FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Patriots honored Rodney Harrison at halftime of their Week 6 home game, the former safety reflected on when he signed a free-agent contract with the team in 2003, crediting Bill Belichick as the catalyst.
"I'd like to thank the greatest coach to ever coach in the National Football League," Harrison said. "Coach Bill, you believed in me when everybody else turned their back on me. I love you, Coach, and I appreciate you."
Such examples of Belichick seeing things others don't and putting the pieces in place both personnel-wise and scheme-wise over his 25-year tenure as an NFL head coach have him on the cusp of an impressive milestone.