FOXBOROUGH – Bill Belichick has never been fond of sharing information with the media. He guards injury news like the Secret Service guards the president – with extreme vigilance. Same with any decisions of significance, such as why he benched a certain player, why he doesn’t always name his coordinators, and more recently, why he won’t name a starting quarterback.
Belichick, in fact, stuck to his guns for the second week in a row as it pertained to Mac Jones and whether or not the plan was to start his embattled quarterback, who’s been benched in four games this season, including the last two. Watching a few minutes of practice, however, pretty much let the cat out of the bag that Bailey Zappe, and not Jones, would be under center against the Los Angeles Chargers.
As late as Friday, Belichick still wouldn’t budge. His reluctance to provide even the smallest crumb of information is annoying, and yet, understandable to some degree.
That said, over the course of his 20-plus year run with the Patriots, Belichick’s tight lips have left so many questions unanswered. Wouldn’t it be fun to have the Hoodie come clean?
What if Belichick was given truth serum, and solved a few of the lingering mysteries from the past two decades? What if he was completely open, and unguarded with his responses, more like the version we saw at the recent Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony? What questions would Patriot fans and beyond most want answered?
The list is endless.
Here’s a few that immediately come to mind:
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Why was Malcolm Butler really benched in the Super Bowl?
This stands as the biggest mystery during Belichick’s run. It’s the Patriots version of who was behind the Gardner Museum heist. While there has been plenty of speculation about the answer, to this day, six years after Super Bowl LII, no one truly knows why Belichick benched his top corner for the entire game, save for a special teams rep. Even Butler has claimed he doesn’t know why he was kept on the sideline, watching the defense get throttled by Philadelphia Eagles backup Nick Foles, although with a book and movie in the works, it’s possible we’ll finally get some answers. Belichick certainly hasn’t fessed up, save to say he was doing what was best for the football team.
What was his relationship with Tom Brady really like?
The relationship seemed frosty at best toward the end of the historic union between Belichick and Brady although neither one has characterized it as such. Much of the friction characterized between the two has come from outside sourcing and speculation. It would be nice to have Belichick go into more intimate details about their relationship, how hard he drove Brady, and was it true he’d purposely rip him to get others in line? Beyond that, why did he refuse to give his six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback the type of contract he wanted in the end? And did it catch Belichick by surprise that Brady would ultimately leave, especially since he had no replacement ready to go?
Is it true that Robert Kraft puts no restrictions on spending? Can Belichick truly spend whatever he wants?
After Belichick recently pointed out that the Patriots were among the lowest teams on the totem poll when it came to cash spending, that the free agent splurge in 2021 was more of an outlier, team owner Robert Kraft countered that. He took exception with being perceived as cheap, saying Belichick can spend as he sees fit, and everything he asks for monetarily, he gets. So which is true? And will the purse strings open up to help the Patriots get back on track in 2024?
Does Belichick regret letting Brady go when he did?
Hindsight is always 50-50, but surely it had to irk Belichick to see Brady walk away, and immediately win another Super Bowl with Tampa Bay, who to that point had been one of the biggest loser franchises in the NFL. Brady certainly refuted the notion that he was too old, and that his skills had diminished to the point where he could no longer lead a team to a championship. On paper, it made no sense to believe a quarterback in his 40s could still win. Belichick doubted that Brady would defy logic. And has paid the price ever since.
Does he truly not value the quarterback position? And think he could win with any quarterback?
In Ian O’Connor’s book about Belichick, there was a quote of note from an unnamed Patriots assistant coach regarding Brady and the team’s ability to win without him.
“(If) you gave us any of the top 15 (quarterbacks in the NFL), we could do it,” the unnamed assistant coach told O’Connor. “I don’t think the coaches view Tom as special as everyone else in football does. (Owner Robert Kraft) thinks Tom is the greatest gift ever, but the coaches don’t.”
While Belichick always seems to make sure his defense and special teams units are well-stocked, that hasn’t always been the case with the offense. He certainly hasn’t surrounded Mac Jones with the type of cast needed to succeed. And while Brady typically got the job done with whoever Belichick put around him, that hasn’t been the case with Jones.
Did Mac Jones going out-of-house seeking help last year put him in Belichick’s permanent doghouse?
After giving Jones ringing endorsements during the offseason, those pats on the back disappeared once the season began last year. Between Jones’ not-so-subtle digs at the offense and Matt Patricia, and his going outside of the organization to seek help, It got to the point where Belichick wouldn’t use his name when asked about his starting quarterback.
That carried over into the league meetings in March.
Belichick and Jones seemed to be in a better place toward the end of training camp, heading into the season, but it’s gone downhill from there.
Why did Belichick keep going back to Jones, after yanking him so many times during games? To embarrass him?
Friends of Belichick, namely former aide Michael Lombardi, rip Jones at every turn. So it would be interesting to find out from the man himself, if Jones crossed a line that couldn’t be forgiven.
Did Belichick even want to draft Jones in the first place?
Belichick was asked that very question during Monday’s appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” He answered saying: “Organizationally, we thought it was the right thing to do.”
How about specifically? Did he go along with the group, or did he want to go in another direction with the 15th overall pick?
Belichick rarely if ever provides that kind of information, but he was clearly trying to distance himself from making that pick. He has the final word, so what’s the truth? Did Robert Kraft step in?
Did Belichick seriously believe Matt Patricia and Joe Judge could handle the offense, or was that the best solution because he didn’t have to pay them?
Offensive coaches can coach defense and vice versa. Belichick has always believed if you’re a good coach, you can coach anything. But was that truly the motivation behind replacing Josh McDaniels, with Patricia and Judge?
Or was it because the Lions and Giants – respectively – were still paying those coaches and it was a cost-effective solution?
Saving money, as opposed to properly developing a quarterback, is part of the reason Jones has regressed. Belichick is at the root of that, so it would be interesting to hear him give an all-encompassing answer about assigning Patricia and Judge to the offense.
Does he already have a deal in place to coach another team, as one report suggests? And would he seriously consider working for Jerry Jones?
While the destination remains a mystery, it’s been reported that Belichick already has his sights set on a future employer, and that it’s pretty much a done deal. On Monday, Belichick said that kind of speculation was “ridiculous.” But is it really?
If his time is over in Foxborough, one might assume Belichick would want to go to the most ready-made team. The Chargers and Bills would be in that category. So would the Cowboys. Should they flame out in the playoffs, Jerry Jones could conceivably move on from Mike McCarthy. But could Belichick stomach the meddlesome Dallas owner for a few seasons just to break the record sooner, rather than later?
Will he retire after breaking Don Shula’s record? And is that the only reason he’s still coaching?
Belichick once said he didn’t want to be like former Bills coach Marv Levy and coach into his 70s. Well, he’s 71, and still coaching with no apparent end in sight. Although, he’s in shouting distance of breaking Shula’s all-time mark on wins. If he eventually passes Shula, will that be it? Will he retire at the end of that season? Or continue on? Inquiring minds want to know.
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