Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule got a chance to spend a couple of days with former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Needless to say, Rhule was impressed with Belichick’s football knowledge.
Rhule is coming off a 5-7 season with Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers look to right the ship in the Big Ten. Belichick is keeping busy, after parting ways with the Patriots in January. The departure has led to mixed feelings from Patriots fans with the winds of change blowing through Foxborough over the past couple of months.
Rhule got a taste of Belichick’s knowledge firsthand when the legendary coach spent four hours talking to Nebraska football assistants during his time in Lincoln. The Nebraska coach and Belichick have formed a connection over the years, and the two crossed paths while Rhule was with the Carolina Panthers from 2020-2022
“He is so smart. He’s seen so much that he can make the complex so simple that it humbles you and embarrasses you,” Rhule said, via KETV 7 in Omaha. “I was embarrassed yesterday listening to him, how smart he is, how simple it was. He went four-and-a-half hours just with the coaches. Forget the clinic. He came in and met with our coaching staff. And three-and-a-half hours in, I was like, ‘Coach, would you like a water? Coffee? Would you like to use the restroom?’ Because I desperately had to use the restroom, you know? And he’s like, ‘I’m fine, Matt.’ I was like, ‘Yes, sir.’
“…I mean, so you have this man who’s a savant, right? He’s been a defensive coordinator. He’s been a special teams coordinator. He’s coached, you know, he could be an offensive coordinator. He’s been a head coach twice. He’s been a GM. And he’s talking about football in a way that just like, I mean, illuminates things, that makes things so simple that you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness.’”
Matt Rhule recapped his experience with Bill Belichick, the guest speaker at yesterday's #Huskers Coaches Clinic.
BB then spent another 4.5 hours 'embarrassing' Rhule with his football knowledge:
"Three and a half hours in, I was like, 'Coach, would you like a water?'" 😂 @KETV pic.twitter.com/HMIYJQ4FmG
— Matt Sottile (@MSottileTV) April 6, 2024
When it comes to football knowledge, Belichick is unmatched. Patriots fans got to see it first-hand as he constructed and coached two separate dynasties for the organization in the early 2000s and 2010s.
It’s been widely talked about that Belichick has one of the best minds in the game of football. It’s even more interesting to hear seasoned coaches like Rhule talk about just how much Belichick knows and can bring to the table.
If anything, Patriots fans are all too familiar with it.
