FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In January of 2016, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was complimenting one of his players when he said the following:
“Very durable, very dependable; durability is more important than ability in this league. Not only has he not missed a game, he’s barely missed a practice. He’s out there every day, so that builds the communication and consistency with teammates, with everything. He’s a guy that you don’t even think about being there because he’s always out there. That’s huge in the overall development of your team or particularly that unit.”
Belichick was speaking about veteran defensive end Rob Ninkovich, who has played in 188 consecutive games for the team (including postseason).