Bill Belichick gushing about Russell Wilson feels like a shot at Tom Brady

Patriots HC Bill Belichick’s comments on Seahawks star Russell Wilson feel like a dig at Tom Brady.

The New England Patriots will face their toughest test of the young season in Week 2 when they travel across the country for a primetime showdown against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.

Though the Seahawks won’t have the luxury of a fan-filled CenturyLink Field, which is widely regarded as the most deafening stadium in the NFL, they still have a superstar under center in Russell Wilson, who’s capable of winning in any environment.

It goes without saying that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will get next to no sleep trying to brainstorm ways to contain Wilson leading up to the game, and he went as far as to heap some big praise on the six-time Pro Bowler during his latest press conference.

The sheer awe in which Belichick spoke about Wilson was astonishing and it’s really difficult not to view his comments as a subliminal dig at Tom Brady, who endured a rough debut with Tampa Bay to open the new campaign.

"“This guy’s a tremendous player,” Belichick told reporters on Thursday. “Honestly I think he’s in a way maybe underrated by the media or the fans, I don’t know. But I don’t really see anybody better than this player. He can do everything. He’s obviously got great leadership, playmaking skills, he plays very well in the most critical situations in the game.“You put him up against anybody since he’s been in the league, literally anybody, in almost any category really … I don’t think there’s a better deep ball passer in the league, in terms of decision making and accuracy. He attacks literally every inch of the field, you have to defend with him the deep balls, the sideline, the scrambles, his ability to get the ball to his playmakers, and space, and then you have to try to tackle him, and that’s very difficult too.”"

We hate to make this about Brady, but it really seems like Belichick has been going out of his way to complement quarterbacks lately. He recently tabbed Cam Newton as the hardest-working player he’s ever coached, noting that he’s the first player to arrive at the practice facility and normally the last to leave.

Nobody’s saying that the 68-year-old should be speaking down on his new quarterback, but those are strong words for a player who arrived in New England during the middle of the offseason. It normally takes quite a while for new signings to win over Belichick’s respect. It took Newton less than two months.

Now, the six-time champion is literally gushing over Wilson. It’s worth noting that you’d be hard-pressed to find a coach in the NFL who isn’t fond of the Seahawks stud’s craft, and rightfully so. In a road win against Atlanta in Week 1, he finished 31-of-35 (88.5%) for 322 yards and four touchdowns.

As great as Wilson is, unless he’s Belichick’s favorite player, was a monologue really necessary?

The Patriots’ legend is notorious for offering next to nothing in front of the microphone. In the immediate wake of Brady’s departure, however, it just seems strange how much insight he’s willing to offer reporters all of a sudden.