Bill Belichick Can’t Hide His Happiness Of Having Brandon Bolden Back With Patriots

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick doesn’t really like talking about the game and his plans. He doesn’t really like the media attention, and he is more focused on the game and their wins. On Tuesday, the coach was asked about Brandon Bolden during a conference call with reporters.

Bolden returned to New England this season after spending a season with the Miami Dolphins.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have Brandon back, and I think our team and our coaching staff feels the same way,” Belichick said. “He’s been such a great readdition to the team. I think we all knew and appreciated and loved having Brandon on the team, and last year, I think we missed each other. But sometimes that’s the business side of this game. But he’s back, and I think he’s enjoyed it. I don’t want to speak for him, but he certainly seems to have enjoyed this season. I know the team and the staff and I love having him back, as well.”

Matthew Slater shares the same opinion.

“I certainly don’t think I’m alone when I say that (Bolden) was missed last year,” the special teams captain said in April.

Bolden spent his first six years in New England. He was a core special teams player and occasional offensive contributor after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2012. In 2017, the Patriots cut Bolden during final trimmings for roster management reasons but decided to re-sign him. The Patriots let him go again in 2018, and allowed him to sign with the Miami Dolphins.

“He’s so valuable in so many ways,” Belichick said. “In the field, off the field, his preparation, his experience, his energy level, his ability to do so many different things well, both offensively and in the kicking game. He’s embraced new roles like, for example, being the kick returner this year. That’s something that he hasn’t really done a lot of in the past, and he had probably his best return of the season last week against Buffalo, and we really needed it.

“He’s really come through for us in so many ways, with offensive production, but his leadership, his competitiveness, his toughness and his dependability are outstanding. It’s really great to have him back here. We missed him last year, but we’re so glad he’s back.”