FOXBORO -- It was a school night, but Bill Belichick still stayed up to watch the end of the National Championship Game between Alabama and Georgia on Monday night. Even with the Titans looming, he couldn't bring himself to shut it down for the night while the two SEC powers were going at it.
"I didn’t want to stay up that late, but I couldn’t pull myself away from it," Belichick said Tuesday morning. "What a football game. Two great teams, a great game, just a tremendous football game. I’m happy for Coach [Nick] Saban, Coach [Brian] Daboll, all of the people at Alabama. A great competitive effort from Georgia and Coach [Kirby] Smart and his staff. Yeah, it was a great football game."
Belichick is obviously close with Daboll and Saban after working with them during their time in the NFL. Daboll was Patriots tight ends coach last before being hired as the 'Bama offensive coordinator last offseason. But he has Georgia ties as well.
Malcolm Mitchell and David Andrews, both Georgia products, probably won't have the same pep in their step as a pair of their teammates who went to Alabama. Dont'a Hightower, currently on injured reserve, was at the game and saw his old team come away National Champs. Same goes for Cyrus Jones, also on IR, who actually watched the game with Mitchell.