Stephon Gilmore defends Bill Belichick over 'The Dynasty' portrayal

Outsiders may never truly know how much of Apple TV+'s "The Dynasty" docuseries about the New England Patriots' six Super Bowl championships across the first two decades of the 2000s is factually correct and how much was sensationalized for entertainment purposes. 

One thing that is clear is that former Patriots players such as cornerback Stephon Gilmore want it known they feel the project inaccurately portrayed legendary head coach Bill Belichick.

"Just watched 'The Dynasty,'" Gilmore wrote in a post published on social media, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "Bill was the greatest coach I’ve ever been around. Don’t let that fool you." 

It was learned before the series' first episode was released that "The Dynasty" essentially blames Belichick for quarterback Tom Brady leaving the Patriots to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in March 2020. Since February, individuals including Gilmore, Hall of Famer Ty Law, Super Bowl LIII Most Valuable Player Julian Edelman, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, tight end Rob Gronkowski, safety Devin McCourty, fellow safety Rodney Harrison and longtime team captain Matthew Slater have criticized the project deemed by many to be "anti-Belichick" and pro-Patriots owner Robert Kraft. 

With that said, Kraft acknowledged in March he felt "disappointed that there wasn’t more of a real positive approach" regarding "The Dynasty." He also suggested he heard from players "who gave hours and hours of interviews and...felt only the negativity" was featured in the series. 

"I’ll never forget we were a predominantly man team during the 2018 season all the way up to [Super Bowl LIII]," Gilmore added. "When we played the (Los Angeles Rams) we switched to zone. No coach would switch what they did all season in a big game like that. Or him telling me to play trail technique in Buffalo because the quarterback can’t throw against the wind when I was following a big-time receiver. If you ever played corner that’s not a good feeling playing trail technique. I shut the WR down to (zero) catches."

At this point, the football community and Patriots fans need Belichick's planned book to include at least some sort of answer to way he was portrayed in "The Dynasty." Then again, maybe he simply doesn't feel as passionately as his former players about how he is depicted in a documentary, one that has continued to generate headlines throughout the spring.