Bill Belichick may not exactly abide by his “no days off” mantra. But apparently, he still comes pretty close.
A source close to Belichick recently told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer the Patriots coach is “actually working more” this offseason than in recent years. “Belichick still loves doing it. That much is obvious,” Breer wrote in his weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column. “I had someone there tell me that this offseason he’s actually working more than he has in the recent past, which only speaks to the fact that, to borrow paraphrase an old [Marv] Levy-ism, there really isn’t any place he’d rather be.”
Years ago, Belichick famously told NFL Films he didn’t want to be another Marv Levy and coach into his 70s. But now that Belichick is 70 — he celebrated his birthday Saturday — his thinking has seemingly changed.
Even with eight Super Bowl rings and a guaranteed spot in the Hall of Fame, Breer reports that Belichick is still finding ways to keep himself motivated, such as proving he can win without Tom Brady.
“I’ve heard for more than a decade that those around him believe he wants to show he can win with the Patriots without [Tom] Brady,” Breer writes. “He got the franchise Mac Jones and a playoff berth last year. The next step is showing that legit championship contention is on the horizon. If Belichick can get there, too, he’ll be in better position to hand something good off to whoever the next guy in Foxborough is—which I believe is another thing he wants to do.”
There’s no shortage of speculation about whom Belichick might want as his successor, though ultimately, that decision will lie with the Krafts. It’s notable that Belichick and other members of the organization seem to be promoting Matt Patricia at every turn, from bringing him to the league meetings to outwardly crediting him for the DeVante Parker trade.
It’s also interesting that a source close to Belichick decided to pump up his work ethic to Breer. Maybe Belichick has heard the criticisms of the Patriots’ conservative free agency approach and unorthodox coaching staff. This is a way to assure the public he's as hands-on as ever.
That’s good news, considering the Patriots lack an official offensive or defensive coordinator.
Belichick has his work cut out for him. It sounds like he’s up to the task.
