Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Lamar Jackson has been trying to negotiate a contract extension with the Baltimore Ravens without an agent, but the star quarterback may want to consider hiring Bill Belichick to represent him.
Belichick has a reputation for heaping praise on his upcoming opponents in the days leading up to games. He did more than that when talking about Jackson on Monday. Michael Giardi of NFL Network asked Belichick if he thinks Jackson has answered all of the questions that surrounded the quarterback and whether or not he was fit to play at the NFL level. The legendary coach had a somewhat uncharacteristic response.
Bill Belichick on how Lamar Jackson's answered all the questions that once surrounded him as an NFL QB:
“Without a doubt. He’s the type of player that’s an MVP-type of candidate,” Belichick said. “I think he’s more than answered (those questions). Wait until we see what his contract is, that’ll answer them.”
Belichick hardly ever talks about contract situations with his own players. We can’t remember many times he has voluntarily mentioned the contract of a player with another team. Though, it is pretty obvious that Jackson is eventually going to land a huge new deal, whether it comes from the Ravens or some other team.
Jackson reportedly turned down a massive contract offer from the Ravens before the start of the season. The team can — and likely will — use the franchise tag on him next offseason. For now, the former MVP is as determined as ever to prove that he should be the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the second half of their loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots had some serious offensive line issues during their loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and Trent Brown appeared to be responsible for some of them. That led to questions about whether the veteran was giving full effort, and one of those questions was directed toward Bill Belichick on Wednesday.
One of the ugliest plays for the Patriots came when they were trailing 3-0 in the second quarter and had the ball deep in their own territory. Miami’s blitzing defensive back had a free shot at Mac Jones, which led to a strip sack that was recovered for a touchdown. Brown was the closest man to the free rusher.
And, of course, the strip sack. 5 rushers. 5 blockers. Only one – Trent Brown – helps on a block, allowing the free rusher. Bad play. Bad result. Bad timing. Just bad. pic.twitter.com/aJSrY5qgPm
Brown was not the only one to blame for the breakdown in protection. Jones could have identified the blitz and changed the play to have an extra blocker on the left side. It is also possible that Brown missed his assignment.
Another tough play for Brown came when he was trying to set the edge on a rush and came up totally empty. The result was a significant loss of yardage.
When asked on Wednesday about Brown’s effort level, Belichick delivered one of his token snarky one-liners and highlighted one of Brown’s better plays.
Asked about Trent Brown's effort, Belichick referenced his block to spring Rhamondre Stevenson.
"I don't think this guy is going to be a decathlon athlete. He had his fair share of good plays."
Brown has bounced back and forth between right and left tackle throughout his career. He played right tackle during his first three seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. He was then moved to left tackle in 2018 in his first stint with the Patriots, and he helped them win a Super Bowl. Brown signed a big contract with the Las Vegas Raiders the following year and moved back to right tackle. He was named a Pro Bowler that season.
The Patriots brought Brown back via trade last year. He was named their starting right tackle before a calf injury derailed his season. The 29-year-old was once again moved back to left tackle this year, and there has been some speculation that he is unhappy there.
Whatever the case, Brown and the entire Patriots’ offensive line need to do a better job. What we saw from the unit on Sunday is not going to lead to many wins.
Jan 9, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) reacts after running with the football for a first down against the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Dolphins once again got the best of the New England Patriots on Sunday, and Tua Tagovailoa accomplished a rare feat with the win.
Tagovailoa is now 4-0 in his career against Bill Belichick. He is the first quarterback ever to win his first four starts against Belichick since the coach was hired by the New England Patriots. The only other quarterback to do it is John Elway, but that was when Belichick was with the Cleveland Browns.
Tagovailoa was made aware of the accomplishment after Miami’s 20-7 win. He quickly downplayed it.
“That’s not an individual accolade or I don’t even look at it as close to being that,” the former Alabama star said, per Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post. “It’s a team sport. This team has won four straight against New England. However way you see it, however way you put it, that’s what it is.”
Of course, all four of Tagovailoa’s wins against the Patriots have also come in the post-Tom Brady era. His record against Belichick probably says more about the way New England has struggled since losing Brady, but it is impressive nonetheless.
Tagovailoa completed 23-of-33 passes for 207 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions against New England. He did not exactly look like the dominant quarterback one of his teammates promises he will be, but he played well enough to help his team win an important divisional game. That has now become a theme for Tua each time he faces the Patriots.
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Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is not known for his introspection, nor does he easily admit mistakes. However, he’s willing to look back at one quote of his and admit he would have been better off keeping his mouth shut.
In 2009, Belichick was quite firm in saying that he would not “be like Marv Levy and coaching in my 70s.” Things obviously changed, as Belichick turned 70 in April and is showing no signs of slowing down.
“I wish I hadn’t said that,” Belichick said. “I was probably thinking of what I would feel like. Now, there’s what I actually feel like, and those are two different things. That was not one of my better statements.”
Hey, at least Belichick admits it. It would have been easy to say something about his views changing, but he was happy to own up to just being wrong.
Belichick is showing no sign of slowing down, and certainly appears to have at least a few more years in him. He also has quite the challenge based on how things have apparently been going in the preseason.
Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots are entering the 2022 season surrounded by doubts about their new offense, and one reporter who covers the team hinted that the scheme could be scrapped early on.
Chad Graff and Ted Nguyen of The Athletic published an in-depth look at the problems the Patriots have on offense during the offseason and how they might be able to remedy them. New England has switched to a wide zone scheme, which is effective around the NFL when run properly. It was ineffective for the Patriots during their preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders and the joint practices leading up to it, however.
As Graff notes, the Patriots attempted four outside zone rushes with their starting offensive line against the Raiders. They ended up with net negative yardage. Matt Patricia, a former Patriots defensive coordinator who was brought back this year to help coach the offense, essentially said the Pats were seeing what works and would not have run some of those plays against the defensive fronts they saw if it were a regular season game. In any case, New England’s new offense has looked terrible for weeks now.
“Still, the results from the preseason match what we saw in training camp. It has gone so poorly that there are questions about whether the Patriots might scrap this new scheme if it doesn’t find success early in the season,” Graff wrote.
Patricia acknowledged after the Raiders game that the Patriots will “modify and adjust as needed.” The big question is how drastic that adjustment might be if things go as poorly as many have anticipated they will.
Perhaps the Patriots will prove everyone wrong. Mac Jones is said to be working extremely hard heading into his second NFL season, though there was at least one troubling assessment of him recently. If New England is unable to move the ball and score in their season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, there will be more than a few people ready to press the panic button.
Feb 10, 2022; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel speaks during a press conference at Baptist Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel will be facing a significant experience gap in his head coaching debut. He will be up against the New England Patriots, led by Bill Belichick, a coach who is a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday.
McDaniel is not dwelling on that, and even had a funny response to it on Monday. The new Dolphins coach made light of the experience disparity and said it would matter more if the two were “doing an Oklahoma drill.”
Mike McDaniel makes his HC debut vs. Bill Belichick: "Can there be a larger disparity in career win-loss total? It would be a bigger deal if Coach Belichick & I were… doing an Oklahoma drill, but I don’t foresee that happening. I don’t think the fans would really pay for that."
Probably the best route McDaniel can go here. He’s not going to beat Belichick in experience, and there’s no point in trying to act like that’s not the case. He just has to embrace what he can do.
Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the second half of their loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots’ rough training camp offensively brought back questions about why coach Bill Belichick did not do more to bring former assistant Bill O’Brien back into the fold. A new report shed some light on why such an arrangement was never seriously considered.
According to Albert Breer of The MMQB, Belichick was concerned that O’Brien would be a one-year replacement for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and that O’Brien would bolt for a head coaching position in 2023. Belichick was apparently wary of that outcome, and made little attempt to speak with Alabama coach Nick Saban about bringing O’Brien back to New England.
O’Brien, currently the offensive coordinator at Alabama, worked for Belichick from 2007 to 2011. In theory, the two sides might have been able to work something out, but Belichick is clearly fixated on a bit more continuity on his coaching staff. Previous reports suggested that the relationship between Belichick and Saban also played a role.
The Patriots have lost a number of high-profile coaches in recent years, with McDaniels leaving to take over the Las Vegas Raiders. That may be why Belichick is content to rely on an unorthodox play-calling arrangement in 2022. The long-term view is admirable, but it might harm the Patriots this season more than it helps.
Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the second half of their loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick showed another glimpse of his human side Monday at the start of his press conference.
The typically surly Belichick lit up when he saw legendary ESPN host Chris Berman enter the media room Monday. Belichick gave Berman a round of applause, said the Patriots were being “graced” by Berman’s presence, and even went out of his way to give the ESPN host the first question.
ESPN legend Chris Berman was at #Patriots practice today.
Bill Belichick was pumped to see him at his press conference.
You don’t see Belichick light up like that ever, really. Then again, the Patriots coach has been showing off a lighter side lately. Perhaps he’s just getting it out of the way before the regular season starts.
Berman does not make quite as many appearances on the NFL map these days, which is probably why Belichick was so pleasantly surprised to see him. The 67-year-old still hosts “NFL Primetime” on ESPN+, and recently made an appearance where he towered over his colleagues at the Home Run Derby.
Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the second half of their loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots looked bad in their preseason finale Friday, losing 23-6 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Bill Belichick had an interesting theory as to why his team was so flat.
Belichick suggested after the game that the Patriots may have left it on the practice field during joint practices with the Raiders on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“All right, well we didn’t have a really good night tonight in any phase of the game,” Belichick said after the game, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “That’s obvious. Might have left it on the practice field on Tuesday and Wednesday. Certainly practiced a lot better than we played out there tonight.”
It’s not often that you will hear a coach suggest that their team may have actually practiced too hard. Of course, process is hugely important to Belichick, so he can deal with bad preseason showings if he thinks the practices are good enough.
The bigger issue may be that the Patriots once again looked inept on offense. That has been a trend throughout camp, and it raises worries about their bizarre playcalling setup as the regular season looms.
Oct 10, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reacts during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Sometimes you get the rare moment where Bill Belichick shows off a bit of personality. That happened Wednesday when the New England Patriots coach paid a visit to UFC headquarters.
Belichick and the Patriots are in Las Vegas for Friday’s preseason game against the Raiders, so the head coach dropped in Wednesday to check out the UFC’s facilities there. UFC president Dana White was on hand and even gave Belichick a championship belt.
Belichick got into it a little bit and posed as a champ while wearing the belt.
It’s good to see Belichick relaxing a bit ahead of what promises to be a long season. It’s also good to see there are apparently no hard feelings between Belichick and White over the whole Tom Brady-Raiders fiasco we learned about recently.
