Patriots’ Jahlani Tavai said Bill Belichick joining Instagram ‘was the big talk of the locker room’

"I'm interested to see what he wants to do on, what does he call it, SnapFace?"

Patriots players’ reactions to Bill Belichick joining Instagram: For years, Bill Belichick dismissively referenced social media platforms by using intentional malapropisms like “SnapFace” or “InstaFace.” During his 24-season tenure as head coach with the Patriots, the chances of the eight-time Super Bowl winner joining Instagram appeared to be infinitesimal.

Yet with Belichick gone from NFL sidelines for the first time in half a century — and given his rapidly growing media presence — he recently announced his decision to create an account.

Given Belichick’s longtime stance against social media, this recent change of direction drew the attention of his former team. In a Friday morning interview with “The Greg Hill Show,” Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai was asked if he decided to give his former coach a follow on Instagram.

“I did, actually,” he said.

“I’m interested to see what he wants to do on, what does he call it, SnapFace?” Tavai added.

Were Patriots players surprised to see his ex-coach on Instagram?

“It was a big shocker for all of us,” said Tavai. “That was the big talk of the locker room.”

Still, Tavai defended Belichick against the charge of hypocrisy.

“I think his biggest message for us was while we’re in the building, and in-league, try our best to get off of it,” said the 27-year-old in a nod to Belichick’s current free agent status.

“I mean, he wasn’t wrong,” Tavai continued. “It’s kind of a distraction for a lot of guys. It helps clear your mind when you don’t see all the noise going around, all the buzz.”

Trivia: The last time that Bill Belichick wasn’t coaching at the NFL level to start a season was 50 years ago in 1974. That season, the Patriots finished a disappointing 7-7, but with the league’s second highest scoring offense. Can you name New England’s quarterback that season?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: A former first overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner, he would go on to become a Super Bowl MVP for another team.

Scores and schedules:

The 2024 NFL season got underway on Thursday as the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs escaped with a 27-20 win over the Ravens.

The Patriots will kick things off in Cincinnati on Sunday against the Bengals at 1 p.m.

The Red Sox begin a three-game series against the White Sox tonight at Fenway Park at 7:10 p.m.

Tomorrow, Boston College football hosts Duquesne at 3:30 p.m.

Also tomorrow, the Revolution will face St. Louis City SC at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

Isaiah Likely’s touchdown: One of the highlight moments from the NFL’s Thursday season-opener was Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s catch and score from a Lamar Jackson pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

A game of inches (centimeters?): On the game’s final play, Likely caught what appeared to be a touchdown, but replays later confirmed that he was out of bounds by the narrowest of margins. Patrick Mahomes’s advice in the postgame press conference to Likely: “Wear white cleats next time.”

On this day: While Sept. 6 marks the anniversary of other, more locally-oriented sports distinctions — including a 1-0 Red Sox win over the Nationals in 1912 in which Smoky Joe Wood out-dueled Walter Johnson, as well as a Game 2 World Series win in 1918 over the Cubs — there is probably no more entertaining a highlight than Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita’s “scorpion kick” in a friendly on this day against England in 1995.

Enjoy this delightfully (and quite literally) over-the-top clearance:

Daily highlight: Toronto native Daniel Kim scored after curling his shot perfectly into the far corner of the net in a 1-1 Boston University draw with Saint Mary’s on Thursday.

Trivia answer: Jim Plunkett