One of the Super Bowl 53 subplots is that of the coaches: the new-school Rams coach Sean McVay against the old-guard Bill Belichick, the stalwart leader of the Patriots.

Despite the pair being compared and contrasted as adversaries this week, the coaches actually share a bond that goes beyond saying respectful things of one another in press conferences.

McVay revealed this week that Belichick texted him after games throughout the season, McVay’s second as an NFL head coach.

“This is wild: This season, he has basically texted me after every one of our games,” McVay told Pro Football Talk. “After we beat Minnesota in September, he texted, ‘Man, you guys are really explosive and impressive and fun to watch. Congratulations — keep it rolling.’ For him to even take the time to say congrats, it’s pretty cool. That’s one of the things I like about our business, our fraternity of coaches. As competitive as it is, guys find time to share when they can. I’m still young, still figuring it out. That stuff’s been really helpful to me.”

Super Bowl 53 will mark the first time they’ll face off — McVay has three playoff games under his belt while Belichick, arguably the best coach sport has ever seen, will be going for Super Bowl title No. 6 in nine tries.

Belichick, though, has plenty of reverence for the up-and-coming coach on the Los Angeles sidelines.

“I have a ton of respect for Sean,” he told reporters last week. “I think he’s done a great job in the two years he’s been with the Rams. His teams have performed at an extremely high level. They’re very consistent. They’re well-coached. He has a great scheme. The players execute it on a consistent basis at a very high level.”

It’s about more than the X’s-and-O’s, though.

“For him to even take the time to text me after a game, it means a lot because of the respect I have for him,” McVay told the media on Monday in Atlanta. “He’s been doing it at such a high level for so long. He’s somebody I have a lot of respect for.”