Bill Belichick Press Conference 7:30am (1/8/24)

[Bill Lee]

He did a nice job with Mac in 2021.

We know what he does with a GOAT.

As a HC he is brutal.

As an OC he is above average.

If BB stays, one would hope they think of putting people in place they hope can succeed him.

On that basis alone, I would say McD is a hard no.

Beyond that, McD is an old school pocket passer guy, still has a fullback in his offense.

Meanwhile the league has moved on to QBs that can make plays with their legs.

Given we have the #3 pick overall and badly need a QB, even if BB stays we need a OC that can connect with young QBs that can run the ball as well as pass.

I don't think McD is that guy.

 

[upstater1]

Again, if Kraft said Brady couldn't be traded under any circumstance, Lynch's story backs that up.

And if Belichick knew Brady met with Ross and didn't say or do anything about it, it backs up the theory that Belichick wanted Brady gone. Not Kraft. If Belichick wanted Brady to stay and he got wind of this meeting, he would have gone to the league and complained.

Your timeline is off.

In Wickersham's article, he has the Kraft-Brady-Belichick thing happening in October. Kraft first meets with Brady, then Brady meets with Belichick. It's as this point that they discussed numerous things, including the long term Brady extensions and of course Guerrero.

But the Guerrero timeline begins at the start of the season, September, when he wasn't allowed in.

Lynch is on record as wanting to trade for Brady the spring after the prior season. So this is 6 months before Guerrero was banned and before the Brady-Kraft-Belichick contract talks.

The refusal to talk about Brady with Lynch happened long before Wickersham claims that Kraft stepped in. This is why I think Wickershams story is bogus, the timelines don't match,.

As for weapons, they still had Gronk, Edelman, Amendola, & Hogan.

As for Ross and Brady, the important thing to note is that Brady was making moves to leave for our archrival WHILE he was under contract. It's fair to question Brady's ethics and commitment to the team and to the contract he signed.

 

[upstater1]

Kraft isn’t without leverage as some believe. If BB gets cute and tries to force Kraft’s hand, Kraft could simply mandate organizational changes so unpalatable to Bill that he resigns.

He is the owner.

I doubt that happens, but Bill certainly doesn’t hold all the cards.

Kraft could absolutely do that but why play petty games with your 6 billion dollar franchise? For a 3rd round draft pick?

Kraft doesn't seem like the kind of guy who obsesses over acquiring and/or losing draft picks. If he did, Spygate and Deflategate never would have happened.

 

[The Gr8est]

If BB stays, one would hope they think of putting people in place they hope can succeed him.

On that basis alone, I would say McD is a hard no.

Beyond that, McD is an old school pocket passer guy, still has a fullback in his offense.

Meanwhile the league has moved on to QBs that can make plays with their legs.

Given we have the #3 pick overall and badly need a QB, even if BB stays we need a OC that can connect with young QBs that can run the ball as well as pass.

I don't think McD is that guy.

I like Vrabel.

I wonder what sort of organizational role they could give him to be the HC in waiting.

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

I’m not a fan of the idea of Josh as HC at all…BUT I can absolutely see Kraft liking the idea.

Rather have Chuck Fairbanks back.

 

[upstater1]

Or just play more conservative.

That's what run/pass balance is, conservative. But playing conservative keeps the defense off balance.

When you're aggressive, you play right into the defense's hands.

That's when turnovers happen

 

[The Gr8est]

Rather have Chuck Fairbanks back.

Hmmm….

An urn of ashes on the sidelines with a whistle….

 

[Give Kraft A Hand]

Hmmm….

An urn of ashes on the sidelines with a whistle….

Thats not better than McD?

 

[Pape]

That's not how it works though.

As soon as Kraft hires a new coach, Belichick is free to go elsewhere. That's an NFL rule.

Thats not really how it works...

If Belichick is fired, he has the right to seek employment elsewhere, at any time... he does not have to wait on the Patriots hiring a new coach before he can seek employment.

If he resigns, though, the team has the right to exercise the full terms of the deal... basically what happened with the broncos/saints and sean payton...

interesting article... one of the few good ones on si these days... they have become a garbage site... unlike the days when they were a quality "must read" magazine/web site...

Business of Football: How Fired Coaches’ Contracts and the End of the NFL Season Work

From terms like "with cause" to "mitigation" to possible arbitration with the league, here's what it looks like when a deal is terminated.

www.si.com

 

[Ring 6]

Harbaugh was ST coordinator. Def called plays and had to react.

In fact, some would pose that ST coord is harder to adjust to in-game than DC/OC because of the moving parts and personnel.

Edwards and Nagy sucked.

I’d say Mayo makes more in game decisions than a st coach.

You said you couldn’t think of any, so I listed some off the top of my head

 

[Triumph]

In the words of my other favorite sports head coach, Jim Calhoun, “Not a dime back.”

Just look at how BB has aged as NEP HC/GM.

Those years are worth more than gold.

 

[Steve102]

 

[upstater1]

Thats not really how it works...

If Belichick is fired, he has the right to seek employment elsewhere, at any time... he does not have to wait on the Patriots hiring a new coach before he can seek employment.

If he resigns, though, the team has the right to exercise the full terms of the deal... basically what happened with the broncos/saints and sean payton...

interesting article... one of the few good ones on si these days... they have become a garbage site... unlike the days when they were a quality "must read" magazine/web site...

Business of Football: How Fired Coaches’ Contracts and the End of the NFL Season Work

From terms like "with cause" to "mitigation" to possible arbitration with the league, here's what it looks like when a deal is terminated.

www.si.com

I wasn't basing it on his resignation though.

He is effectively removed from coach once they hire a new coach.

 

[Ring 6]

Kraft never publicly said he made Brady contract decisions. Kraft's public stance has always been that Belichick makes contract decisions and Kraft stays out of it. Even if Kraft did make those decisions, he would never publicly say it because it would undermine Belichick's authority.

And you are twisting what Kraft said. Kraft talked about how you can maximize your cap with a QB on his rookie deal because he is making a fraction of what even an average starting QB in his second contract makes. But Kraft would never get rid of Brady for cap related issues. He was basically saying that the Pats could afford to surround Mac Jones with top talent because he was on a rookie deal. And guess what? The Pats didn't do that.

And if Kraft was to veto a Brady deal, it wouldn't have been about the cap. Kraft doesn't manage the cap. He pays Belichick and other front office people to manage the cap. If he was ever to step in over a contract, it would be about the money not the cap. If Belichick felt he could manage a Brady $35 million a year salary against the cap, Kraft would never overrule him for that. That isn't his area of expertise.

And go listen to Bedard, Tom Curran, etc. They all say that Kraft is upset at Bill about how Brady left. Some do say it is more about how they let Brady walk for nothing.

It is a known fact that the Brady/Belichick relationship was fractured at the end. They at odds over a number of things from Alex Guererro to how the offensive personnel was being built. Belichick for several years had been talking about how Brady was getting too old. It was clear that Belichick, not Kraft was thinking short term about Brady.

He did. He he face an interview explaining it. He literally said he wouldn’t pay Brady as a top paid qb.

I’m sure you can find an example if”they all say it”. You won’t thigh because you are embellishing it to your version.

Kraft literally discussed the cap impact of paying too much to a qb.

You are basing everything in what you think, and what you think has no value as reality.

Rather than start the process all over again of you spewing your opinion and claiming “everyone knows it” or “everyone said it” only to have me call you out, and you not being able to back it up, so that you end up just not responding, this might be a good time for you to throw in the towel.

 

[ahmed]

Come on, that’s a lazy take.

The Bills, who got spanked in the first game, barely got by with their season on the line in the second game.

Hey - I trademarked "lazy take" so it can't be used against me.

Opponents scored 3 times 30+, 5 times 24+ and 4 times 20+. To me that is not excellent.

Under 20 they held Jets twice, Giants and Colts and Chargers.

They were 15 in scoring defense. 7th in total defense (yards). Again they are good just not excellent.

 

[Pape]

I wasn't basing it on his resignation though.

He is effectively removed from coach once they hire a new coach.

If they fire him, he's free to go elsewhere.

If the Patriots do not fire him, and remove him from the HC duties & replace him as coach, he is not free to go elsewhere, He is under contract to the Patriots, and cannot seek employment as a Coach elsewhere. Think back to the days of Parcells.

The head coach is not subject to the provision that allows an assistant coach or coordinator to leave by getting a "promotion"...

 

[RobertWeathers]

If BB stays, one would hope they think of putting people in place they hope can succeed him.

On that basis alone, I would say McD is a hard no.

Beyond that, McD is an old school pocket passer guy, still has a fullback in his offense.

Meanwhile the league has moved on to QBs that can make plays with their legs.

Given we have the #3 pick overall and badly need a QB, even if BB stays we need a OC that can connect with young QBs that can run the ball as well as pass.

I don't think McD is that guy.

There is nothing wrong with a pocket passer and a fullback. Teams have won Super Bowls recently with pocket passers.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It was all much more benign than I expected, to be honest. I was left with a positive feeling about the direction of things, however they go.

Yep the presser was all about keeping the routine normal, future table setting and being proactive.

BB is operating as-is. He'll deal with changes once they come but will be ready once they do.

 

[Steve102]

Yep the presser was all about keeping the routine normal, future table setting and being proactive.

BB is operating as-is. He'll deal with changes once they come but will be ready once they do.

Business as usual until it’s not.

 

[mike_usagisan]

If BB is kept, I have to think beyond just personnel, Kraft asks for BOB (or some other OC) to get more autonomy over the offense and offensive coaching hires. I do wonder how accommodating Bill would be on that?