New England Patriots

Bill Belichick gave a lengthy quote explaining what the 2001 Patriots mean to him

"They'll always be right at the top for me in terms of teams and individuals that I admire."

The 2001 Patriots were the first of Bill Belichick's four Super Bowl champions as a head coach. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Though he normally refrains from lavishing praise on his own team, past or present, Bill Belichick took time to reflect on the 2001 Patriots following a reunion at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

On a day when the Super Bowl XXXVI champions were honored at halftime (marking the 15th anniversary of the season), Belichick offered a full analysis.

“They played the best,” Belichick said. “I don’t know if they were the best, talent-wise, but they played the best. And that’s why they were champions. They’ll always be right at the top for me in terms of teams and individuals that I admire, because of what they did. I mean the deck was stacked against us week after week after week.”

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Here’s the full quote:

https://twitter.com/JoeGiza/status/805530184837369858

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