As a longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback-turned-lead analyst for CBS, Tony Romo has encountered plenty of knowledgable players and coaches.
But if you ask Romo, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is in a class of his own.
"From a football mind standpoint, I really don’t know that I have met anybody really that close," Romo said Wednesday in an interview with Dallas' 105.3 The Fan. "He’s rare."
So, what makes Belichick different? For one, the Patriots coach is always at least a step ahead ... in some cases a step ahead of being a step ahead.
"Everyone says he’s going to take away what you do best," Romo said. "They think he’s going to double-team the opponent's best player. I’m like, ‘No, you have to understand, he’s taking away the inside run, while he’s taking away the inside receivers -- Antonio Brown or someone.'
New England Patriots
Find the latest New England Patriots news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
"It’s like, they know he’s going to take away Antonio Brown, but he takes away multiple things and he does it differently the next time he plays you from different looks."
Most importantly, Belichick isn't afraid to experiment with new schemes and personnel packages, making it extremely difficult for teams to game-plan against New England.
"He genuinely is not scared to go outside the box," Romo said. "And I find in the NFL very few teams vary from what they do. So, what he does then is he drafts people that he believes can adapt from week-to-week."
In Romo's eyes, Belichick's masterpiece was Super Bowl LIII, where he and linebackers coach Brian Flores helped limit the explosive Los Angeles Rams to three points.
"(That was) one of the greatest defensive performances I have ever seen in football," Romo said.
This is all coming from a guy who played Belichick's Patriots just twice in his career (and lost both times), so the legendary coach clearly knows how to make a lasting impression.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.