In 2007, the New England Patriots won 18 straight games before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, but before the season, head coach Bill Belichick was going after one of his best players.
Former Patriots left tackle Matt Light, appearing on Julian Edelman's Podcast, "Games With Names" shares an email that he received while he was away at an NFLPA union meeting, which began with a quote that Light gave about the importance of the offseason program.
“Hey Matt, just read this quote from you…what the (expletive)?” Belichick started. "We have over 50 guys here working out today, and the one who isn’t here does all the talking about how important all the offseason is. Figures. A lot of your teammates were concerned about you, and asked why you weren’t here. But don’t worry, we let them know that you’re in Hawaii for a week. If you want to get something productive done out there, why don’t you have them move this meeting to the week BEFORE teams start their offseason programs? Very respectfully yours, Bill Belichick, Head Coach of the New England Patriots"
Belichick was all about guys putting in the work, and it's no surprise at all that Light, who was a three-time Super Bowl champion and one-time Pro Bowler was getting the negative attention from the coach.
While the Patriots went on to have a great season, Light made the Pro Bowl again and was named First-team All-Pro for the first and only time in his career.
