The New England Patriots got a new lease on life under the legendary head coach, Bill Belichick, and the current team management is not going to let it go to waste. A firm believer in choosing the precise ingredients for a success story, it was the former coach who had drafted Tom Brady out of the blue in the sixth round and turned him into an all-time NFL great.
No one understands the effect of the former HC’s mantra better than the current HC, Jerod Mayo. A product of the trick himself, the league’s youngest coach seems to realize the importance of the solid foundation laid by Belichick and continues his legacy by retaining the team’s former mentor’s 2020 draft pick, Kyle Dugger.
Kyle Dugger is another example of Belichick’s legacy
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The Patriots are determined to continue the tradition of keeping the homegrown players intact even after Belichick’s departure this year, and the new head coach is a living example of it! Mayo played seven seasons with his draft team and later retired to rejoin as the linebacker coach. As homegrown as they come, the rookie coach is already following his mentor’s formula by getting linebacker Josh Uche and, more recently, Dugger back in the squad.
As per NFL’s Mike Garafolo and Eric Edholm, the safety, who was previously under a transition tag of $13.8 million, has signed a long-term deal with his draft team. With a new four-year contract worth $58 million and a guaranteed salary of $32.5 million, Dugger is here to stay and play in New England.
View this post on Instagram
The 37th pick of the 2020 Draft, the 28-year-old, was the team’s highest pick, and the safety left no stone unturned to prove his worth to the team. Dugger has 343 combined tackles, 109 assisted tackles, and nine interceptions in his four-year-long career with the Patriots. Another fine pick by Belichick, he is a shining example of how the league’s longest-tenured head coach was single-handedly responsible for turning the Patriots’ image around.
How Bill Belichick made the Patriots into six-time Super Bowl Champions
Prior to 2000, the Patriots were just another NFL team with no special accolades to their name. They went to Super Bowls, yes, but couldn’t bring the trophy home. Then came the new head coach, who transformed the team into a force to be reckoned with. With the salary cap clause newly introduced, it took some time for the teams to adjust, but Belichick cracked the code, and soon the team was unstoppable.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
His formula was simple. Instead of investing in high-end, hyped players, the head coach had an eye for underdogs with hidden potential. His first risk was a sixth-round pick in the 2000 draft as a backup to the star quarterback Drew Bledsoe. When the rookie got a chance to lead the team after Bledsoe’s injury in 2001, New England won its first Super Bowl with the legend we know today as Tom Brady.
The de-facto general manager-cum-HC held onto Brady and handpicked many other undervalued players, forming an unbeatable roster in the years to come. The results were crystal clear when, in 2015, seven Patriots players were selected for the Pro Bowl, six of whom were drafted by Belichick, including the likes of Brady, Stephen Gostkowski, and Matthew Slater. And it wasn’t mere chance but careful handiwork by their leader, who wasn’t shy of owning up to it.
“I’m proud of the fact that all seven of those players are homegrown,” He said, as per NESN. “They all came in as Patriots, spent their whole career here as Patriots, developed as Patriots in different — one way or another, but that’s what they all are. I think there’s something to be said for that.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Not only did Belichick help the Patriots win six Super Bowl titles, the highest yet along with the Steelers, but he also turned the franchise into a $6.3 billion powerhouse in 2023. His 24 years at Foxborough infused a new life into the team and got us some of the best players in the league to date.
