Bill Belichick on the hot seat sounds like sci-fi fiction, but according to Boston Globe, Robert Kraft may be losing his patience. There are truths, lies, and somewhere in the middle of that sandwich are juicy, delicate rumours.
All of this speculation about Belichick’s job security was whipped up by Boston Globe NFL insider Ben Volin’s observations about Pats owner Robert Kraft and his close ties to the franchise’s starting quarterback Mac Jones. Jones reportedly has the backing of Kraft, which makes some sense because Belichick and Jones reportedly disagreed last season. Jones received an invitation to Kraft’s Hamptons party, while Belichick doesn’t seem sold on Jones. For a brief period, Bailey Zappe appeared to steal Jones’ starting spot before that sandcastle came crashing down. Jones too reportedly irked Belichick by seeking outside counsel for the offense’s struggles while Patricia was in charge. Jones is one smooth operator to come into close contact with the owner, but no self-respecting owner will part with one of the largest coaches in football history for a midsize sedan by a quarterback.
The embattled Belichick is a vintage that needs some tuning, but he’s not one jalopy. The Patriots, who finish last in the entire division for the first time in 24 years, are not out of the question. But that’s because of Jones’ status in a division where they’re surrounded by Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, and Aaron Rodgers, not despite Belichick. Jones gets a pass for his abominable play in 2022, but there’s no other way to describe him. He needs a short memory to forget the pitiful butter knife of a passing attack, they poked opposing defenses throughout his second down. For the 2023 campaign, Belichick has banked on the Matt Patricia reclamation project, replacing him with returning offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
There have been reports that rising tension has created an awkward atmosphere between Kraft and Belichick, which sounds like rumors that Belichick and Tom Brady had a growing rift in 2019. After two decades of living at the top, you can understand why plateauing as an average team would bother Kraft.
“Robert Kraft already made it clear in March that he wants the Patriots to make the postseason and win a playoff game for the first time in five years,” V.olin wrote for The globe. “He also paid Jerod Mayo handsomely to keep him off the coaching market and likely sees him as the team’s coach-in-waiting. And Belichick’s friends have privately said they’re worried about him being on the hot seat in 2023.”
Kraft gives The Hoodie a pink slip when he’s 30 wins away from eclipsing Don Shula atop the NFL’s The all-time coaching wins list would be a colossal mistake. On the other hand, he is also 14 games away from surpassing Dan Reeves for most losses. Kraft would be wise to stick with Belichick. He’s still a defensive genius, and once they get their quarterback hunger in check, they could be back on track. The NBA’s San Antonio Spurs stuck with Gregg Popovich through the dark times and are on the verge of emerging from the volcanic ashes left by Kawhi Leonard’s exit.
What should be more concerning for New England is that Belichick reportedly gets more nervous than a traumatized quarterback who suddenly hears footsteps and sees ghosts from a clean pocket. Jerod Mayo is a good defensive coordinator, but Belichick’s assistants have a checkered track record. Josh McDaniels is stuck in his second tire fire with Vegas, while Romeo Crenell, Charlie Weis, Eric Mangini, Brian Flores, Joe Judge, O’Brien, and Patricia were all fired for producing lackluster results. O’Brien is the only one who had a record of .500 or better. Let another coach bet on Mayo or O’Brien.
The only thing more fun would be if Kraft followed through and brought in longtime Patriots assistant Brian Daboll to succeed Belichick. Pardon, it was a mistakei meant Brian Flores, who spent 13 years on the Pats staff between 2004 and 2018. Flores finished a game under .500 after two seasons, but had the Dolphins on track with a young roster before being needlessly fired after his sophomore season.
On that note, rumors that rely on “Belichick friends” that sources feel as a stretch. The bigger revelation here is that Belichick has friends he would confide in. I just assumed he was either AI or had one faithful dog and 71 years of suppressed emotions.
Comes from Volin, this story also sounds a bit hollow. A few months ago, Volin broke New Englanders’ trust when he shared information during a segment on WEEI from a source who “wanted to know“ which implied that Jones had an attitude problem. It turns out that The source was a Foxboro employee who DWith a fabricated scoop for Voil just to see if he would use it.
The FOMO of giving up on Belichick too soon is enough to give Kraft pause. Belichick is still a rare genius, and those are not easy to find.
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