Back in my previous existence as a full-time radio loudmouth, I probably would’ve spent the better part of the last three months demanding Bill Belichick be held to account. His crime was not signing free agents before the tampering period began, and questions needed to be answered.
Had the greatest football coach of all-time become complacent? Or worse, had he lost his mind entirely?
As it turns out, Belichick was just waiting until free agency actually arrived to sign players — a novel concept indeed. In just two days, the Patriots outlaid $137.5 million in guaranteed money to sign free agents, the second-highest total in NFL history.
That is a much more effective way to answer questions than grunting through a Zoom call, don’t you think?
But here’s why the calls for Belichick and Robert Kraft to step up to the podium this January and February were asinine: they had nothing to answer for. Belichick held his customary season-ending press conference on Jan. 4; Kraft usually doesn’t speak to the press until the owners’ meetings. The Patriots weren’t stiffing the media. They were carrying on as usual.
I’m not saying coaches and decision-makers aren’t obligated to answer questions from the media when things go wrong. It was shameful for the Red Sox to dodge accountability when they fired Dave Dombrowski, and it's laughable they still haven't answered questions about Alex Cora's return. While sports teams are privately owned, they are public institutions. The fans are the shareholders. Without us, there would be no profit.
The idea that Tom Brady winning his seventh Lombardi Trophy should’ve compelled Kraft or Belichick to hold some sort of Zoom cattle call is ridiculous. When Brady left the Patriots last year, Belichick and Kraft issued statements, and Belichick briefly addressed TB12’s departure at the start of his pre-draft conference call. Unsurprisingly, Belichick didn’t entertain further questions about the worst football decision he’s ever made. He only elaborates when he’s trying to spin his way out of a cheating scandal. It was onto the NFL Draft.
“We’re really just focused on this season and trying to look at our opportunities and make decisions and plan and prepare to be as competitive as we can be this year,” Belichick said when asked whether he even wanted to bring back Brady back.
This is how Belichick has always operated. When Rob Gronkowski elected to temporarily retire so he could guest-star at WrestleMania, Belichick issued a perfunctory statement, and then never addressed him again. “Rob's ... I think my comments on Rob speak for themselves,” he said dryly at the owners’ meetings. “He's pretty special in every category.”
And what was the media response to Belichick’s verbal dismissal of the all-time great? Sports Illustrated told him to “never change;” USA Today called his performance “masterfully brief and brutal.” For decades, the press has salivated over Belichick’s austerity. You reap what you sow.
With all that said, Belichick did already preview what his game plan would be this offseason. In an interview last fall with OMF, Belichick said the team sold out to win three Super Bowls, and as a result, was limited in its ability to add players. Of course, Belichick sidestepped responsibility for his poor recent drafting record, but that’s beside the point. He told us last season was a bridge year.
With nearly $70 million in cap space at the start of free agency, it was apparent Belichick was going to spend. This free agent frenzy fits precisely into his modus operandi: with the salary cap down, he’s able to find — wait for it — value. Prices are depressed across the league. While most teams are standing pat, Belichick is adding. All of this behavior is typical, and we’ve embraced it for 20 years. Now we want change after one 7-9 season? Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.
Long ago, Belichick made the correct calculation that the media can’t hurt you when you’re winning, or help you when you’re losing. Distrusting the press is built into the fabric of Patriots Nation. Remember: The Wells Report In Context was the original “Fake News.”
Belichick and Kraft had nothing to gain by answering questions from beat writers who their fans hate anyway. They knew nobody was going to abandon them over a few weeks of silence.
Belichick did all of his talking this week. It certainly generated more excitement than perturbed grumbles through a faulty conference call line.
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Tread carefully on Deshaun Watson: While the flurry of lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson in recent days seemed curious at first it’s worth remembering we’re at the very beginning stages of this story -- and up to multiple accusers. On Friday afternoon, attorney Tony Buzbee is promising to hold a press conference with more evidence. Men covering NFL teams should withhold their full-throated defenses of Watson until all of the evidence comes out. Otherwise, you risk sounding like Mike Florio, who questioned the credibility of an accuser, writing: "It’s currently unclear why a second encounter happened, if the first one ended in a sexual assault."
No road games for Red Sox radio … yet: The Red Sox radio team won’t travel on the road for at least the first half of the season. Earlier this month, Dennis Eckersley told the Globe NESN was unlikely to send its crew on the road as well. While these precautions are understandable — Opening Day is only two weeks away — here’s hoping Red Sox broadcasters and reporters can safely resume traveling at some point this summer. Fans lose out when coverage is solely conducted from a distance. The Zoom press conference world should only be temporary.
On the positive side, Sean McDonough will broadcast 40 games this season. This summer is already looking brighter.
I’m back, and better than ever: I first regretted leaving WEEI when the Patriots signed Antonio Brown in September 2019, and I was bereft of an outlet to spew my hot takes.
It’s a miracle the world kept spinning!
It’s been 19 months since I published my last Media Column, and a lot has changed in my life: I can now cook actual meals; I’ve worn sweatpants for a year straight; and most importantly, I’ve never appreciated this platform more. In my new role with Radio.com, I will be writing for a trio of website across the Northeast, including this one. We disagreed a lot during my last run here, but it was always fun — OK, mostly fun. At the end of the day, my job is to give my take on the hottest stories of the day. That’s pretty damn cool. I hope you will enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy writing.