Most people think that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is a cold, calculating individual with little time for the media; and by all accounts would be correct by how he's portrayed in said media. However, Oakland Raiders beat reporter Jerry McDonald had a most interesting piece about Belichick's 1998 head coaching interview with Al Davis, his thoughts on Davis' approach to the game, and the Raider way of playing football. Make the jump to see what he said.
When Belichick interviewed in back in 1998, he felt it was a bit of a waste of time seeing that Davis really only hires offensive minded head coaches:
It's a parade of offensive coaches out there. He's [Davis] really a defensive coordinator and has been. He wasn't really too interested in talking about offensive football...He's a great mind.
Belichick would continue about Al Davis's knowledge of the game of football and how much more than an owner he really is:
It was unlike any other interview I've ever had with an owner because he was so in-depth, about ‘Xs' and ‘Os' and strategy and use of personnel... But he hired a good coach, [Jon] Gruden. Which is again, in all honesty, the way that I expected it to go because that's been all the Oakland coaches from Art Shell to Mike White, Joe Bugel, [Mike] Shanahan, you know right down the line, Lane Kiffin, they're all offensive coaches.
In talking football, I feel like I know a lot about what they do, how they do it, again through third parties now, not directly, but through third parties. It makes a lot of sense. They definitely have a plan. I think I understand basically what they're trying to do and how they're trying to do it. I think it's consistent and I've taken a lot from that.
When asked about Hue Jackson brining back the 'black-hole' culture of the Raiders at their heyday, Belichick had some very intriguing things to say:
I don't know that ever totally left. I definitely think he's [Jackson] done a good job of building on the Raider pride and their historical success. Again, they played well last year, won every game in their division, which as we know is hard to do and [they] are off to a good start this year. He's done a good job with the team - the team is playing well.
For more on the Raiders, head over to Silver and Black Pride.