Bill Belichick gave draft prospects a moment they won't forget while coaching at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas.
The New England Patriots head coach was joined by a number of his assistants for the annual All-Star event. As if that wasn't a cool enough experience for the young group of players, they also got a taste of what it's like to be reamed out by one of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
On the latest episode of the Next Pats Podcast with Phil Perry, NBC Sports' Eric Froton shared an incredible story of Belichick addressing the locker room with a motivational speech.
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"After the practice sessions, I was speaking with Scott Matlock, an IDL (interior defensive lineman) for Boise State," Froton recalled. "He told me a story about how before Day 3, they're in the locker room -- the Patriots-coached team -- and Bill comes in right before they're about to walk out and just sort of calls a huddle and steps in. And these were all kids that are going to try to be NFL players.
"He steps in and says, 'I just want to let you all know before we step out on that field, I haven't seen one single player here that could beat out the worst player on our team. You're terrible, you don't belong here, and you better get out there and show us something or you're never gonna make the NFL.' And he walked right out the door and went to practice. Classic Bill right there."
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Whether Belichick was serious or simply trying to fire up his guys is anyone's guess. Regardless, it doesn't get much more Belichickian than that, and it's a story for the ages.
As for which prospects who played in the Shrine Bowl could appeal to Belichick and the Patriots in the upcoming NFL Draft, Froton and Perry spotlight a bunch in the full Next Pats Podcast episode. You can check out the latest episode on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch it on YouTube below: