New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is quick to surprise incoming players, who tend to have preconceived notions about the coach.
The Patriots tend to demand more out of their players (which is why the organization has a reputation for not having fun). Belichick is funnier than players imagined. And Belichick attends to detail in a way players couldn’t have imagined. That final point was what really opened Kendrick Bourne’s eyes. He joined the Patriots as a free agent in 2021.
“Bill Belichick, man,” Bourne said during a conversation on “Getcha Popcorn Ready” for fubo Sports. “One hundred percent, Bill Belichick changed my life. He’s the best coach in the world. Shoutout to you, Bill Belichick. He is the best coach in the world, hands down.”
What changed for Bourne?
He explained that Belichick sat him down after Bourne failed a hydration test. Belichick didn’t want to let Bourne practice — and the coach advised his receiver to change the way he hydrates, drinking water in the mornings (which Bourne didn’t previously do). Bourne said that helped him put on roughly 10 pounds in muscle over the course of the 2021 season when he had career-high numbers.
“It was just a shift, man. I bought into everything, and that was one of the smallest details of buying in. It’s a small detail, but people don’t think about it. They don’t drink water. I just (started doing that) every day, and everything got better after that, off that little detail, adding it to my routine. It was huge.”
Belichick urges players to eat clean during the season. Bourne didn’t totally receive that message.
“I still go eat McDonalds,” Bourne said. “… But it’s not about what you eat; it’s about what you do, how frequent and consistent you are, what you do every day. You can trump all the food. If you’re working hard, it’s going to burn off. But you’ve got to have a balance. It’s all about balance.”
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