Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Five Questions With … New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick Bill Belichick visited South Bend in early April to speak at Notre Dame's annual coaches' clinic. More than 1,100 coaches from the U.S., Canada and Mexico came in part to see the three-time Super Bowl winner and three-time NFL Coach of the Year. He also spent time watching Notre Dame's practice, meeting with former Irish players eligible for the draft and talking briefly with the media. Question: How did you meet Irish head coach Brian Kelly? Belichick: "We spent a lot of time together in Pebble Beach [at a Pro-Am golf tournament in February]. … We played together for three days. When you're out there and hitting as many shots as we did, you get some extra time to hang out and get caught up about a lot of things. "Certainly, football and some things that we have in common in our career and families and situations. We were hitting a lot out of the same bunker." Question: What were your thoughts on Notre Dame's defense in 2012? Belichick: "I don't really watch a lot of college football during the season, but I see a lot of college football in February, March and April. … They have good schemes. They're good fundamentally. They didn't give up a lot of points this year, and they played very sound and consistent. "Of course, they have a lot of good players, but they are well coached." Question: Kelly cited the Patriots' offense as part of the inspiration for how he uses his tight ends. Why is that position so important for both of you? Belichick: "It's hard to find that matchup defensively for a 245- to 260-pound tight end that runs sub-4.7s and has great ball skills. It's a tough position to match up on. It always has been. "They certainly have a good one here and it looked like some more good ones coming behind him. We're fortunate to have some good tight ends as well." Question: What do you expect to get when you coach a Notre Dame graduate? Belichick: "They're all smart. They're tough. They're disciplined. I think you get through four years with the program that Notre Dame has, both academically and from a football standpoint, it takes a lot from a kid — a lot of discipline. "I think that's the kind of Belichick, a three-time Super Bowl winner and three-time NFL Coach of the Year, spoke at Notre Dame's annual coaches' clinic in early April. photo Courtesy of the New England Patriots/David Silverman photo player you see come out of here." Question: What Irish players in this year's draft class impress you? Belichick: "I think they'll have a lot of guys in the NFL. They have a couple guys that were injured and we'll see how that affects their draft situation, but they've got plenty of players. …There's good football players here and there's good football players behind them. "It seems like a team that's got good depth and good players, and I'm sure they'll be competitive in years to come." — Dan Murphy