Julian Edelman, Matthew Slater defend Bill Belichick over 'The Dynasty' portrayal

Add Super Bowl LIII Most Valuable Player Julian Edelman and longtime team captain Matthew Slater to the growing list of former New England Patriots players upset about how former New England head coach Bill Belichick was portrayed in Apple TV's "The Dynasty" docuseries. 

"I honestly think if you’re in your 30s and you’ve played football, I don’t think you’ve ever liked your football coach," Edelman explained during the latest edition of his "Games With Names" podcast, as shared by Lauren Campbell of MassLive. "You loved him. But you didn’t like your football coach. Just like I didn’t like my parents when they made me do things that they knew was gonna make me a better person."

Tight end Rob Gronkowski, safety Devin McCourty and fellow safety Rodney Harrison are among the noteworthy former Patriots stars who have both publicly defended Belichick and expressed disappointment over the fact that, in their opinions, "The Dynasty" focuses too much on "anything that was negative" regarding the franchise's six Super Bowl championships from February 2002 through February 2019. 

"We always knew that he was pushing us to be the best version of ourselves, like our parents would," Slater said about what some would view as harsh tactics employed by Belichick throughout his 24-season New England tenure. 

Patriots owner Robert Kraft didn't necessarily address takes claiming "The Dynasty" is an "anti-Belichick" project while speaking at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday, but Kraft acknowledged at that time he wished the documentary "had focused more on our Super Bowl wins" and "our 21-game win streak (2003-04)." 

Meanwhile, Slater added that Belichick was a "complex" figure who didn't always produce sunshine and rainbows inside the facility but guided the franchise on a run it may never repeat. 

"...There are things that were tough, and I’m sure we all feel like, 'Hey, maybe we wish we had done things this way,'" Slater remarked. "But let’s make sure none of us forget the fact that the dynasty is not even being talked about without Bill Belichick. And the things that he did were with intentionality and purpose, and I think he got the best out of all of us."

An upcoming Belichick book reportedly won't address what was and/or wasn't said in "The Dynasty" about his time with the Patriots. 

Some former players may not look back fondly at how they were treated by Belichick on certain occasions, but few would deny his resume gives him a spot on any Mount Rushmore for football coaches.