Bill Belichick is the most decorated coach in NFL history, but he’d be nowhere without his players. The longtime Patriots coach has enjoyed a coaching career that spans nearly 50 years, and he believes he has coached the best offensive, defensive and special teams players in NFL history.
“I feel like I’ve coached the best offensive player, the best player in football in Tom [Brady]; the best defensive player in football in L.T. [Lawrence Taylor] and the best special-teams player in football in Matt Slater,” Belichick told The 33rd Team’s Mike Tannenbaum. “If you’re a coach and you coach Taylor, Brady and Slater, that’s three pretty good players.”
Brady needs no introduction, being widely considered the best quarterback to ever live and having the seven Super Bowl rings to prove it. Lawrence Taylor is also acknowledged by many experts as the best to ever play defense in league history. The imposing linebacker was an MVP and three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. Belichick coached Taylor while he was an assistant coach with the Giants.
Finally, there’s Slater. New England selected the wideout in the fifth round of the 2008 draft and struck gold with arguably the best gunner in NFL history. The eventual special teams star, who is still playing at age 37, has been named All-Pro five times and is a 10-time Pro Bowler.
