Some Patriots news and notes on this Wednesday:
Belichick Still ‘Embarrassing’ Coaches
When football kicks off this September, it will be the first time in decades that Bill Belichick is not coaching in the National Football League.
Following his departure from the Patriots earlier this year, Belichick remains without a head coaching job. The former coach didn’t end up coming to terms in Atlanta for their head coaching vacancy, so he’s been keeping himself busy.
He was spotted out in Washington last week, where former coach, Jedd Fisch, is the head coach at the University of Washington. His son, Stephen, is also on the staff as the school’s defensive coordinator.
After spending some time helping out there, Belichick spent time as a guest speaker at a coaches clinic in Nebraska, which is where former Panthers coach Matt Rhule now coaches the Cornhuskers.
Rhule spoke highly of Belichick, who he admitted, at times, made various coaching points in football seem so simple he was ’embarrassed’ while listening to the former Patriots coach address the group.
“He is so smart. He’s seen so much that he can make the complex so simple that it humbles me and embarrasses me,” said Rhule. “I was embarrassed yesterday listening to him. How smart he is. How simple it was.”
“He went 4.5 hours just with the coaches, forget the clinic, he came in and met with our coaching staff. About 3.5 hours in, I was like, ‘Coach, would you like a water? A cup of coffee? Would you like to use the restroom?’ because I desperately had to use the restroom, and he’s like, ‘I’m fine, man.’ And I was like, Yes sir.”
“And just sitting there and just talking, right? And just his recall from things 15 years ago. The only reason why we don’t get through more information is because he’s having to slow down to make sure you understand what he’s saying.”
“I mean, so you have this man who’s a savant, right? He’s been a defensive coordinator, he’s been a special teams coordinator, he could be an offensive coordinator, he’s been a head coach twice, he’s been a GM, personnel … and he’s talking about football in a way that just like illuminates things and makes them so simple that you’re like, ‘Oh, my goodness.”
https://twitter.com/MSottileTV/status/1776689125275402562
Rhule is no stranger to getting educated by Belichick. The two last met as head coaches back in week 9 of 2021 when New England traveled to Carolina and put on a clinic, beating them handily 24-6 in a game where they picked off quarterback Sam Darnold three times and held the Panthers to just 3-of-11 (27.3%) on third down.
The running game won the day in that one, as Rhamondre Stevenson carried 10 times for 62 yards, with Brandon Bolden (8 carries, 54yds) and Damien Harris (15 carries, 30yds, 1 TD) carrying the day as rookie QB Mac Jones went 12-of-18 for 139 yards along with one touchdown (to Hunter Henry) and an interception.
Slater Back in New Role with Patriots
Matthew Slater may be done playing football, but it appears he’ll still have a presence at Gillette Stadium.
Slater was captured in a snapshot by the team with a bible in his hand as players returned for voluntary workouts on Monday, and according to Jabril Peppers, Slater will be around as an “advisor” to the club.
The former Patriot spoke to the Boston Globe’s Christopher Price over the weekend in a recent podcast, and during the interview it sounded like Slater was interested in still maintaining a presence in Foxboro. He revealed that bit of information when Price mentioned that he spoke to his former teammate, Kevin O’Connell, back at the scouting combine, about his thoughts on new Patriots head coach, Jerod Mayo. However, O’Connell, on his own accord, apparently offered up that he felt Slater might also be a great future head coach.
Slater said that while he didn’t have a desire to be a head coach, he did hint that he had hoped to have a future role in some form with the team.
“Look, I love the game of football. I love everything that it entails and as I transition into this next phase of my life, certainly, I’d love to be involved how ever I can in a way that makes sense for my family and I,” said Slater. “But I think about culture building, pouring into young men, and sharing the experience that I had as a player with the next generation. Now, that may not be as a coach. I’m not aspiring to be a head coach like those two guys, but maybe that’s as a member of a staff or in some type of supportive role. So I’m very much open to that, and we’ll just see what the future holds.”
Apparently, now we know.
Slater was at LEGOLAND in New York over the weekend with his family for the “Pros of Play’ initiative, joining Giants receiver Parris Cambell Jr. and Eagles defensive end, Brandon Graham. The goal with that initiative was to invite parents to commit to spending their time off with their families this summer, with the hope to obviously get them to spend it at the park.
Slater said that it’s been ‘bittersweet’ being away from football. The former special teams standout talked about what it was like to empty his locker, and said that his number one goal in retirement was to spend more time with his family and especially his children. That’s where Slater said he’s shifted his focus since the 2023 season came to an end.
“I have had a chance to clean out my locker,” said Slater. “I went in there probably the week after the season and I took everything out, and it was a bit strange.”
“To spend sixteen years in one place, you accumulate a lot of things. I had a lot of junk in that locker. To be able to clean it out, I took two of my sons in there with me, it was bittersweet.”
“Certainly very thankful for the journey that I had. All good things come to an end, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”
J.J. McCarthy’s Winning Pedigree
Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report appeared on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd on Tuesday, talking about Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and some of the criticism he’s received ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft.
Most critics tend to point out that McCarthy wasn’t asked to throw the ball much in college, with some also believing he’s not a first round talent. However, Schultz spoke to McCarthy and the Michigan QB pointed out that despite the criticism, he’s confident and added that he’s simply someone who knows how to deliver, regardless of the situation.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy has won at every level. Several NFL teams have told me he’ll replicate this winning pedigree as a pro, via @TheHerd. pic.twitter.com/ilpkYIptvM
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 9, 2024
“I asked J.J. McCarthy about some of the criticism, he’s not throwing the ball a lot, I asked him, when they played Penn State, ‘You guys ran the ball 32 straight times,’ And he said, ‘Listen, my DNA is winning.’ And I said, ‘O.K., how so?’ And he said, ‘Well, I won two state championships in high school. I won a National Championship at IMG, so that’s three, and then I won a National Championship at Michigan, I’m the third winningest quarterback in college football history.'”
“He wasn’t being boastful. He was just saying, ‘Look, what’s asked of me, I deliver.’ So I hear you on J.J. McCarthy, but I do think this is someone with the winning DNA that could potentially work in New England.”
Whether or not he’ll become a Patriot is the key question. Rumors have swirled that Eliot Wolf is fond of him and that he may be the player the Patriots ultimately target at #3 overall.
With just over two weeks left before the 2024 Draft, the speculation is likely far from over.
Odds and Ends
Patriots tight end Hunter Henry spoke with Tom Curran in his recent Patriots Talk Podcast and said he’s excited to be a part of the ‘new era’ under new head coach, Jerod Mayo. “I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to be part of the change,” said Henry. “Love Mayo, I love this place, love this organization and it means a lot to me. So I wanted to be here to be a part of that change, be part of the new era, basically, with Mayo, and I’m excited.” When asked what it was that he loved about it, Henry simply said it’s been a great fit for him. “Obviously, I have two kids here, so I think it’s always a special place to me,” he said. “But this organization has a lot of history, a lot of culture. I feel like I’ve blended with the culture in so many ways and I’ve loved it from the start. Some might call me crazy in that way and some things, but I’ve loved it. I love the fans, I love the passion of the city. I always kind of thrived off that.” … Former Patriots defensive back Logan Ryan announced his retirement on Tuesday, giving a ‘shout-out’ to his former team, the Patriots, during his announcement on Twitter (X). “I am officially retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons,” said Ryan. “Man, what a great career. What a ride it was. Beautiful journey of highs and lows like they always are. Shout out to my friends, my family, my teammates, all those who supported me, man. I tried to play the right way. I tried to play my hardest at all times. Shout out to the New England Patriots. Thank you for drafting me, believing in me, making me a two-time Super Bowl champion. Thank you to the Tennessee Titans for bringing me down there, becoming a franchise player.” He also thanked the Giants for ‘bringing me home during the COVID years’, which he said, ‘literally saved my wife’s life,’ with the advice from a trainer encouraging her to see a doctor during her pregnancy that avoided a potential tragedy. Best wishes to Ryan in whatever he does now that his playing days are over. … Jabril Peppers said on Tuesday he’s not a fan of the new ‘hip drop’ rule, which defensive players need to be aware of in 2024. “I don’t like it. I don’t know how you officiate it,” Peppers said via Chris Mason of MassLive. “It’s a 15-yard penalty. Is it a personal foul? So if somebody does it twice do they get eliminated from the game? I just have a lot of questions about it. What are they looking for? What draws the flag? Because if this is going to be like how it is when we hit a guy really hard — the optics of it and you flag it — rather than some sort of protocol that they have to throw the flag? We don’t know.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
