Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule probably just got the absolute best compliment he could ever ask for. One of, if not the most brilliant mind in the history of the sport called him . . . a football guy!
Ahead of their pair of joint practices, New England Patriots czar Bill Belichick spoke to reporters this morning. He and his squad will be welcoming in Rhule and his for some good ol’ fashioned iron sharpening on Tuesday and Wednesday before their preseason matchup on Friday.
When asked if he has much of a relationship with Rhule, Belichick praised his upcoming opponent for a number of his accomplishments.
“Ton of respect for Matt Rhule, yeah,” he said. “Matt did a tremendous job at Temple. Ran a great program there then, of course, went down to Baylor and did an outstanding job down there. You look at the draft this year and the number of players that came out of Baylor this year in the NFL draft, which are really his players. So—on all levels—whether it’s recruiting, motivation, strategic, development of players. Not all the players at those two schools are necessarily the top high school prospects going there, but he turned out a lot of good players.”
Many of Rhule’s players, specifically those ones from Baylor University, did make that jump to the pro level earlier this spring. The Bears churned out six draft picks in 2022, including Carolina’s Kalon Barnes and New England’s Tyquan Thornton.
Belichick then went on to say that he and Rhule are quite similar in how they embrace the game.
“I had a good connection with him when he was at Temple. Some mutual friends there,” he added. “Followed him, then watched him come into this league. And I have a ton of respect for the way he approaches the game. He’s a football guy, so we have a lot in common there. We really enjoy football.”
Luckily for both men, there’ll be plenty of enjoyment to be had over the next handful of days.
