Wickersham Strikes: Belichick talked to Giants/Dolphins/Washington about coaching there in Brady standoff

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Ian do you have a sense for whether Wickersham's more likely getting this information from Belichick or Kraft?

I don't think it's either. He usually references numerous unnamed sources and interviews. From his style and how he attributes quotes and information, it seems that he isn't being fed the story from one of the major characters. I think it's more likey he talks to a lot of lower level guys, staffers, perhaps family members, and other people around the NFL, which gives him rumors/bits to get confirmed by people inside the Patriots organization. Just my guess...his writing style and source citing is pretty unique because he approaches the Patriots like a serious investigative reporter rather than a sports writer.

Also, I'm the first to acknowledge that when the original article came out a few years ago, I called BS based on all unnamed sources. However, he has bought quite a bit of credibility since his story checks out...and I will say he is pretty careful with his writing style to suggest rather than declare.

 

[Sciz]

Kind of interesting that PFT has mentioned NEITHER the Wickersham claims OR the Packer trade rumor

I'm not sure Florio thinks Wickersham is worth acknowledging anymore. He personally refuted Wickersham's main point (Kraft forcing Belichick to trade Garoppolo) within hours of the story being released. His NBC Sports colleague, Tom Curran, has basically called Wickersham a liar in reference to that claim.

 

[Steve102]

I doubt that would be the price tag. But I believe that BB may have talked to at least one of those teams - the Giants. Maybe Miami. I don’t believe for a second that he was interested in Washington and working for Snyder. This story will probably get dismissed but Wickersham’s reporting of the “rift” between BB and Brady has aged pretty well.

I haven't clicked it yet, but one could see Bill just making sure he knew what his options were if things didn't go his way.

 

[Ian]

I haven't clicked it yet, but one could see Bill just making sure he knew what his options were if things didn't go his way.

It's old news anyway - this entire thread is more or less all of us sort of rehashing an old topic. Although don't be surprise if some reporter who forgot about it thinks this is somehow breaking news and treats it like a new revelation and it starts up all over again

 

[Ring 6]

I think he would absolutely say, "I’m not trading the best QBs in the NFL in the middle of the season. Do you think I'm an idiot?"

That would make sense. Again, I'm just speculating, but that would be the more logical reason to absolutely shoot it down. There's absolutely no way Brady would have been moved at the deadline that year. I 100% feel that way. From there, I don't know if Belichick was at the point where he just really didn't want to chance letting Jimmy go and pondered making that tough call. Brady was what, 38 at the time? And they had won two more rings I believe at that point...maybe he felt like the window was closing and he was nervous about letting Garoppolo go. Again, only he knows the real answer. But one other thing to remember is of all the QBs who came through here, maybe Belichick finally said, "we've finally got something with this kid" and went to bat to keep him. It sort of sounded like that might have been the case.

Believe me, I was part of the "keep Brady" camp. My verdict is on Jimmy G was it was just bad timing and I regret nothing. I think they should have given Brady a multi-year deal and ran with him until the wheels came off. In my opinion, you keep betting on the guy who keeps outworking everybody and playing at a high level. But that doesn't change the fact there were conflicting reports outside of just Wickersham that make you wonder how/what the thought process really was.

I don’t understand your point. Not wanting to trade him during a season means he does want to during an off season? There is absolutely nothing ever, no rumor, no inference, no prediction that belichick even thought about trading Brady that would back up that claim.
What conflicting reports?

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Hell, he already got the Gintz 2 Super Bowls. 3 if you count that one when he coached for them. Let's face it, BB was preparing the ground. We are one ****tail napkin away you poor deluded fools.

 

[Ian]

I don’t understand your point. Not wanting to trade him during a season means he does want to during an off season? There is absolutely nothing ever, no rumor, no inference, no prediction that belichick even thought about trading Brady that would back up that claim.
What conflicting reports?

Maybe he did, and I told you why I thought he might have. Again, I was simply giving you my thoughts and trying to make sense of the fact we heard two different sides (the conflicting reports where one had BB offering Garoppolo and the other saying BB offered Brady - they're linked by me in this thread). I'm not saying that's precisely what happened, just me speculating as to how it might have played out to make better sense of what's been written about it. Again, only one (or two - or three) people really know what happened. I'm obviously not one of them. I'm obviously glad they kept Brady and believe Brady should still be here, but I'm barely in charge of me - let alone a football team

 

[Ring 6]

Maybe he did, and I told you why I thought he might have. Again, I was simply giving you my thoughts and trying to make sense of the fact we heard two different sides (the conflicting reports where one had BB offering Garoppolo and the other saying BB offered Brady - they're linked by me in this thread). I'm not saying that's precisely what happened, just me speculating as to how it might have played out to make better sense of what's been written about it. Again, only one (or two - or three) people really know what happened. I'm obviously not one of them. I'm obviously glad they kept Brady and believe Brady should still be here, but I'm barely in charge of me - let alone a football team

I don’t see conflicting reports. I see a made up story and nothing at all backing up that belichick ever had a kernel of thought of trading Brady.

 

[Joker]

Hell, he already got the Gintz 2 Super Bowls. 3 if you count that one when he coached for them. Let's face it, BB was preparing the ground. We are one ****tail napkin away you poor deluded fools.

"deluded fools"...the irony never stops with you, does it? Screaming we're all going to die horribly for over a year and creating Covid hysteria every other post and you post THIS idiocy?

 

[Wozzy]

Trade Brady?

Never happened...

 

[Wozzy]

Wicker-sham is a Bronco's fan who hates the Patriots and was blackballed from Gillette... but he has inside sources.

Sounds legit...

About as legit as ESPN's journalistic standards when they vet his tripe.

How many deflated balls were there again?

 

[Ochmed Jones]

No doubt in my mind that bb felt betrayed when Kraft stabbed him in the back and sides with Brady and made bb trade jimmy g.

I think bb was exploring a return to the giants, but Kraft did whatever he had to do to smooth it over.

curiously, since that whole “incident”, Kraft has not meddled in operations ever again!

 

[Ring 6]

No doubt in my mind that bb felt betrayed when Kraft stabbed him in the back and sides with Brady and made bb trade jimmy g.

I think bb was exploring a return to the giants, but Kraft did whatever he had to do to smooth it over.

curiously, since that whole “incident”, Kraft has not meddled in operations ever again!

Never happened.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Never happened.

and yet the rumors persist! Coincidence? I, for one, do not believe in coincidence

Something happened back then and something was done to keep the family together.

 

[amfootball]

and yet the rumors persist! Coincidence? I, for one, do not believe in coincidence

Something happened back then and something was done to keep the family together.

Why isn't Bill gone then?
Why did he seem happy as a clam during his presser last week?

I think tough decisions were made all around but not close to the level of conspiracy that Wickersham suggests. If Bill wanted out he would be gone.

 

[Rob0729]

Whether it is true or not. Why do even want to keep focusing on stuff that happened four years ago and even if Belichick did explore other head coaching jobs, the talks never went anywhere?

 

[Patsgofor4]

This isn't really breaking news. I remember there being similar speculation at the time that Bill was frustrated and was supposedly upset enough to explore other options and I believe I remember the Washington and Giants thing (not the Miami one). But again, it never turned into anything and well...here we are.

(UPDATE: Here was the thread on that: Tanguay: Belichick inquired about Washington job after JG trade)

At the same time, as much as we hate to admit it, Wickersham ended up being right about much of what he reported. We can talk about the things he may or may not have gotten right, but there were obviously more truths than mistruths, which I think surprised all of us.

Tanguay.

 

[ForThoseAboutToRock]

I don't think it's either. He usually references numerous unnamed sources and interviews. From his style and how he attributes quotes and information, it seems that he isn't being fed the story from one of the major characters. I think it's more likey he talks to a lot of lower level guys, staffers, perhaps family members, and other people around the NFL, which gives him rumors/bits to get confirmed by people inside the Patriots organization. Just my guess...his writing style and source citing is pretty unique because he approaches the Patriots like a serious investigative reporter rather than a sports writer.

Also, I'm the first to acknowledge that when the original article came out a few years ago, I called BS based on all unnamed sources. However, he has bought quite a bit of credibility since his story checks out...and I will say he is pretty careful with his writing style to suggest rather than declare.

Great response, thanks.

Just to push back a bit - I wonder how likely it is that well-informed lower level guys are going to talk to a reporter (especially one like Wickersham who has famously already dropped a bomb on the Patriots.) This piece has a bit about how "nobody knows anything because BB doesn't tell them, just buries them in work"... well that tells me that there are probably not many people in the building who could know (beyond just having heard a rumor) that BB reached out to WAS, NYG, or MIA. So, if we've got a small # of lower level guys who could actually know that BB was asking around, those guys are risking putting themselves in a bad place with respect to the Kraft Family and/or Belichick.

That's why I kinda figure one / both of the principles has to be involved here. As @Ian said, Jonathan seems plausible as a source. But, I'll keep your post in mind when I give the new Wickersham piece another read.

 

[upstater1]

No doubt in my mind that bb felt betrayed when Kraft stabbed him in the back and sides with Brady and made bb trade jimmy g.

I think bb was exploring a return to the giants, but Kraft did whatever he had to do to smooth it over.

curiously, since that whole “incident”, Kraft has not meddled in operations ever again!

It was such a horrible decision by Kraft. I want to give the Super Bowl trophy back the next year. Such a horrible decision.

 

[tuckeverlasting]

"You know, look, when I wrote...part of the genius of Bill Belichick is that he's been able to just unemotionally move on from players, and he always does it brutally.

wickersham's a kook.