NFL Insider: 'Downer' Belichick Falling From Grace; Patriots Coaching Timeline
Another day, another layer to the Bill Belichick boondoggle for the New England Patriots.
To summarize:
*Last offseason Belichick signed a secret contract extension.
*Before Week 1 owner Robert Kraft issued a mandate saying, "I know we play a tough schedule, but I love this team. I expect us to make the playoffs."
*Belichick was almost fired if the Pats lost to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany in Week 10 (They did; He wasn't).
*Belichick is linked by multiple sources to other jobs in 2024, including the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.
*A December report claims Kraft has already his decision to "part ways" with Belichick after the season, rendering him a lame-duck coach.
USA Today
*A counterpoint report says, on the contrary, no such decision has been made and Belichick might be coaching for his job in the season's final four games.
*NFL insiders and former Patriots alike began casting their informal votes for Belichick's successor, some saying Mike Vrabel is the logical successor while Hall of Famer Ty Law stumps for defensive assistant Jerod Mayo.
*Kraft apparently is keen on creating a "bidding war" for his coach, in an attempt to recoup assets via trade rather than an outright firing or mutual divorce.
*Belichick is reportedly telling assistant coaches and staffers that he wants to return to Foxboro in 2024 and beyond.
Whew! Now that we're caught up let's ... Hold that thought.
On Thursday, FS1's Colin Cowherd said Belichick retaining his job with the Patriots - or getting a new one elsewhere, for that matter - is becoming problematic because the league's younger players and coaches have soured on the 71-year-old legend's style and substance.
"I have made calls over the last two weeks with people inside the league to gauge interest and opinions on Belichick," Cowherd said. "Belichick sold us for 20 years on a premise: Fun in football is winning. Nothing else matters. That idea was held up by one peg, Tom Brady.
"Tom left. Who wants to be part of it now? The grind, the grumpy, the rigid. Jim Harbaugh is intense, but he's fun. Players and coaches cry when they talk about Jim. Belichick, I'm told, the feeling in the league is a bit of a downer. There's a reason his staff is children and retreads. A lot of the young voices, a lot of the young minds - especially on offense - don't want to work with him."
Ouch, ouch and double-ouch.
Belichick has won a record six Super Bowls, is closing in on becoming the NFL's all-time leader in coaching wins, and is still considered one of the greatest defensive masterminds in the history of football. But he's also 28-37 and without a playoff win since Brady left Foxboro in 2020.
Stay tuned. Though the Patriots' disastrous is slowly coming to an end, feels like the Belichick boondoggle is just getting started.
