Belichick & Garrett: Unlikely Beach Buddies In Nantucket

Patriots Bill Belichick & Cowboys Ex Jason Garrett: Unlikely Beach Buddies In Nantucket?

"There once were two coaches in Nantucket ...''

The news that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been hanging out with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett - on the ritzy beaches of Nantucket, Massachusetts - no doubt confounds the "RedBall'' critics who cannot imagine what Garrett might possibly have in common with the NFL's greatest coach.

But, all limerick-related jokes aside, it's true. Via Mike Reiss of ESPN):

"Belichick’s affinity for Nantucket is well documented, and now that former Cowboys coach and current New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett spends time on the island, the two have once again broken bread with each other. That has continued this summer ...''

That's right; Belichick and Garrett are "summering'' together.

The friendship is not as stunning as it might seem at first glance. Yes, Belichick is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in NFL history, while Garrett is considered an underachiever as a result of his 10-year reign with the Cowboys, which ended this offseason as he was replaced by Mike McCarthy.

But Garrett, as we've said in this space often, is respected inside the NFL coaching fraternity - and it is a small and tight fraternity. Additionally, Belichick and Garrett are both at heart teachers and students, of the game of football and of the game at life.

They are also both wealthy enough to hang in Nantucket, "breaking bread'' and talking football, Belichick now a New Englander and Garrett a long-time "East Coast guy.'' In the end, it's a notable pairing ... but not an unnatural one.