Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots Receive a Scathing Review From a Former Player: ‘I Really Felt Like I Was in the Military’
Bill Belichick is notorious for the no-nonsense culture he’s built over his 21 years with the New England Patriots. NFL players know what they’re signing up for when they join the Pats. You’re going to play hard, practice harder, stay out of trouble, and do your job. If you don’t, you’re out. Simple as that.
The “Patriot Way” can be rewarding for those who are willing to put the team first in order to win, but Belichick’s strict coaching style can take a toll on some. For former Patriot and current Indianapolis Colt, Kenny Moore, his four-month stint in New England completely took the fun out of the game. He even went as far as to say it was “like I was in the military.”
Kenny Moore spent four months with the Patriots before joining the Colts
NFL fans know Kenny Moore as the talented, young cornerback of the Indianapolis Colts, but he actually started his pro career with Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
Moore was signed by the Pats as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but he was cut before the season started. The Colts picked him up immediately after, and he’s turned into one of Indianapolis’ best secondary pieces.
Before Moore found success with his second team, though, he nearly lost his love of football while with the Patriots. In an interview with Tyler Dunne of “Go Long,” Moore gave a scathing review of his time in New England with Belichick.
“The longest four months of my life,” Moore told Dunne. “I thought I was done with football. My mental capacity and my mental space? I was just maxed out.”
Kenny Moore compared Bill Belichick and the Patriots to the military
During the same interview, Moore explained how his time with the Patriots depressed him to the point where he lost his passion for football.
“That was one of the low spots of my life because that’s really when I felt like, ‘I’m probably not built for the league,'” Moore said. “And having that feeling of, ‘You’re not good enough,’ that’s a bad feeling. You feel like you don’t belong. I lost all of my joy and passion. I didn’t even want to play football. I didn’t want to go to work anymore.
“I was depressed. I was trying to fight my way out of it.”
Moore even said playing for Belichick is akin to being in the military.
“It just felt robotic,” Moore said. “You don’t want to do anything else but go home and go to sleep because tomorrow is about to be crazy. I really felt like I was in the military. Like, damn.”
The Patriot way is not for everyone
New England might not have been the place for Kenny Moore, but many players have flourished under Bill Belichick and had plenty of fun along the way. Just ask Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Ty Law, and Randy Moss.
Tavon Wilson, who was Moore’s teammate in New England and played four seasons for Belichick, had the complete opposite experience as Moore.
“The NFL is a production-based so when you go to New England, they just want to work and want to win,” Wilson told Dunne. “My first two years, I didn’t understand it. But my third year, once I got comfortable and all that, New England is literally one of the most fun places to be. I’m not bulls—-ing you. The locker room is off the charts. You will not find a better locker room than New England. Because everybody ‘hates Bill,’ supposedly, but realistically everybody respects what he’s doing and he expects everybody to do their job.
“The older I got, the more I understood: If you do your part, he doesn’t give a f— what else you do. But as a younger player? They are on you.”
Bill Belichick isn’t for everyone, but his system sure is a proven one. Not everyone can function in New England, but those who do are usually rewarded with Super Bowl rings.
