There were stories about an obsession with details. Not legendary. Just odd. Even by NFL obsessive paranoia standards, they were, well, odd.
Bill Belichick, a 39-year-old Giants assistant, was coming to Cleveland as a rookie head coach in 1991. He was the defensive mastermind with two Super Bowl rings and a seriousness that then-Browns owner Art Modell used to describe by saying, "Well, he's no Don Rickles, but …"
What Belichick lacked in people skills, which essentially was everything at the time, he compensated for with football IQ and work ethic. It was the kind of work ethic that's both obsessive and rewarding. Still is at age 62 and one week from leading the Patriots into their sixth Super Bowl in 14 seasons.
One particular story from nearly a quarter of a century ago comes to mind eight years after "Spygate" and smack dab in the firestorm that's being called Deflategate. Those are the two troublesome "gates" that tarnish Belichick's reputation but certainly don't define the Pro Football Hall of Fame résumé that belongs to one of the greatest coaches in the history of any sport.
In this story, the young Belichick was climbing the ranks from team to team after his first NFL gig as a $25-a-week gofer with Ted Marchibroda's Baltimore Colts. As more responsibilities were added to the shoulders of this bright young man, it was discovered that he had a remarkable eye for talent and how it all could fit together on a football field.
Eventually, he spent more and more time evaluating and coaching players at venues where other teams had people doing the same thing.
Belichick, the story went, would be the last person to leave a player workout or a coaching press box. When the last person had left, Belichick would gather all of the garbage from the trash cans and take it with him. Then he'd sort through it to see if the competition had discarded any notes or papers that could be helpful.
Belichick never confirmed this, of course. But let's just say picturing it didn't take a great imagination once you saw how Belichick commanded with complete control over everything from cutting starting quarterback Bernie Kosar at midseason to how the practice field grass was to be installed and cut.