It seemed fair to assume that Bill Belichick would spend the entire offseason with a scowl on his face, but he sure was chummy for at least a few minutes Monday.
Belichick, who's never been one to embrace media appearances, was plenty affable while on with Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock during the NFL Network's combine coverage.
The appearance began with Belichick effusively commending the work done by Mayock and the network for providing coverage to fans and teams. He also gave Eisen a check for St. Jude Children's Hospital.
"I know how hard it is to do a draft board for one team, and that's hard," Belichick said. "You're doing it for 32 teams."
Belichick recalled interviewing Deion Sanders at the combine while he was with the Giants. Belichick said he asked Sanders how he'd feel about going to a team that already had Lawrence Taylor as its face, to which Sanders responded fans would just have to get used to Sanders being the focus instead.
Lastly, Belichick said that the Lions set themselves up well by hiring former Pats defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as their head coach.
"They're going to work hard, I guarantee you that," Belichick said. "Matt's as hard a working guy as I've ever been around. He grinds it. He's smart, too. He put together those rockets there in college. I can't even get my cell phone on."