Belichick's Emotional Address Inspires a Worried Patriots Nation

Bill Belichick “We’re all disappointed” about Rob Gronkowski. pic.twitter.com/PSgiynFMK0

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 2, 2016

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That is how it’s done. Leadership personified. What does the common man need more than anything in a time of crisis? To know that there’s a calm, steady hand on the wheel. That the man in charge isn’t panicking, so why should you?

This was Bill Belichick giving the St. Crispin’s Day speech to rally his badly outnumbered troops. This was William Wallace riding up to the assembled clans in full war paint. He was FDR post-Pearl Harbor, warning the Japanese they just messed with the wrong nation of crazed, blood-thirsty bastards. Reagan telling Gorbachev “tear down this wall,” the part about “…or I’ll personally tear it down on top of your turd-stained dome, Pinko” implied, if not directly stated.

Basically, Belichick told his dispirited, depressed and worried public what we needed to hear. That Gronk is a warrior and a great teammate who works his ass off. He’ll be missed. But there’s work to do and by God, the team is doing it. The only thing to fear is fear itself. Do not despair. Let not thy heart be troubled and all that.

Mostly, he delivered, in not so many words, the message that should strike terror into the hearts of the rest of the NFL: “I got this.”