Last modified: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 2:18 AM EDT New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick speaks to a group of students, including some from Foxboro's Ahern Middle School, before the screening of the movie "The Express," about Ernie Davis, the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner, Tuesday afternoon at the Showcase Cinema DeLux. Students see coach's jovial side BY LAUREN CARTER FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE FOXBORO On Tuesdays, Bill Belichick is usually busy crafting the game plan while players enjoy their day off. But this past Tuesday, the New England Patriots head coach took a timeout to talk to some lucky youngsters before a special screening of "The Express," the drama based on the life of Ernie Davis, the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner whose life and career were cut short by leukemia. The movie doesn't arrive in theaters until Oct. 10, but students from several area Boys & Girls Clubs and the Ahern Middle School in Foxboro got a sneak peek at the Showcase Cinema De Lux at Patriot Place, along with free snacks and a little chat with Belichick before the show. Appearing in a suit and tie, Belichick wasn't exactly dressed like a rock star, but he was greeted like one as students cheered and stretched for high-fives from the coach as he made his way in. Often terse and unamused in news conferences, Belichick was especially jovial with the students, making a strong case that if he ever decides to give up coaching, he could have a winning career as a teacher. Belichick quizzed the youngsters on the particulars of Davis' abbreviated football career - calling out questions and picking students from the crowd to answer. "You guys are on top of that!" he said after failing to stump them with a flurry of questions. He then explained why lessons from the movie apply to life, with particular attention to overcoming adversity - something Belichick and the Pats know a little about. "Every year, there's always something that happens to your team," he said. "You lose a tough game or a player gets injured or something happens that's a little bit of a setback. "The great teams, the great players, the great people in life overcome those things," he added. "They find a way to work through it." Belichick reminded the students that every individual has talent, but the truly great individuals are the consistent ones. "The really exceptional ones are the ones who can go out and do it day after day, week after week, year after year, kind of like Ernie Davis did," he said. Belichick even brought up injured QB Tom Brady, talking candidly about the loss of the star quarterback. "You all know Tom Brady got injured," he said. "But we have a lot of other good players on our team and we have a good team. "That's just something we're going to have to overcome," he said. The event was part of "NFL Day at the Movies," which 27 pro football teams are taking part in during the month of September. Apparently the positive lessons weren't lost on students, including a trio of Foxboro students wearing Tom Brady jerseys who were pretty excited about the experience. Sixth-grader Tim O'Toole and fifth-grader Caitlin Driscoll said they'd never been that close to the coach. "It was awesome!" Driscoll said. "He was very nice." Driscoll said she would consider someone like Davis a role model. Eighth-grader Jaclyn McCann said she learned to "never give up on anything and just keep trying" and enjoyed the face time with Belichick. "It was amazing," McCann said. "I can't wait to go home and brag to my family that I got to see him."