Flashback: NYT article when Pats hired Belichick

[Uncle Rico]

Courtesy of a tweet from Ian Rapoport, I just read Judy Battista's Jan. 28, 2000, story on Belichick being hired.

Pretty cool read. Belichick:

''The opportunity to be in coaching was something I wasn't sure I would have as late as 24 hours ago and I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to coach in the 2000 season. It was quite an ordeal, but it's behind me.''

In a later telephone news conference, Belichick said: ''I didn't resign to get to this spot. I resigned because I wasn't comfortable with the situation with the Jets.''

Regarding speculation that he left the Jets because he didn't want to be in Parcells's shadow, Belichick said: ''If I wanted to get out of Bill's shadow, I wouldn't have come to New England. There's a shadow up here, too.''

What I thought was pretty wild was the "Extra Points" brief at the end:

"
Coach BILL PARCELLS said the Jets had given the offensive coordinator CHARLIE WEIS and the defensive assistant ERIC MANGINI permission to talk to any team about any job, which means they don't necessarily have to be given promotions to be released from their contracts with the Jets. BILL BELICHICK said Thursday that he would talk to both of them about joining the Patriots' staff. . . . Linebacker MO LEWIS was added to the Pro Bowl roster yesterday.
"

Talk about a paragraph full of history soon to happen. Gave me goosebumps.

 

[FalconHeavy]

Courtesy of a tweet from Ian Rapoport, I just read Judy Battista's Jan. 28, 2000, story on Belichick being hired.

Pretty cool read. Belichick:



What I thought was pretty wild was the "Extra Points" brief at the end:

"
Coach BILL PARCELLS said the Jets had given the offensive coordinator CHARLIE WEIS and the defensive assistant ERIC MANGINI permission to talk to any team about any job, which means they don't necessarily have to be given promotions to be released from their contracts with the Jets. BILL BELICHICK said Thursday that he would talk to both of them about joining the Patriots' staff. . . . Linebacker MO LEWIS was added to the Pro Bowl roster yesterday.
"

Talk about a paragraph full of history soon to happen. Gave me goosebumps.

That line made me bolt up right

 

[Uncle Rico]

That line made me bolt up right

Me too. Just wild. No doubt Lewis getting Pro Bowl status is what inspired the well known PatsFans user name "MoLewisRocks." Right?

 

[oldskool138]

Flashback: My reaction when the Pats hired BB

WTF! The guy who sucked hard with the Browns and Jets?! Why? I mean, I hate Pete Carroll but him?!

Glad I was wrong.

 

[Wax Frog]

I love me some duplicitous pond scum!

 

[Angry Man]

Bill Belichick Resigns As HC of NYJ - YouTube

Is there any video of the presser when BB got signed for our HC?

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Courtesy of a tweet from Ian Rapoport, I just read Judy Battista's Jan. 28, 2000, story on Belichick being hired.

Pretty cool read. Belichick:



What I thought was pretty wild was the "Extra Points" brief at the end:

"
Coach BILL PARCELLS said the Jets had given the offensive coordinator CHARLIE WEIS and the defensive assistant ERIC MANGINI permission to talk to any team about any job, which means they don't necessarily have to be given promotions to be released from their contracts with the Jets. BILL BELICHICK said Thursday that he would talk to both of them about joining the Patriots' staff. . . . Linebacker MO LEWIS was added to the Pro Bowl roster yesterday.
"

Talk about a paragraph full of history soon to happen. Gave me goosebumps.

BB and Mo Lewis, 2 people who most dramatically changed the course of Patriot history - even more than Walt Coleman and the snowplow dude:singing:

 

[Angry Man]

BB and Mo Lewis, 2 people who most dramatically changed the course of Patriot history - even more than Walt Coleman and the snowplow dude:singing:

Indeed. Had that hit Mo Lewis did on Drew never happened I wonder if Brady would of ever gotten a chance like the one he got?

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Indeed. Had that hit Mo Lewis did on Drew never happened I wonder if Brady would of ever gotten a chance like the one he got?

I was thinking about that too just now-I don't want to derail this very cool walk down memory lane thread at all 'cuz I love it but- without Lewis BB would've had to just decide to replace Drew with a skinny 6th round pick named Tom something if I have that scenario right? BB has serious stones this we know but I dunno, would he have done that LOL

 

[Bella*chick]

I was thinking about that too just now-I don't want to derail this very cool walk down memory lane thread at all 'cuz I love it but- without Lewis BB would've had to just decide to replace Drew with a skinny 6th round pick named Tom something if I have that scenario right? BB has serious stones this we know but I dunno, would he have done that LOL

If Bledsoe had continued to play as dreadfully as he had up to that point? Yes.

 

[strngplyr]

I was thinking about that too just now-I don't want to derail this very cool walk down memory lane thread at all 'cuz I love it but- without Lewis BB would've had to just decide to replace Drew with a skinny 6th round pick named Tom something if I have that scenario right? BB has serious stones this we know but I dunno, would he have done that LOL

If you watch 'The Brady 6' (Which airs tonight again on NFLN at 8pm EST, by the way) BB states that the only thing that held him back from starting Brady in 2001 was Bledsoe's experience and Brady's lack of. Brady had the better preseason by far, and if Bledsoe had continued to play how he was, I'd say by week 6 Brady was going to be in.

 

[TheComeback]

Indeed. Had that hit Mo Lewis did on Drew never happened I wonder if Brady would of ever gotten a chance like the one he got?

Supposedly Brady was on his way up that season. They did promote him from 4th stringer to Bledsoe's backup over the course of a year.

 

[Leave No Doubt]

Supposedly Brady was on his way up that season. They did promote him from 4th stringer to Bledsoe's backup over the course of a year.

So he might have seen some playtime regardless of Mo. Not in quite the same
way or in quite the same fashion of course, but still. Drew's injury threw Brady right into the limelight and the rest is history:rocker:

 

[Gwedd]

If Mo Lewis hadn't caused Bledsoe to be sidelined, some other player would have. It was just a question of time. Bledsoe, for all his strong points, still kept holding onto the d@mned ball too long, and was taking too many hits. No line could keep the defense at bay for as long as Drew wanted, and sooner or later someone was going to put him down for the count.

 

[Angry Man]

Supposedly Brady was on his way up that season. They did promote him from 4th stringer to Bledsoe's backup over the course of a year.

That is true since IIRC Brady was used quite a but during preseason that year. It was a matter of time however before Brady replaced Bledsoe. To me its a matter of how much different things might of turned out if it happened say later on in the season as opposed to the week 2 game against the Jets. Would we have been in contention for the playoffs if Bledsoe got injured in say week 7? Would Brady have gelled and gotten into an groove with the offense well enough to make any kind of playoff run had it been week 7?

There are many "what if" scenarios that we could play out on how things would have gone. Ultimately the "gods of fate" if you will felt that the major turning point during that Jets game was the moment the passing of the torch was meant to happen. Still it's fun to discuss these type of things since it puts things in a new perspective if you will of how damn fortunate we are of how things turned out. Who would of imagined back on September 23rd 2001 that within four years there would be no less then three Super Bowl wins lead by an quarterback who got drafted at 199 in the 2000 draft? Let alone a decade after that September 23rd game we would be on the verge of the forth one. Quite amazing.

 

[Uncle Rico]

.. There are many "what if" scenarios that we could play out on how things would have gone. ...

So true. You could make a case that with a few little things going differently the BB/TFB Patriots could have five rings (collapse in Indy, SB42). You could also make the case that if a few little things happened differently they could easily have zero rings. Thus ... it is what it is.

Whenever I look back at clips of Brady I think two things: Wow, what this guy's life was about to become; and ... is it me or does it look like he had less hair in 2001 than he does now?