Belichick Trying to Psyche Brown Out
I think that's what's happening. You don't get so effusive if there isn't some underlying agenda. When the best coach in the league, and possibly one of the best coaches of all time, keeps telling you how great you are, and you've only played EIGHT games in the league, you might get a little concerned that you won't live up to it. You may at least put a little pressure on yourself to live up to it, which could be counterproductive.
Not saying that'll happen with Ronnie -- I don't know him well enough. But I still think that's what Belichick is trying to do. I think Belichick saw him dancing around behind the line early in the year, attributed it to Ronnie's being new and putting pressure on himself to live up to the draft hype, and he's trying to put enough pressure on him to make him dance around again against New England.