It's very common for Bill Belichick to give high praise to his opponents. He does it every Wednesday as the team turns the page from their last opponent to their upcoming foe. He makes every team seem like a Super Bowl contender whether they have 0 losses or 0 wins.
However, what transpired Wednesday morning was out of control. Outrageous, ridiculous and hysterical all meshed together. Belichick, without even flinching, began rattling off all the positive attributes of Rams punter Johnny Hekker. Let that sink in for a minute. He's a punter. If you don't believe me, then watch the video above.
"Hekker is a tremendous weapon. This guy looks like as good a player as I’ve ever seen at that position," Belichick glowed. When pressed further about the seldom talked about punter, Belichick expanded with an even more unbelievable statement. "He’s like a quarterback. He can throw, he can run. You’ve got to defend him like you’d defend one of those guys." Excuse me? So now he's like a quarterback? No, if he was like a quarterback, then he'd BE a quarterback.
Out of curiosity, I took the time to look up Hekker's numbers. He's leading the league in punting yards, in punts inside the 20, and he's forced 27 fair catches, which just happens to be the most in football. Is he a good punter? Sure. But is he a tremendous weapon? Ehhh. If the Patriots somehow lose to the Rams on Sunday, I don't think it will be because their punter is a tremendous weapon. It'll be because the world is ending.
When the punter is the player receiving all the praise BEFORE the game, then you know a truly terrible team is coming to town. If Bill Belichick can't say that, then I will. The Patriots will roll to their 10th win of the season Sunday.
