Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule had the chance to spend a few 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 try to right the ship in the Big Ten. Belichick is keeping busy after parting ways with the Patriots in January. The departure has generated mixed feelings among Patriots fans as the winds of change have been blowing through Foxborough in recent months.
Rhule experienced 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 has seen so much that he can make the complex so simple that it humiliates and shames you,” said Rhule, via KETV 7 in Omaha. “I was embarrassed yesterday to listen to him, how intelligent he is, how simple he was. He spent four and a half hours just with the coaches. Forget the clinic. He came and met with our coaching staff. And after three and a half hours, I was like, ‘Coach, would you like some water? Coffee? Would you like to use the bathroom? Because I desperately had to use the bathroom, you know? And he said, ‘I’m fine, Matt.’ I was like, ‘Yes, sir.’
“…I mean, so you have this man who is a wise man, right? He’s been a defensive coordinator. He has been special teams coordinator. He’s coached, you know, he could be an offensive coordinator. He was a head coach twice. He was a GM. And he’s talking about football in a way that, I mean, illuminates things, that makes things so simple that you’re like, ‘Oh my God.'”
Matt Rhule recapped his experience with Bill Belichick, the guest speaker at yesterday’s event #Huskers Coaches Clinic.
BB then spent another 4.5 hours ’embarrassing’ Rhule with his football knowledge:
“After three and a half hours, I was like, ‘Coach, would you like some 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 this firsthand as he built and coached two distinct dynasties for the organization in the early 2000s and 2010s.
It has been widely said that Belichick has one of the best minds in football. It’s even more interesting to hear experienced coaches like Rhule talk about how much Belichick knows and can bring to the table.
In fact, Patriots fans are very familiar with this.
