Bill Belichick is the undoubted face of the Patriots. Without Tom Brady, he is the most prominent member of the organization, and there isn’t a close second place. But over the last three years, we’ve seen there’s a ceiling to Belichick’s solo act.
The ceiling is 25-26 with no playoff wins. Robert Kraft says that’s not good enough.
“We can assure you that no one in our organization is satisfied with the results from this past season. In the weeks ahead, we will be making critical evaluations of all elements of our football operation as we strive to improve and return to the playoffs next year,” he wrote in a year-end letter to season ticket holders.
As chairman of the powerful NFL broadcast committee, few owners are more attune to perception and relevancy than Kraft. And in terms of drawing interest, the Patriots are closer to the bottom of the league than the top. They were flexed out of “Sunday Night Football” this season and passed over another time.
As Kraft said in his letter, it’s apparent the Patriots need to evaluate all aspects of their operation. But there is one number hanging over it all: 347.
Belichick is 18 wins away from breaking Shula’s record. At this rate, Belichick will probably need two seasons to reach that mark.
Could that influence Kraft’s decision in regards to Belichick’s future? Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer, who covers the NFL extensively, says he thinks sentimentality will factor into any decision Kraft makes.
“I think that probably matters more to Robert Kraft than it does to Bill Belichick,” said Fischer on my Sports Media Mayhem podcast. “I think Robert is sort of sentimental -- not to say he's excessively emotionally driven -- obviously he makes good business decisions. But emotions are a big part of Robert Kraft's life. I think that's steered him well for eight decades.”
Belichick made his value clear at several points this season, especially last week, when the Patriots were gearing up to play the Bills in the aftermath of Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse. Players praised Belichick’s leadership and insight. He was able to lend perspective during an extraordinary time.
But then on Sunday, we saw the limitations of Belichick as a solo entity, bereft of competent assistants and coordinators. The Patriots gave up two kick-off returns for touchdowns, and though Mac Jones played arguably his best game of the season, the offense still scored only 23 points. That’s not nearly good enough to beat Josh Allen.
At 70 years old, Belichick should be putting less on his plate. Instead, he’s taking on more responsibility. Years ago, Belichick remarked to his pal Urban Meyer that he only wants to coach whom he likes at this stage in his career. The same logic seemingly applies to assistant coaches. Belichick doesn’t want to look outside of his circle. He’s more comfortable with Patricia and Joe Judge than outside minds.
Belichick and Kraft have already held their year-end meeting, according to NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran, and Belichick is amenable to changes. Curran says Belichick acknowledged this season “wasn’t ideal” and there will be “offensive coaching reassignments.”
Would those changes signal a unified front, or the beginning of the end? Fischer says it could be the latter.
“The Belichick-Kraft thing reminds of that 'Seinfeld' when Jerry is telling Elaine you don't break up with somebody once right away. It's like knocking over a vending machine,” he said. “You have to rock it back and forth a few times. The Belichick-Kraft relationship is clearly being rocked back and forth a couple of times. In 1989, Dan Rooney made Chuck Knoll fire his defensive coordinator, Tony Dungy. In hindsight, it was obvious that Knoll would be gone in a couple of years. Once that thing starts happening, people are looking for the exit. The end of the Belichick saga is clearly in play there.”
It’s clear that Belichick will be back with the Patriots next season. His performance may very well determine where he breaks Shula’s record.
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NFL is more dominant than ever: The NFL accounted for 75 of the 100 most-watched shows in 2021. Last year, it accounted for 82 of the 100 most-watched programs — in an Olympic year.
That’s crazy.
The NFL is beyond teflon at this point. The league can withstand star players facing allegations of sexual assault and a concussion crisis. Football is made for TV, and already dominating the streaming age. YouTube TV just paid $2 billion annually for Sunday Ticket, a diminished package without its own Red Zone Channel.
The NFL’s reign shows no signs of abating.
ESPN goes at the NFL: Give ESPN credit for being the only rights holder willing to dig into the NFL. Ace investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr.’s latest piece refutes the NFL’s timeline on Bills-Bengals, and makes it apparent the league originally wanted to restart the game.
Notably, the piece goes hard at NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, with an unnamed high-ranking team source saying Vincent is the “wrong person” for the job.
ESPN pays the NFL $2.6 billion annually to broadcast MNF. Kudos to the WorldWide Leader for not allowing business agreements to hamper investigative reporting.
Youk is Analyst 1: It was reported this week that Kevin Youkilis is expected to be NESN’s lead Red Sox analyst next season. That’s good news. Next to Dennis Eckersley, Youkilis was the best ex-player in the booth last season. His insight and understanding into the current state of the game was refreshing, and his dry humor was amusing, too.
Youk is already indelible with the Red Sox. It looks like he’ll be granted the opportunity to become even more so next season.
