Bernie Kosar remains a Belichick fan

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Bernie Kosar would have cut Bernie Kosar too. Perhaps the most infamous personnel move of Bill Belichick's career, his 1993 release of Bernie Kosar when the two men were coach and QB in Cleveland, is fascinating on several levels. One, because it demonstrated the monstrous stones Belichick has when he decides a move is to be made. Stones he's exhibited since with Drew Bledsoe, Lawyer Milloy and on and on. Two? Because it seemed as if it would be a forever stain on Belichick's coaching career, a career that was hopelessly doomed because he was so prickly.
Still prickly, Belichick has emerged as the greatest coach of his generation. And even the move to release Kosar -- an Ohio icon -- is applauded by none other than Kosar. I caught up with Bernie at the NFL Combine. He remembered immediately a story I'd called him for almost 12 years ago. "I remember when you wrote the article after theJets thing(Belichick resigning as HC of the NYJ andultimately coming to New England)," Kosar began. "You guys were going on the 'Crush Bill' campaign and I told you how great he was as a coach. He called me after that and said, 'Thanks for going to batfor me.' "The relationship with Belichick, said Kosar, is now strong. "Me and him, we're great," said Kosar. Then, moving without pause to the decision Belichick made to release him, Kosar explained, "When we start getting hurt in our 30s we just keep getting hurt. We just do. Stuff just happens, And to bein the league but to not be able to perform at the levelI wanted to was tough. But Bill is a bottom-line guy and how can you ever question that? I'm a big disciple of the way he does things."

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