Talking but never really saying much
Belichick shuns coachspeak only on very rare occasions
The column idea was a common one: Listen to Patriots coach Bill Belichick talk via teleconference before Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins and glean it for any football pearls or (ha-ha!) crusty minimalism.
As Belichick stayed in character, saying nothing in that voice of dry leaves for 13 minutes, 37 seconds on Tuesday morning, an odd feeling of conversational déjà vu came with his non-answers.
I did some math. For the past 20 years, twice a year, Belichick has given these league-mandated interviews with South Florida media before Dolphins games. I’ve listened to most of them in the hopes of detecting some prism into his excellence.
We have, in some form, become chat buddies, Bill and I. Could we really have talked more than nine hours with Belichick saying nothing?
And so I called up past Belichick interviews after he swatted away questions about playing protégé and new Dolphins coach Brian Flores with lines like, “He did a great job for us. Whatever we accomplished was a team effort.”
In 2005, asked about his careerlong friendship with then-Dolphins coach Nick Saban, Belichick said their typical conversations through the years involved, “How you play cover two, how you play this coverage,
him to win a speed matchup over bulkier interior offensive linemen.
“Sometimes those guys are a little bit stronger and a little less athletic and more like heavy guys who want to just pancake you,” said Rousseau, a Coconut Creek native who missed most of last season with an ankle injury. “It’s really different, but it’s really the same thing because you’ve just got to come off the ball fast, get extension, be physical and just get after it every single play. Just like D-end, just kind of a different spot.”
Veteran Scott Patchan, a redshirt senior, has taken notice of Rousseau’s progress.
“Greg’s like an athletic freak. He’s like 6-9, 250 and a gift from God,” said Patchan, exaggerating his height but actually missing low on his listed weight.
“I think being hurt has allowed him to stick more time and investment in the weight room and he’s definitely benefited a lot from that.”
Lining up inside at times, Rousseau has continued to build his body with lean weight.
“I don’t think I’m going to end up being a nose guard,” he quipped, “but I’m going to keep on doing what I can out there.
“It’s fun. It’s really
ablessing. I’m just really grateful because last year I was out, just being out here again with my boys, it’s amazing.”
Rousseau is taking all the compliments in stride and keeping his head down.
“I feel like I’m playing good, but I feel like there’s always another level you can always get to,” he said. “You can always get better every single day at practice, so I’m just trying to get better.”
Marlins prospects Jazz Chisholm, left, and Ian Lewisare are helping with relief in the Bahamas.