Bill Belichick appears to be an abrasive man but his players would go to the wall for him - and have.

I played for Coach Belichick for two years in Cleveland and consider it an honor to have done so. I do not feel this way because of his football acumen - which is well documented - or because of his voracious work ethic and commitment to the organization and to his players.

Ironically, the reason I loved playing for Coach Belichick was his demeanor. The media wishes he was more gregarious, more colorful, but that is part of what makes him a great coach.

His ability to communiacate without pretending to be an amateur psychologist - not using traditional motivational tactics to get you to do what you should be doing anyways - is what players love and respect. When Coach Belichick says something he means it.

Coach Belichick is a hard man. If a player is fortunate enough to play for Bill, winning his respect may be one of the highest compliments a player might receive in his career. Coach Bill doesn’t hand out much “sugar” to his players, but once you’ve won his respect it’s gold in your hand.

He’s also fair. He treats every player the same. Not that he doesn’t have his favorites, but he doesn’t treat them differently than anyone else.

I was in Cleveland when Coach cut Bernie Kosar. You cannot imagine the shockwave this had throughout the greater Cleveland area. He thought Bernie’s “skills had diminished” and made the tough decision. Right or wrong, he did the unthinkable and must be respected for his conviction. Ultimately, this was the general sentiment in the Browns lockerroom.

Finally, Coach Belichick is consistent.

Day-after-day, in Cleveland, he was the same. His unemotional approach to his job and his players created an atmosphere where players knew exactly what he expected from them. This consistency allowed players to thrive - as long as they did the right thing and worked at their job.

Writing this makes me feel good. Although Coach Belichick didn’t teach me much about life, his tough, fair and consistent approach taught me a lot about myself.

Thanks Coach.