Bill Belichick takes shots at Falcons, Arthur Blank on latest ‘ManningCast’ appearance

"He was down there on the sideline and we were getting beat. I was like, 'Jesus.'”

Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick made his second appearance on ESPN’s “ManningCast” alongside Peyton and Eli Manning during Monday’s primetime game between the Eagles and Falcons.

The future Hall-of-Fame coach touched on several subjects during his hour-long appearance on ESPN’s broadcast, including landing several shots against the Falcons.

Here are three takeaways from Belichick’s latest media appearance:

Some shade at Arthur Blank?

Given Monday’s matchup, Belichick spent some of the broadcast reflecting on the Patriots’ improbable comeback over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

But even though some of his comments revolved around his own team’s triumph over Atlanta, the former head coach also managed to land a few digs in against Atlanta owner Arthur Blank as well.

In particular, Belichick said he was surprised to see Blank down on the sideline at Houston’s NRG Stadium before Super Bowl LI went final — with the Falcons owner seemingly already set to celebrate amid a commanding 28-3 lead in the third quarter.

“I also remember Blank down on the sideline in the fourth quarter — you know, celebrating when they were ahead,” Belichick said.

“You saw him?,” Peyton Manning asked.

“Well, he’s a pretty good dresser now,” Belichick said. “Arthur always looks sharp. He was down there on the sideline and we were getting beat. I was like, ‘Jesus.’”

The Patriots and Belichick managed to get the last laugh against Blank and the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, but Belichick might have another bone to pick with Blank after this past offseason.

The 72-year-old Belichick was in the running for the Falcons’ vacant head-coaching job this past offseason — completing two interviews and emerging as one of the favorites to replace Arthur Smith.

But Blank and the Falcons ultimately opted to hire Raheem Morris, a move that reportedly “blindsided” Belichick, according to an ESPN story by Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham, and Jeremy Fowler.

Belichick also had plenty of criticism for the Falcons during Monday’s game, especially after several Atlanta players failed to tackle Eagles QB Jalen Hurts during a second-quarter scramble.

“Good run, can’t tackle, can’t tackle him,” Belichick said as Hurts pushed ahead for extra yardage.

“Bill, how does that happen?,” Peyton Manning asked.

“I mean, honestly it was the same issue last week, they didn’t tackle very well against Pittsburgh,” Belichick replied.

Even with Belichick’s pointed comments, Morris and the Falcons did put together a strong performance on the road Monday night — completing a 22-21 comeback win over the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Reflecting on a comeback for the ages

Of course, Belichick also shared many more thoughts about New England’s victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI — admitting that he had to watch a replay on TV a few hours after the win to confirm that his team actually walked away with the overtime triumph.

“One of the first things I remember was the catch Julio [Jones] made on the sideline. I thought this was deja vu again with [Mario] Manningham and [David] Tyree. The last play was kind of crazy, because nobody knew if [James] White scored or not. He’s tackled like right on the goal line.

“Had to replay it, and we kind of were out there, it seemed like for a couple minutes afterwards to see what happened. But when I got back to the hotel, the game happened to be on in my hotel room. It was at about the start of the third quarter. And I said, ‘You know what? I need to sit down and watch this and make sure that we still won it, because maybe that was just a dream.’”

Belichick handed out plenty of praise for his entire team for their efforts in erasing a 28-3 deficit — especially on such a pressure-filled stage.

While players like Tom Brady, James White, Dont’a Hightower, and Julian Edelman left their fingerprints all over that championship win, Belichick also gave credit to his coaching staff for making the necessary tweaks in order to get back into the game.

“When I think back about that game, I think just a lot of credit has to go to our three coordinators: Matt Patricia, Josh McDaniels, and Joe Judge for the adjustments that they made and the pressure calls that they executed,” Belichick said. “We got the big strip sack from Hightower, and converted a couple two-point conversions.

“Then we had two kickoffs where we tackled them inside the 15-yard line. And ultimately, that was probably just enough yardage to keep them out of field-goal range. So it was really a great job by the coordinators. And obviously the players — I’ve been so fortunate to be with those great players.”

No love for Eli Manning or Nick Foles

While Belichick directed most of his snark toward the Falcons during Monday’s game, he also managed to land a few jokes against a pair of QBs who halted New England’s chances of winning another three Super Bowls.

Eli Manning and the Giants defeated the Patriots in both of New York’s most recent Super Bowl appearances (XLII, XLVI) — with the former unraveling what would have been a perfect 18-0 season for a record-setting 2007 New England roster.

Despite opening the 2017 season as the Eagles’ backup behind Carson Wentz, Nick Foles also led the Eagles to an upset 41-33 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII — scuttling what could have been a three-peat run for New England from 2016-18.

While revisiting those Super Bowl losses, Belichick had this exchange with Eli Manning.

“Do you have a dartboard in your house with the picture of Foles and I on it that you just throw darts at all the time?” Manning asked.

“I got three dartboards,” Belichick responded. “Two of you and one of Foles.”