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A bombshell piece dropped by ESPN named “Voted off the island” detailed how Bill Belichick went from almost getting the Atlanta Falcons job in January to not finishing in the top three after a second interview with owner Arthur Blank and the Falcons brass. The piece was written by Seth Wickersham, Don Van Natta and Jeremy Fowler.
1. Bad blood between Kraft and Belichick: We always knew that Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft did not always see eye to eye through the years and that was reinforced during The Dynasty documentary but I do not think any of us realized it was this bad. The piece states that the “bad blood between Kraft and Belichick was no secret around the league” That is telling and it illustrates just how bad things had gotten between the two men in recent years. It reinforces the notion that Kraft wanted his team back. He was done with Belichick.
2. Did Kraft cost Belichick the Falcons job? Man. It is hard to believe that a loyal guy like Kraft would sabotage a coach who along with Tom Brady delivered six Super Bowls to New England but according to the article, that is exactly what Kraft did. He supposedly warned Blank “not to trust Bill” and ultimately that was a big reason why Atlanta opted to go with Raheem Morris. There were other facts like team president Rich McKay and general manager Terry Fontenot not being on board with Belichick but it also appears that Kraft’s opinion of Belichick may have changed Blank’s mind. Blank thought Belichick was his guy after interviewing him on his private yacht the first time. He had a different opinion of the legendary coach after the second interview. Maybe I am naive but why would Kraft go out of his way to screw over Belichick so hard? Was it that bad between them? I guess so.
The Patriots released a statement in which Kraft denies saying any of the things in the piece.
“Robert steadfastly denies saying anything negative to Arthur Blank about Bill Belichick after Robert and Bill mutually agreed to part ways,” Patriots spokesman Stacey James said. “In fact, Robert advocated for Bill to get the job.”
3. Kraft paints Belichick as cold: One of the other interesting quotes that came out of the article was Kraft telling Blank that ‘you’ll never have a warm conversation with (Belichick)” I found it interesting that Kraft would tell Blank because Bill Parcells said a similar thing to Kraft in 1996 when Kraft was attempting to hire Belichick away from the Jets. Belichick being cold shouldn’t surprise anyone. It is Bill Belichick. He comes across as a heartless cyborg. He ruled with an iron fist and did not let personal feelings or relationships get in the way.
4. Owners leery to hire Belichick: It appeared that some of the other owners who had openings were leery of hiring Belichick as well. Washington Commanders minority owner Magic Johnson pushed hard for Belichick according to the piece but majority owner Josh Harris wanted to use a similar structure to what he has in place with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, two teams he also owns. Harris also spoke with Kraft.
However, principal owner Josh Harris, who had spoken privately with Kraft about Belichick, told confidants in early December that he respected Belichick but wasn’t going to hire him. He wanted the same leadership structure he has with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils: a strong general manager over a head coach.
The Philadelphia Eagles supposedly had internal conversations about Belichick but owner Jeffery Lurie had reservations about hiring Belichick because he might have only coached another two seasons. The Titans and Panthers also passed on the legendary coach. According to the piece, Belichick was not interested in going to Los Angeles and despite his relationship with the Jones family, many do not believe that is a given that Jones would hire Belichick.
5. Belichick asked about the coaching failures of his former assistants: In Belichick’s second interview with the Falcons, he was asked about whether or not he would bring his former staff members with him. The Falcons brain trust expressed their concern and asked Belichick why they were not successful as head coaches. Belichick said that he thought they were better soldiers than generals.
Interesting response when you consider how loyal Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and others were to Belichick. I also thought it was interesting that Belichick and McKay did not want to work together. It speaks to the insecurity of McKay and Fontenot when it came to bringing in Belichick.
6. Belichick wants to coach again: Belichick coaching again is not a surprise. We all knew he would coach again. The fact that he is eyeballing the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants jobs is interesting. I hate to tell you Patriots fans, but in a year from now, Belichick could be the head coach of the New York Giants. It is the one franchise and ownership group that would welcome Belichick back with open arms. Brian Daboll better win this season.
It was also interesting that Belichick is so open to just coaching and not having personnel control. Why has he changed his tune? Is it because he realizes it is the only way he can get a job? Or does he truly just want to coach? Something tells me the past four years have humbled and he knows that no franchise will hire him in a dual role.
7. Manning and Belichick are teammates: Who would have thought that Bill Belichick and Peyton Manning would be teammates someday? Well, it appears that they will be. Belichick is expected to sign on to work with Manning’s company Omaha Productions. He will produce analysis videos. I think it is smart on Belichick’s part to work with Manning. It keeps him in the game and it could endear him to fans, the media and other NFL teams.
It will be interesting to see how this piece ages. Something tells me it make Bill Belichick look better than Bob Kraft and Arthur Blank. In some ways, it already has.