Kevin Faulk, Former Patriots Running Back

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AutoZone's free battery testing and charging is available for free at your local AutoZone. Get in the zone AutoZone. Restrictions apply. So, a lot of big news the last few days. Pete Carroll out with the Seattle Seahawks as their head coach. You had Nick Saban retiring at Alabama. Kalen DeBoer is their new coach. And then Bill Belichick after 24 seasons as the head coach of the Patriots is out at one Patriot place.

And they already have his replacement. That, of course, is Gerard Mayo. So, now joining us is a man that knows everybody that we just talked about. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion.

And that is former Patriot running back in Kevin Faulk, kind enough to join us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. Kevin, appreciate the time as always. Good to see you. How you been? I've been alright, Zach, man. Good to be home.

Well, thanks so much for coming on. So, let's start in order here. The news comes out the other day that Bill Belichick and the Patriots are parting ways. You knowing Bill very well when you finally heard that news after months of speculation.

Just what was your initial reaction to it? Like everybody else, can't believe it. But like he always told us, you know, you got to, it's a performance league. You got to perform. You got to be consistent each and every week.

And if you're not, they can remove you. And it happened. When you put it into words, when you describe what Bill Belichick meant to you during your career, how do you kind of look back on the memories and describe that impact that he made on your career? Just like any other coach you've had, he was a part of that journey in a lot of guys' lives. He was just that final part, that last part that we needed in our lives. And for me, it was the little details that he always mentioned, that he always taught us about, that made that grand scheme of things, the big goal that you're looking out for.

Pay attention to those little details because that's what's going to get you to achieve those goals. What do you think Bill could still bring to a football team? Because I think the conversation the last two years has gotten so crazy with the team falling off and Brady won a Super Bowl. Wherever Belichick lands, what is a team getting in the greatest coach of all time in Bill Belichick?

You just said it all. They get the greatest coach of all time. I think Bill still has some juice with him. He's a football guy. I can't see him not coaching football. He lights up when you talk about football to him. When you're talking about a scheme, about a game of football, he lights up anything. But when you're trying to get something about an opponent, he's going to divert it somewhere else. You know, there's certain players that you could tell that Bill really respected.

Brady, obviously, Rodney Harrison, guys like Troy Brown, and also yourself. I know that part of it was your play on the field and you were kind of a do-it-all player and that's what kind of fits the Belichick mold. But how about your guys' relationship individually? How did that improve over the years when you first met him to when you walked away from the organization? Well, Bill never talked to anyone when he first came to the organization. He was Bill. But then a few years in, he really opened up and started conversating with guys in the hallway.

You know, giving us out good mornings and everything. And that really started, that's when it really started to change about Bill, the person, not just the football coach. Do you think he's misunderstood at all? Because everyone has this perception of Bill and you talk to some of his former players. They know that he's a tough coach, but you hear like a different side of Belichick sometimes from the players. So do you feel like he's misunderstood when we talk about him?

Oh, definitely. When you get Bill one-on-one, it's totally different Bill. I call it like you want to corner him one-on-one. You don't want to be in like a team setting or group setting with him because that's where he's at his best.

But when you're one-on-one with him, it's just something about that opportunity to be one-on-one with him. When you look back for you, Kevin Faulk, who joins us right now, the three-time Super Bowl champion, what's the one play for you individually that stands out from your time in New England? Because I have an idea, I have a thought, but I'm curious what your favorite play was under Belichick. Oh, definitely a direct snap. It was one of those plays you knew it was coming, but stop it.

And you still see it run. Like even when they won the Super Bowl coming back down 28 to 3, they had that direct snap to James White. And that's got to be interesting for you individually. When you were at the start of the dynasty and then you see the second dynasty form and there were still similarities between the front end of the dynasty and then the back end of the dynasty. Oh, there were a lot of similarities Zach, trust me. As a former player, you see those little small similarities that go on formation-wise, the play out of the formation.

You've ran them so much in certain situations at the time of practice, you know exactly what they are, when they're about to be run, and the situation. Wrapping up with Kevin Faulk right now. So one of your former teammates, Jerrod Mayo, who was on the staff the last few years.

He only played in the NFL as a member of the Patriots. It's announced today. He's the new head coach. Just what are your thoughts on Jerrod Mayo taking over for Bill?

Awesome. Couldn't ask for a better guy. Work ethic-wise, smart-wise, knowing the game of football. He was one of those guys when he first came in instantly, you knew what type of player he was. He was a leader on the defense as a rookie. Bill knew something about him that we didn't in his rookie year, and he led the linebacker corps in that defense, you know, when it's his rookie year.

So that meant a whole lot. Like I was telling one other guy, there were certain guys on our team that you knew that when they were done playing, they were going to be coaches. He was definitely one of them.

Were you at all disappointed? I guess there was this succession plan in place in the contract that was reported, but there were some talks that maybe Mike Vrabel would have been the next coach when you found out it was Jerrod, even though you're happy for him, where you disappointed it wasn't Vrabel, one of your other former teammates. Well, you kind of hear things. Like you said, you heard that they kind of had something in the works beforehand, and nobody really knew that Vrabel was going to get fired. Vrabel had done a phenomenal job in Tennessee, so it was one of those shockers that he got fired at the time. So, hey, things happen. Trust me, he's going to have a job before it's all said and done, because there are a lot of teams that's looking for a good head coach like Vrabel.

Yeah, it's kind of crazy who's available. Like your first year, you were coached under Pete Carroll in New England. I don't think anyone saw this coming, that Pete Carroll was going to be pretty much let go by the Seahawks. You were probably stunned when you first saw that, right?

Definitely. That was another shocker. I think it shocked the whole football world, really, that Pete Carroll was out of Seattle.

I'm not saying that it shocked him, but you see the emotion that he showed when he was giving his speech and everything, and that just shows and saves up who he is as a person. Yeah, you're kind of right on that, because with Bill, it felt like it was time to split ways, and I think they both understood it. With Pete, you knew he was not happy about the decision that was made, and he wanted to keep on coaching that football team.

Definitely. Wrapping up with Kevin Faulk, I've got to ask you about Nick Saban, because you have it from going up against Saban, when you would go up against him as a player, and then also when you were on the LSU staff that just won a national championship under Coach Orgeron a few years ago. Coach O just had you kind of look back at this legendary career of Nick Saban, and what are some memories that come to mind for one Kevin Faulk? First off, he was a Tiger before he was a Crimson Tiger.

Yeah, that's true. That's where it all started, but one of the greatest college coaches ever, if not the greatest college coach ever, has proven his stats show it. He's done it all to develop players.

You just look at the high-profile guys that's on social media tweeting about him, thanking him for allowing them to be a part of his journey. Last thing I'll ask you, and then I'll let you go get the dog a treat or two that we hear in the background. It sounds like the dog is hungry, but the last thing I'll ask you, we always get into this conversation, and maybe it's more of a media topic, a conversation, but I'm curious your thoughts on this. People say, who's more important to the Patriot dynasty? Was it Brady?

Was it Belichick? That gets very contentious at times. The conversation annoys the crap out of me.

How do you answer that, though, when people ask you that question? Well, they both were a match made in heaven. They were supposed to be together, and that's without a question, no doubt at all. But like I tell certain people, Tom was actually able to pick the team that he could go to. Belichick couldn't pick a quarterback, a veteran quarterback, that he needed to replace Tom. So certain things happen, like he taught us.

You've got to be able to move forward no matter what. Since retiring, you've been on a few staffs. If Jarrod hits you up to join his staff, would you be interested? We'll see what happens, man.

You never know. You got it. Well, Kevin Faulk, nothing but the best. You and your family always appreciate the time. Good luck, and thanks so much for doing this today. I appreciate you, Zach. Thanks again.