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Notebook: Kevin Faulk passes it down

Friday, November 29, 2013 -- Anonymous (not verified)
Former RB channels Bill as H.S. assistant
Sections:
New England Patriots
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Author(s):
Jeff Howe
Patriots Notebook
FOXBORO — As Kevin Faulk roams the Carencro (La.) High School sidelines, he can’t help but laugh when his instructions sound all too much like the wisdom from Bill Belichick.

Faulk, who recently completed his first season as the team’s offensive coordinator, can’t believe it either. He recounted thousands of times when he wanted to roll his eyes in a meeting or at practice, and now he’s preaching the same things to his own players.

“I’ve heard myself say a couple things that were like, ‘Wow, man, you just sounded like Bill,’ ” Faulk said. “But you knew that was going to happen. I was with him for 12 years.

“You just acknowledge with a little laugh and a grin, like, ‘OK, I understand.’ Now I know why I went through it, and that’s what you take from it. That’s exactly what you take from it. ‘OK, now I understand why I went through it.’ ”

Faulk knew toward the end of his Patriots career that he wanted to get into coaching, and he joined his old high school’s squad. His son, Kevin Faulk Jr., is a running back and defensive back for the Golden Bears, and he was able to bring his father’s retired No. 3 back to the Louisiana gridiron.

That’s where Faulk is a football legend, perhaps the greatest player to ever emerge from the area, and he added to his lore by attending LSU and becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher. Because of that, Faulk has turned plenty of heads from his players, and he uses it as a teaching tool.

“It was one thing I knew was going to happen as far as the respect factor, giving me a lot of respect as far as knowing the game of football,” Faulk said. “But as I tell them all the time, it’s more than just knowing the game. It’s actually going through it and paying attention to the game of football, knowing different situations, a lot of stuff that you hear up there, a lot of stuff that I learned from coach Belichick and his staff is what I try to tell the kids.”

Faulk noted the challenges of making the transition to coaching, installing a new offensive system and trying to suit the strengths of every player on the team. They went 3-7 but lost three games by one possession. They also scored a season-high 41 points to win their last game, so there’s something to build on next season.

“It’s going well,” Faulk said. “I’m really enjoying it. This is a different entity to football than when I was just playing the game. You have to understand a lot more and do a lot more as a coach. As a player, you just have to get yourself ready to play, get yourself in shape and everything. But as a coach, you have to get those guys ready to play.”