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Last night, one local reporter suggested that Bill Belichick was almost definitely at the NFL Combine somewhere even if we couldn’t see him.
After all, that’s what he did last year, briefly materializing on Thursday to watch receivers work out and leaving shortly after.
That might be the plan again this season, but a recent report casts some doubt on that.
Chad Graff of The Athletic reported Thursday morning that Belichick has skipped the Combine for the first time in his career. Other coaches to do ostensibly do so are Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Matt LeFleur, Graff noted.
(Update: Patriots VP of Media Relations Stacey James told WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" that Belichick is not currently at the NFL Combine and is not expected to attend. A previous report of the PR statement mistakenly said Belichick would attend at some point.)
Why miss a chance to rub elbows with people around the league, catch up with your favorite prospects and watch the workouts that will take place Thursday through Sunday?
Maybe Belichick just ain't got time for that.
"The main reason is that it’s hard to get much done at the combine, an event where the top allure may be catching up with friends around the league you don’t often see. If you’re a coach with a major project on your hands or who wants to get an early start in preparing for free agency, you can certainly get more done at home," Graff relayed via conversation with an anonymous defensive coordinator.
"…And since friendly small talk isn’t, shall we say, Belichick’s cup of tea, perhaps it’s no surprise he skipped it."
Additionally, Graff's source explained, the Combine is most useful for getting medical information on prospects that coaches don't have a role in procuring. Aside from that, the prospect interviews are typically cursory and are usually taped anyway. Plus, several prospects told me Belichick, while not in the room for their interviews, attended virtually and interacted with them while other team staffers met them in person.
The other part to consider here is that there's nothing on-field for Belichick to do, no instructions for him to give players. All coaches and team personnel can do is watch from the stands or suites at Lucas Oil Stadium. Furthermore, they're just running, jumping or doing basic drills. You can delegate the scouting of those events to anyone reasonably well-versed in football.
(It is notable, though, that Belichick just happened to attend the wide receiver workouts last year that featured second-round Tyquan Thornton torching the 40-yard dash. If he arrives at the Combine later this weekend, it will be worth noting which position groups he comes to see.)
The Patriots are a team that overall would appear to be less swayed by testing and measurements than what they see on the field, which might be another reason you see them dip into the Shrine and Senior Bowls so often.
Ultimately, it's hard to argue Belichick is missing a ton by not being at the NFL Combine. But it does make you wonder if he's intentionally starting to scale back with the end of his career approaching.
Updat