Bart Scott is already ripping Bill Belichick before the NFL season starts.
On ESPN’s “First Take” Tuesday, the ex-linebacker and longtime Patriots nemesis criticized Belichick’s decision to travel to Miami five days ahead of the Patriots’ season opener against the Dolphins.
“I think this is a desperation move,” said Scott. “You're trying to change the narrative. You understand that you're struggling, but South Beach is undefeated. I say South Beach because you have to fight the elements.”
Scott is referring to the litany of nightlife options in Miami, which the Patriots will have plenty of time to sample ahead of Sunday’s affair. The Patriots have lost seven of their last nine road games against the Dolphins.
With that in mind, it could be a good idea for Belichick to try and change up his team’s itinerary. The Patriots will be granted more time to acclimate to the South Florida heat, and additional nights on the road could allow for more bonding opportunities.
But Scott says there’s a chance those bonding opportunities could occur inside of clubs in the wee hours of the morning, which wouldn’t be conducive to a strong performance Sunday.
“Now you're taking your team down to an environment and you better have some disciplined veterans, because you can have bed checks all you want, from 5 to 9 there's a lot of things that go on in Miami and it's going to take a lot of discipline,” he said. “And I worry about you maybe dehydrating your team early in the week. It's like going to camp for the first time and maybe dehydrating your team early.”
Scott, who played 11 seasons with the Ravens and Jets, delivered one of the more infamous rebuttals against the Patriots in recent memory when he mocked them in his fiery post-game interview following the 2010 AFC Championship. He’s kept up his sharp tongue at the analyst desk, even suggesting the Patriots fire Belichick in the midst of the 2020 season.
Earlier this year, Scott declared the Jets are “twice as good” as the Patriots.
We can’t wait to see him get proven wrong again.
