Feb. 2—John Perry spent many years growing up in Andover with Bill O'Brien, the new New England Patriots offensive coordinator, a guy he can pretty much call a "best friend."
They played a lot of sports together and, well, against each other over the years.
"That's what makes Billy so great," said Perry, who is entering his 30th year as a football coach, recently becoming the new offensive coordinator at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.
"From the time we were 10 to when we were both playing two-on-two basketball against each other when we were both assistants at Brown (University)," said Perry, "they were always battles.