New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick noted his respect for kicker Justin Tucker on Friday prior to his team's Week 9 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

When asked if Tucker is the top kicker in the league, Belichick took the question a step further.

"He's the best kicker in the history of the league, right? I mean, yeah," he said, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon.

"We were fortunate enough to block one against him the last time we played him, but it's not easy," he added. "He's tough. He's a good player - good athlete, good place-kicker and a good kickoff man."

Belichick's comments could be viewed as controversial. Many will point to Adam Vinatieri, who played 10 seasons in New England, as the NFL's all-time greatest kicker.

Vinatieri won three Super Bowls with the Patriots while hitting several clutch kicks, and he's the league's all-time field-goal leader.

Tucker, meanwhile, is currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history with a 90.7% field-goal success rate, and no other kicker has reached 90% accuracy. He has yet to miss a field goal or extra point in 2019.