'Voted off the island': Inside Bill Belichick's failed job hunt (ESPN report)

[FreeTedWilliams]

Outside the Atlanta owner the Atlanta Braintrust voted on the coaches and BB was not in the top 3 they'd hire. They were not hiring him.
The article also seems to indicate maybe Kraft said that to Blank while BB was still the head coach like friends venting to friends and that he actually tried to endorse BB for the HC job with Atlanta at the time because it would save Kraft a lot of money.
So it seems a completely overblown story that also appears inaccurate in the context of what Kraft said when and unrelated to BB's ability to get the job.

Which is it: Kraft is cheap or Kraft is only cheap unless he can screw BB over, then money is no concern? The logic just doesn't make any sense here.

of course he wasn't, they would be the first people out the door if he got hired!

and Kraft is cheap
Kraft let the NFL screw Brady
Kraft now has full control, watch him tank this franchise!

 

[Kdo5]

Kraft is such a weasel. Making the whole thing out to be a mutual parting of the ways while talking **** about Bill to potential employers is such a scummy thing to do after all he did for this franchise.

The man has plenty of faults but he didn’t deserve this treatment.

 

[Lagaffe_07]

To be honest, as a patriots fan, I am more upset at Bill sabotaging the Patriots the last two years than Kraft allegedly sabotaging Bill for the Falcons job.

 

[KCSVEN]

of course he wasn't, they would be the first people out the door if he got hired!

and Kraft is cheap
Kraft let the NFL screw Brady
Kraft now has full control, watch him tank this franchise!

Actually, re-reading it even the owner did not have BB in the top 3 either. But I'm sure the owner was afraid BB would fire him?
And, no most of the top lieutenants for Atlanta were not going anywhere if BB was hired, that's pretty clear from the article and the other details that have come out.

 

[raduray]

The heat is going all on Kraft.... The more stories come out they put a bad light on Kraft. He'll try to claim ownership for the success but it will bond Brady and BB with the legacy and reason for success. It will make Kraft look like he hit on fools gold

He fired Bill. What was he supposed to do, give him a glowing appraisal?

 

[raduray]

This quote in particular is damning. Who is going to cross one of the most powerful owners in football by hiring one of his enemies? It's not going to happen. Effectively, Kraft is blackballing Belichick.

He does not want to see him succeed elsewhere.

So, what owner does Kraft NOT get along with?


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What kind of "close friend" would leak this?

 

[sb1]

My guess for the source: Volin. I wouldn't put it past him to fabricate or embellish and report.

 

[Clonamery]

To be honest, as a patriots fan, I am more upset at Bill sabotaging the Patriots the last two years than Kraft allegedly sabotaging Bill for the Falcons job.

Of course you are.

 

[ZotZot]

So, do we trust Wikersham's reporting now, or nah???

 

[Clonamery]

Outside the Atlanta owner the Atlanta Braintrust voted on the coaches and BB was not in the top 3 they'd hire. They were not hiring him.
The article also seems to indicate maybe Kraft said that to Blank while BB was still the head coach like friends venting to friends and that he actually tried to endorse BB for the HC job with Atlanta at the time because it would save Kraft a lot of money.
So it seems a completely overblown story that also appears inaccurate in the context of what Kraft said when and unrelated to BB's ability to get the job.

Which is it: Kraft is cheap or Kraft is only cheap unless he can screw BB over, then money is no concern? The logic just doesn't make any sense here.

Depending on your agenda or your ability to read, both can be true. I have no idea why BB treated the media the way he did.

 

[Wax Frog]

This quote in particular is damning. Who is going to cross one of the most powerful owners in football by hiring one of his enemies? It's not going to happen. Effectively, Kraft is blackballing Belichick.

He does not want to see him succeed elsewhere.

So, what owner does Kraft NOT get along with?


View attachment 57624

9 SB appearances and 6 wins is one hell of an untrustworthy deed.

 

[Wax Frog]

Let’s see how far down the drain Kraft runs this franchise.

New England Browns - did I set the bar too high?

 

[upstater1]

9 SB appearances and 6 wins is one hell of an untrustworthy deed.

And yet we all watched Dynasty. The lack of trust was clear in '01, '07, '14, '17, '19.

 

[Wax Frog]

And yet we all watched Dynasty. The lack of trust was clear in '01, '07, '14, '17, '19.

Never watched, have no desire to. Nor am I any longer able to muster a damn about people and their petty dramas and he-said-she-said games, other than noting what a shame it is, especially when it detracts from what ought to be careful management of a special legacy.

 

[VrabelJr]

Owners don’t want to win more than they like to make money. Owners being buddy buddy in a competitive sport is just dumb.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

The heat is going all on Kraft.... The more stories come out they put a bad light on Kraft. He'll try to claim ownership for the success but it will bond Brady and BB with the legacy and reason for success. It will make Kraft look like he hit on fools gold

I am starting to lose confidence that stable ownership will help speed the recovery. I hope that all of this quiets down after the draft.

 

[MrBigglesWorth]

I am starting to lose confidence that stable ownership will help speed the recovery. I hope that all of this quiets down after the draft.

It's been the blame game propaganda to protect egos

 

[Stu Pidassle]

It's been the blame game propaganda to protect egos

I agree. The problem is that it is a giant distraction. The team mantra went from 'ignore the noise' to 'make the noise'. It is hard to imagine the players are finding motivation in this nonsense.

 

[palialka]

A few things about all of this:

1) Everything Wickersham says about the Pats has to be taken with a huge grain of salt…he loves grinding that axe.

2) It’s very apparent that BB’s schtick was tolerated for years because he won at a historic level. When the Pats were winning, it was the “Patriot Way”. When that no longer worked, it became “toxic”. Winning cures/hides all the problems under the surface. Those problems floated to the surface once the winning stopped.

3) No team was going to hire BB this off season. Owners aren’t going to give up total control to a 73yr old coach who’s struggled badly the last 4-5 seasons, regardless of his total body of work. A year away from the NFL is actually a good thing for BB. Obviously there’s no guarantee he gets another opportunity, but I can see Dallas and NYG as realistic options for 2025.

4) I’m not sure who initiated the call but I have no doubt that RK told Blank to avoid hiring BB. They’re billionaire buddies so it’s not surprising that Kraft would give warning about the pitfalls of hiring a personality like BB. This call was a combination of fair assessment and Kraft getting back at BB. It does make Kraft look petty IMO but powerful men are often that way.

5) Kraft badly needs a better PR team around him. In fact, he just needs to be ghost from here on out. It’s probably time to hand over the reigns to Jonathan.

 

[Lavictoire]

I'd love to see Bill go out like Brady, go to a new team and win the Super Bowl. Hell, hire Brady, he said he might still play, get Gronk and Edelman off the couch, hell--MOSS too! Get the band back together for a farewell Lombardi trophy then ride off into the sunset. I'd even pay to watch them lose and I'm uh, frugal. I could wear my Moss jersey, the only Pats jersey I ever bought. 70 bucks spread out over many years thats a cheap jersey!