Bill Belichick likes finding players on other teams who are sick of losing, and bringing them to New England to win.
Belichick said that the latest such player, Chris Long, reminds him of some of the other veteran players who have come over from bad teams and then joined the Patriots and bought into the system immediately because they wanted to win.
“They realize how special it is and makes them realize it a little bit more,” Belichick said. “It is similar to what we had with Corey Dillon when he came from Cincinnati. Randy Moss when he came from Oakland. Bryan Cox when he came from Chicago. Guys that weren’t with great teams and had success here and they brought an energy to the team that from a veteran player was unique and special.”
Long only won 33 games in eight seasons with the Rams. He’s already won 16 games in his first season with the Patriots, and he can win No. 17 at Super Bowl LI.
“Some of these players that have been with the Patriots for a while have had a lot of successful seasons and won a lot of games. Chris hasn’t. I think he appreciates winning a lot,” Belichick said.
That’s a powerful pitch Belichick can make to veteran free agents coming from bad teams: Come to New England and you’ll win.