Thread: Belichick and Angelo go back long way

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...2465982.column

NFL veterans have been talking talent since they worked for Giants in '80s

This week, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Bears general manager Jerry Angelo will be working against one another. During many other weeks, they have tried to help one another.

"I have a lot of respect for Jerry," Belichick told the Tribune. "I value his opinion pretty strongly. Jerry has selected some great players, especially some middle round guys, later round guys who have been very productive for him. He has a good eye for talent."

Belichick and Angelo are confidants who go way back. They were teammates once, from 1982-86.

Angelo was a 33-year-old regional scout and Belichick was a 30-year-old linebackers coach of the Giants. He eventually became defensive coordinator.
They worked for Bill Parcells and George Young, and they were part of an impressive team that lost to the Bears in the playoffs during the 1985 season, but won the Super Bowl the following year.

They worked together on draft picks such as Carl Banks, Leonard Marshall, Gary Reasons and Pepper Johnson, who will accompany Belichick to Soldier Field

Angelo left the Giants after the Super Bowl to take a promotion with the Bucs, while Belichick stayed with the Giants for nine more years. After stops with the Browns, Patriots (as an assistant) and Jets, he landed in New England a decade ago and subsequently has established himself as one of the greatest coaches of all-time.

Belichick has won three Super Bowls and played in four of them. He coached the only 16-0 team in NFL history. His .636 winning percentage is third best all-time among coaches with at least 160 victories, behind George Halas (.682) and Don Shula (.666).

Belichick and Angelo still have the conversations about talent they had when they were with the Giants. What do you think about this linebacker? Which position would he be best at? Do you like his play speed?

Robbie Gould is the kind of player they might have conferred on. Gould signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie in 2005, but the Patriots cut him before the season because they had Super Bowl hero Adam Vinatieri. Belichick cut Gould, but was fairly confident Gould would kick in the NFL.

The Bears found themselves in need of a kicker in October, so they gave a chance to the one Belichick liked. Five years and 657 points later, they are pretty happy they did.

Belichick and Angelo also can compare draft notes.

"The good thing about it is we're after really different players," Belichick said. "Sometimes we talk about players who fit their system that we really aren't that high on, or players that fit our system that he's not that high on. Especially defensively."

The Patriots run a 3-4 defense that relies on big bodies up front. A player like 325-pound nose tackle Vince Wilfork wouldn't fit in Rod Marinelli's defense. The Bears are looking for defenders with more speed and quickness. Outside linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa is an example of a player who would be out of place in Belichick's defense.

That doesn't mean Belichick has no appreciation for what the Bears do defensively, however.

"It's a great scheme," he said of the Cover 2. "It's a scheme they won a title with in Tampa, and Indianapolis has used. The Bears know how to run it, (coach Lovie Smith) knows how to run it. Marinelli obviously has done a good job. It's just a matter of getting the specific players you need within that scheme."

Bears defensive end Julius Peppers probably is gifted enough to play in any scheme, and it had been speculated the Patriots were interested in him when Peppers was a free agent in the offseason. In Belichick's scheme, Peppers probably would have been a rush end who doesn't drop as much as most outside linebackers in a 3-4.

"He's a great player, a terrific athlete and a kick blocker," Belichick said. "If he's on your team, you want that guy rushing the passer. Make them block him — which is pretty hard."

Belichick and Angelo also see eye to eye on the talent of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

"He's a talented guy, and he's playing as well as I've seen him," Belichick said. "He can stand back there and sling it."

Even though their teams are dissimilar in composition and scheme, Angelo and Belichick still have plenty they agree on, even after all those years.