FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick held a press conference that lasted just under 30 minutes on Friday morning, touching on topics ranging from Malcolm Butler's growth, to lessons learned from Chuck Noll, to how Jack Lambert owes his career, in part, to the Rolling Stones.
The Patriots coach is not generally thought of as someone who is expansive in press conference settings, but there are days, particularly on Fridays when most of the week's game-planning work is done, when he can get rolling at the microphone. He actually had a chance to shut down his scheduled 15-minute back-and-forth session with reporters about 20 minutes in.
"I'll take a couple more if you want," Belichick said after speaking at length about Noll and the history of the Steelers. "I had a couple of long answers in there. That's usually a problem with me. Just going on and on."
He went on to answer a question about Duron Harmon, who he labeled a "silent leader," recalling a lesson he learned from Celtics legend Bill Russell, who came to speak to the team in 2002 and who Belichick saw during last season's Celtics playoff run.
"Bill Russell taught me this," Belichick said. "In a way, a silent leader in some respects is more powerful than a vocal leader because you hear the v guy, you see him, you're aware of it, but then you have guys who have quiet leadership that in a way is more powerful because it's not quite out there as much, but it's that quiet push that sometimes can maybe have a little more impetus. I kind of put Duron in that category."
Then Belichick moved on to a query about rookie linebacker Elandon Roberts, who didn't play much as a junior at the University of Houston but became one of the best tacklers in the country as a senior. Is it difficult to scout players with just one real year of production?
"That's a tough one because you're like, 'If this guy's so good, then why did he not play? Why wasn't he out there?' [Rob] Gronkowski same thing," Belichick said. "[Rob] Ninkovich same thing. One year of production . . . Elandon, kind of the same thing. Got into the starting lineup, played and was very productive.
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"That's a great question. Is that production circumstantial? Is this guy real? Is this guy really on the way up or was that the peak and then he's going to come back down?
"I guess the one that sticks out the most to me would be coach [Nick] Saban's story about [Jack] Lambert, when he was at Kent State, speaking of the Steelers. Lambert couldn't get on the field. Was a backup linebacker. Didn't play. Kid in front of him was really their leader, he was kind of the heart and soul of the Kent State defense . . . Through a series of circumstances, that's another story so we'll skip all that, but the kid dropped out of school, worked for Mick Jagger as a security guy, went on tour with the Stones and Lambert became the starting middle linebacker. He probably never would've played had that not happened. And you have a Hall of Fame linebacker.
"When some players have the opportunity and they get in there, the Tom Brady's of the world, or whoever, you can't get them out of there. I mean, Lou Gehrig."
Soon thereafter, the questions ceased, but before leaving the media work room at Gillette Stadium, Belichick acknowledged his longer-than-usual run at the podium.
"Extending the play," he said. "Little scramble."