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March is Women's History Month!

Bill Belichick: Love Him, Hate Him, But Don't Deny He's An Original

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick signals from the sideline in the second half of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass.
Michael Dwyer
/
AP
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick signals from the sideline in the second half of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass.

The defending champion New England Patriots are undefeated, on that rare road to repeat, but, of course, except for the denizens of the northeast corner of our nation, the Pats are mostly unloved. It's not the sort of antipathy directed toward the Yankees. That's always been the anti-plutocrat sensation. Rather, there is about the Patriots the sense that they're rather untrustworthy, if not downright nasty — not America's Team, but more America's Gang.

Or, perhaps more accurately, the Belichick Gang.

But, would you dispute that Bill Belichick is our U.S. coach of this century?

Click the audio to hear Frank Deford explain his love for the New England Patriots' coach.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Frank Deford died on Sunday, May 28, at his home in Florida. Remembrances of Frank's life and work can be found in All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and on NPR.org.