Belichick pays Phillips respect
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is one of the longest tenured coaches in the NFL, with 33 years under his belt. So he knows how tough it is to last, and that's just what Wade Phillips -- now in his 31st NFL season -- has done.
As such, when asked if Phillips is underrated as a head coach this morning, Belichick showed a strong level of respect for the work of his adversary this week.
"You take a look at his record as a head coach, and there’s a lot of guys that would like to have that record, let’s put it that way," said Belichick. "But that’s what defines a head coach. He’s be in three regular (jobs) and two interim ones, so I think that also speaks to the respect and confidence different organizations have had in making him the head coach or appointing him as the interim coach.
"He’s respected externally, with the teams that played against him like us, and certainly the organizations he’s been in, they’ve shown him the same type of respect. I mean, if the timing had been different in San Diego, he probably would’ve been the head coach at San Diego. I’m sure San Diego feels the same way, it was just more of a timing issue than it was any kind of commentary on his coaching ability."
