FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick showed why he's the boss during Thursday's organized team activities at Gillette Stadium.
In one of the notable parts of the two-hour practice, he lambasted players as they ended their warm-up session and headed to various stations across the field for the next segment of practice. But the warm-up session, it turns out, wasn't supposed to be over.
That drew the wrath of the fiery Belichick, who authoritatively called the entire team back to where they were supposed to be warming up. The team then finished its warm-up session, which included stretching.
Details, details, details.
"He demands perfection and we demand it out of ourselves," veteran defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said when asked about what unfolded. "There was no pouting about it. There was no complaining. Everybody went back on the line and did what we had to do.
"He's the leader of the team, he's the leader of the organization, and what he says goes. So we started over and practice ended up going [well] so we didn't have to go through that again."
In that sense, Belichick's blistering words set the tone for the day, while serving as a reminder that the passion still burns deeply for the 64-year-old coach entering his 17th season in New England.
Knighton, who has previously played for Jacksonville (2009-12), Denver (2013-14) and Washington (2015), was asked what has stood out to him about Belichick's presence since he signed a one-year deal with the Patriots.
"Not only is he a head coach, he's more of a teacher. He's at every station, talking to guys about position-specific drills, and he's talking football with you," he answered. "Talking to him prior to being here, he always said, 'I can't wait to coach you.' Sometimes head coaches are more overseers, but he's actually hands-on and in there coaching, and definitely a student of the game."
