Will never miss an opportunity to take a swipe at the New England Patriots. Don’t get me wrong — I respect the greatness they achieved together. Tom Brady is the undisputed GOAT quarterback until proven otherwise. Andy Reid probably needs one more Super Bowl to challenge Bill Belichick for that status in the coaching ranks, although a three-peat just might put Big Red over the top. Point being, we can respect everything the Brady-Belichick Patriots did, revere Belichick for coaching them to six Super Bowls and all that. I swear I don’t mean this as an all-out backhanded compliment, but Belichick the coach (and Brady and everyone else) kept having to overcome Belichick the GM, who had final say over personnel and appeared to grow more insular and out of touch as his tenure dragged on. Seriously, look back through New England’s draft history, particularly the last 10 years and even a little before then. There’s almost nobody of real consequence save for a few players. That’s more of why Belichick is giving his opinion on TV and Instaface as he blanket-terms all of social media. Belichick was so spoiled by Brady that he couldn’t evolve his rigid system to accommodate anyone else. Yes, he identified another good pure pocket passer in Jimmy Garoppolo, who Brady just happened to beat out with his longevity, but then Belichick struggled to pivot to a more dynamic athlete at quarterback. There were opportunities to get someone in recent years. He did the bargain basement version with Cam Newton for one year before leaning on his old buddy Nick Saban’s college QB, Mac Jones. Insular. Very much in the pure pocket mold of Tom Terrific. But Brady also created the most extraordinary self-improvement arc for himself over the course of his career, with a work ethic literally second to none. Those were the shoes McCorkle was filling, and fill them he did for one year. Then disaster struck, as Josh McDaniels left for another failed head coaching stint in Vegas, and the Matt Patricia/Joe Judge combination that had zero experience calling offensive plays were probably tapping Morse Code to Mac in the headset. That’s how old school that whole operation. Again, very insular on Belichick’s part. Cut to his criticism of
Caleb Williams ., where Belichick downplays the frenzy surrounding the Chicago Bears' No. 1 overall pick, franchise savior, and off-platform throwing, scrambling extraordinaire due to a few miscommunication or drops-based incompletions in the preseason. Had three more of those been completed? This wouldn't even be a conversation or debate. Die on another hill, Bill! https://twitter.com/theqbschool/status/1831877659942646261 I remember one quote from an anonymous NFL personnel person who described him “like if Prince played quarterback.” He’s eccentric, individualistic, and not afraid to be different on and off the field. Whatever Belichick doesn’t see in Williams, he probably doesn’t want to. The segment perfectly encapsulated the precise crusty, curmudgeonly demeanor that no longer connected with the modern NFL player, and left him SOL in the last head coach hiring cycle. It's also a prime example of how Belichick, a defensive-minded coach, couldn't get with the program and hire a newer-age quarterback who could, you know, make plays more outside the structure of the offense, a la Patrick Mahomes and countless other modern superstars. Don’t get me wrong, I love that Belichick is getting a break. The access we're getting to him is so utterly fascinating and awesome. He'll have good takes, and even give us breakdowns of sick stuff like Walter Payton schooling the Steel Curtain defense while still in college. I think Belichick needs the break, though. Was too close to the game as a coach for so long, got too much power, was heat checking every single draft day trade down and obscure pick. The magic ran out when Brady left town. The Buffalo Bills and their dynamic dual-threat QB Josh Allen beat the Patriots’ faces in, regular season and playoffs alike. New England’s ways are old. The NFL changes fast, seemingly more so year over year in the past decade than ever before. Belichick throwing cold water on Chicago and the Williams hype just feels so lame to me. Come on, Bill. Lighten up. Give into the hype just a tad. Williams is worth it, and I look forward to the former Heisman Trophy winner proving The Hoodie wrong with a rookie season that should be nothing short of
a one-man electric factory .
Most Popular
Comments / 0