When Bill Belichick didn’t get hired to coach in 2024, the former Patriots coach embarked on an image rehabilitation tour that landed him on every show outside of The View.
It seemed to be designed to remind people that Belichick wasn’t just the frumpy curmudgeon from the sidelines, but a smart, engaging personality.
For the most part, it’s worked pretty well. But underneath all the smiles, multi-sentenced answers and ironed shirts, Belichick reminded everyone on Monday he’s still a lock for the Pettiness Hall of Fame.
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On Sunday, after the Patriots got their keister kicked by a bad Jacksonville Jaguars team, Jerod Mayo called his team “soft.” Given their inability to stop the run in the second half, it wasn’t an absurd statement and was likely meant to light a fire under the group.
To be sure, Belichick knew exactly what his former player and former assistant coach meant. He could have acknowledged that or he could have left it alone and given a straightforward analysis of the Patriots’ considerable issues.
Instead, he used the moment to undermine Mayo.
“Defensively, the Patriots led the league last year in rushing defense. Yards per carry: No. 1 in the league. And this year they’re way down in the 20s somewhere,” Belichick said. “It’s the same guys. They re-signed (Anfernee) Jennings, they re-signed (Jahlani) Tavai, they re-signed (Kyle) Dugger. Marcus Jones and (Christian) Gonzalez have been healthy all year. You got (Deatrich) Wise, you got (Davon) Godchaux, you got Keion White, you got (Marte) Mapu. It’s a lot the same players …
“I’m kind of hurt for those guys. Because to call them soft, they’re not soft,” Belichick continued. “They were the best team in the league last year against the run. Those guys went out there and did it even though we couldn’t score many points offensively. I feel bad for the defensive players on that one because those guys, that’s a tough group. … Those guys are all tough players. They’ll strap it up and go.”
In addition to Matthew Judon being traded, the Patriots don’t have Ja’Whaun Bentley, Jabrill Peppers and Christian Barmore, who were three of their most important players against the run. Not acknowledging that is disingenuous and characteristically petty.
At 1-6, Mayo is under some fire. Belichick, who was shoved aside by the Patriots to hire him, is reveling in New England’s struggles a year after being fired.
And it was a firing. The mutual parting theater of a press conference was always a sham. Last week on “The Breakfast Club” podcast, Kraft admitted as much.
“I didn’t enjoy having to fire him, but if you look at the press conference and how it happened, I tried to do it in a classy way. And what he did for us was great. People need to adapt and if they don’t, things can change,” Kraft said. “In life, it’s about getting good chemistry and trust. And our record the last three to four years wasn’t what I wanted. And I had given him so much power. He had full control over everything. And shame on me, I should’ve had some checks and balances better.
“But he had earned that right. But then the results weren’t there and if you’re in the sports business, you win or you lose there’s no gray,” he continued. “And I hate losing.”
For Belichick, a shot at Mayo doubles as a shot at Kraft, who has hitched his wagon to his new golden boy while distancing himself from his former coach.
Belichick’s tenure in New England was one of, if not the best coaching runs in NFL history. But he did a bad job in his final four seasons. His drafting mistakes and his incredibly poor handling of the post-Brady quarterback situation are part of the reason the Patriots are in the dire shape they’re in.
To take shots at Mayo for his word choice after a loss is cheap, small, thin-skinned and honestly a characteristic of someone who is pretty soft.
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
