Lawrence Guy’s visit with the New England Patriots during free agency helped him realize he and the organization were a natural match. Though, Bill Belichick’s blunt disposition took some getting used to.
“If you have had a conversation with Bill – well, you guys know how that conversation goes,” Guy said on a conference call Wednesday. “Pretty much, when I came out on my visit, I sat with everybody. I sat with Matt Patricia, Brian Flores, Brendan Daly. We all sat in a room, we watched some film, we pulled up the film with – I was with the Ravens, so we put the Ravens-Patriots game on and we went over it, the whole game. Like, ‘What do you think?’ We did all that. Coming down to speaking with Bill, it was straight to the point. Bill was like, ‘This is where we value you as a player, and we’re going to get the best out of you.’ Pretty much, that was it.”
Belichick’s sell to Guy wasn’t complicated.
“He’s a straight-shooter and that’s what you need to hear. He’s going to tell you the truth. He’s going to tell you how it is. That’s what he pretty much was telling me, like, ‘If you come on this team, we’re going to make you better because we’re going to push you. We’re going to make you uncomfortable,'” Guy said.
He admitted that when he joined the Patriots, he had a lot to learn, but he has found himself making steady improvements over his three years in New England. Belichick’s perfectionist approach has Guy constantly questioning how he can improve. He’s never content.
That’s how he landed on the Patriots’ All-Decade team this week. That’s what will have him anchoring New England’s defensive line during the 2020 season. He’ll be the team’s No. 1 defensive tackle, regardless of what front — 3-4 or 4-3 — they’ll use in 2020.
