NFL teams are among the many businesses which must make increased usage of technology to conduct work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Thing, is, Bill Belichick isn’t exactly a fan of technology.
We’re talking about the same man who spiked a tablet on national television before deciding to return to the use of physical photos for sideline coaching. We’re talking about the man who says he avoids “SnapFace” and “FaceChat.” And we’re talking about the man who once struggled to operate his car clock to change it at daylight savings. So amid COVID-19, Belichick is working as best he can to understand how to make the most of technology.
“I’d say master is probably not the right word,” Belichick said on Monday during a conference call. “But I’m certainly better at it than I was four weeks ago. I mean, I didn’t know what half of this was. But, at least now I can do more than I did, let’s put it that way.”
But perhaps Belichick isn’t giving himself enough credit. The coach, whose legend grew in February when he flew to Middle Tennessee to work out a prospect who is likely to be an undrafted free agent, is clearly diving into the process. Though he recognizes the challenges of adapting on the fly, that’s also what he does best. So he seems to be finding ways to get a competitive advantage, which, again, is what he does best.
“It’s a little bit different than the way we’ve done it in the past with the 30 visits and the pro days and so forth, but all the teams are working with the same constraint,” Belichick said. “So, in fact, we probably talk to as many if not more players than we have in the past when you’re not traveling and you’re just sitting at a desk or sitting in a room, wherever we are.
“It’s easier to make a lot of phone calls and get in contact with people rather than sometimes visit a place and just see the people that are there, even though those visits are valuable and you’re able to get into more of an in-depth conversation and evaluation there. So, we certainly have logged a lot of phone time and FaceTime and whatever video conferencing and so forth. You know, again, I think for the most part, we’ve all adjusted to that and tried to take advantage of the opportunity that we have to do those things.”
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