COLUMBUS, Ohio — Bill Belichick simply can't lose.
Fresh off the heels of an interview with CNBC's Suzy Welch, Belichick doubled down by addressing the Ohio State Coaches Clinic at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Thursday.
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This isn't the Belichick you're used to seeing on TV. Instead of the hoodie, Belichick wore a designer suit with matching lavender shirt and pocket square. Instead of delivering monotone two- and three-syllable answers, Belichick dove into a speech delving into a coaching philosophy that has produced five Super Bowl championships with the Patriots — with detailed examples for every step.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer introduced Belichick and talked about a conversation the two had backstage.
"(Belichick) said, 'At this point in my career I want to coach guys I like. I want to coach guys I want to be around. I won't coach anybody else,'" Meyer said.
The high school and college coaches in attendance recorded every minute of Belichick's 45-minute speech on their cell phones and video cameras; looking for the secret to Belichick's success. That success is easy to see on the field: Belichick followed up an incredible 34-28 comeback victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl 51 by giving Tom Brady another weapon in acquiring receiver Brandin Cooks from the Saints. Yet Belichick lit up when talking about the off-the-field-process.
This is where Belichick appears comfortable. Dare we say Belichick, who turns 65 next week, is having fun? If you want to see that side, then find him at one of these coaching clinics. He built his speech around his No. 1 philosophy with players and coaches.
"We can't win," he said. "Until we keep from losing."
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He repeated it three times. Belichick then preached ball security, preparation and four familiar concepts, starting with the one that gets the most attention and even has its own hashtag: "Do your job" (or #DYJ).
"I know that term gets thrown around a bit, but to me it's not 'Do your job,' it's 'Do your job well,'" Belichick said. "We're not getting paid to show up, we're getting paid to perform well professionally."
Pay attention. Work hard. Put the team first. Belichick has weaved simple coaching concepts into a process that has formed a NFL dynasty stretching two decades.
He also repeated three adjectives that describe his ideal football players.
"Tough, smart, dependable, in critical situations you can depend on those players to perform under pressure," he said.
Belichick drew the first laughs from the audience when he offered his thoughts on social media.
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"There's nobody that's less on a social media program than I am," Belichick said. "I don't think that would be possible. I don't think it's good for our team. I don't think it's good for our players as it relates to football. I'm not trying to go on a social commentary here, but it's not really about for a player; I don't think it's important how many likes, or dislikes, are on 'Snap Face' or whatever it is."
Instead, Belichick prefers that players bond through team experiences — which, he conceded, is a challenge, considering players regularly come and go. He pointed to a training camp in which he made a deal with former Patriots tackle Matt Light to catch a punt from 50 yards.
"You catch it, we'll take the night off; you drop it, we'll double up on sprints," Belichick said. "You good with that?"
Light took the offer and former Patriots Kevin Faulk and Troy Brown schooled him for 30 seconds. Light caught the punt, and the Patriots got a night off. Belichick then said something that might only make sense in his mind — or might explain the genius behind his prolonged coaching dominance.
"We've lot of won a big games in New England," he said. "We've won a lot of games through the years. A lot of great wins, a lot of team victories. But you know, a night off training camp is pretty close to some of our biggest wins."
From there, Belichick thanked the coaches and praised the state of Ohio — where his NFL head coaching career began with the Browns. He waved through an applause while exiting stage left. Tim Hinton, the Ohio State executive director for football relations, then took the mic and called for an encore.
"If you could take a minute for one more applause for the best coach in the United States of America?" Hinton asked.
Everyone obliged, and few could argue at this point. Even if he'll never admit it, it's clear Belichick is enjoying this victory lap. When will it end?
Not until someone keeps him from winning.
