During Sunday's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots features an unlikely friendship on the field. Dating back to 2011, Bill Belichick has been a big fan and supporter of Greg Schiano. The Patriots coach was a regular at Rutgers while Schaino was there and the friendship has carried on ever since.
Belichick was a regular at Rutgers football practices. The three-time Super Bowl winning coach had a son who walked on to the Scarlet Knights team helped form the friendship between the two coaches. As they prepare to face each other on Sunday, Belichick is talking nothing but praise for the Tampa Bay coach.
"I think he's an outstanding coach," Belichick said, via USATODAY Sports. "He does a great job. He understands the game. He prepares his team well. He's very thoughtful and creative and is always looking for a better way to do things, always looking to improve, and always looking for a better way to coach, or prepare, or motivate, or whatever it is."
Belichick was responsible for helping Schiano get his NFL coaching job in the first place after sending a glowing recommendation to Tampa Bay. Now the two are on opposite sides of the field and Schiano is desperate for a win. The Buccaneers are drowning in drama as quarterback Josh Freeman is having his leadership questioned and cornerback Darrelle Revis has reportedly spoken out about his distaste for the defensive scheme.
Schiano won his first six of ten games with the Tampa Bay, but has since led the team on an eight-game losing streak including the first two games of the 2013 season. Despite the drama, Belichick has all the confidence the head coach can turn things around.
"I think he's very well-respected amongst his players," Belichick said. "I know that my son had a great experience there. ... We've had quite a few (Rutgers players) or at least have talked to other guys - the Ray Rices, guys like that that have gone on to other teams as part of the draft process - the respect and credit they give to him is extremely high."
The friendship between the two coaches spared joint practices between the two teams during training camp. During the small stint, Belichick and Schiano bounced ideas off one another including practice drills and potential plays. Schiano believes it is their common love of football that makes the friendship unique.
"I think the common passion for the game of football and what it's done in our lives is what brought us together," Schiano said.
