FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be watching Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T between Alabama and Clemson, if not in real time then at some point down the line.
"There will be a lot of good football players out there. I'm sure this is a game, as we did last year, we'll study very, very closely to watch the talent on both sides of the field compete against each other," Belichick said during his weekly interview on sports radio WEEI. "Two great programs, a tremendous game last year -- I'm sure it will be a very competitive night."
Of course, Belichick has a more personal connection with Alabama coach Nick Saban, who was an assistant on Belichick's Cleveland Browns staff in the early 1990s.
Asked to put into perspective what Saban has accomplished in the college ranks, Belichick said, "You know what I think of Nick. Nick is a tremendous coach. I haven't coached in college, so I'm not really that familiar with the whole process. I mean, turning over a new team literally every year, when you're going to graduate roughly a quarter of it and bring in a new quarter. We change players regularly too, but there's no longevity, there's no Tom Brady in college football. After four years, you have to find somebody else.
"I know Nick has won with a lot of different players at that position. It seems like they have a new quarterback every year. He's done a tremendous job. He's built a tremendous program.
"I think the world of Nick as a football coach -- I have for a long time. I certainly learned a lot from him when we were together in Cleveland. We've had a great relationship through the years. I always appreciate Nick and what he's done for me and what I've learned from him and the relationship we continue to have."
