’ “
While the Patriots offense has looked different over the years, much of the terminology and principles remain the same. If Brady leaves, there will be some learning curve, as Warner experienced by signing and then reaching a Super Bowl with the Cardinals late in his career. But if Brady is selective about his coaches, he could have enough input to hit the ground running.
“There is a part to (changing systems) that I think you always worry about,” Warner said. “Not a knock on coaches, but there are coaches that are limited in what they can see offensively and they can’t really grasp or have the creativity (to change).”
Hall has Brady memories
NFL Network analyst DeAngelo Hall played a handful of games against Brady in his 14-year career as a Pro Bowl cornerback.
But it’s the training camp battles he remembers most. Hall and the Redskins went head-to-head in joint practices with the Patriots in August 2014. Most reps, Hall said, were lopsided, with Brady torching Washington left and right.
“I can think about Peyton (Manning) throwing a ball in a game and me picking it off. But I’m watching Tom then and thinking, ‘How the (expletive) is he throwing this out route from the other hash?’ ” Hall remembered Thursday. “I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves being able to whip that damn thing.”
As for the games, Hall says Brady was always a step ahead. He deciphered coverages and exploited matchups like no one he’s ever seen.
“Just never really being able to trick him. Him always going to the one spot of our defense that was the weakness,” Hall remembered Thursday. “Him always knowing it and feeling like, ‘How the (expletive) did he know that?’ “