FOXBOROUGH — For Bill Belichick, it was same “bleep,” different Sunday.
His New England Patriots couldn’t move the ball. They were frustrating to watch. Their defense was good, but not good enough. There were no big, explosive plays. The quarterback play was subpar. They didn’t quit. And, of course, they lost, this time 17-3 to the New York Jets.
Ahhh, but this Sunday was different.
This was special teams sensation Matthew Slater’s finale – he’ll officially announce his retirement after 16 seasons later this week – and this was, more importantly, possibly Belichick’s finale as the head coach and football ops president the last 24 years.
While there were tears, hugs, family and team sweatshirts for Slater, basically implying “it’s over,” there was none of that for Belichick.
Instead, Belichick was yelling at referees, shouting to the kickoff returner to move up and hurling a few curse words after another botched play.
Like his players, he didn’t quit.
“He coached until the end, like he always does,” said Patriots center David Andrews.
The end? Did Andrews mean the end as in “the end?”
Belichick tried to disarm reporters at the postgame presser, saying, “As far as the future goes, I’ll sit down with Robert [Kraft] as I do every year at some point at the end of the season and we’ll talk about things as we always do. I’m sure that will happen.”
I’m sure that will happen?
It gets better. Belichick scheduled a Zoom meeting with the Patriots press corps for 7:30 a.m. on Monday to basically talk about the 2023 season, as much as he will allow.
Belichick basically sounded as if 2024 is all systems go.
Of course, we know that’s not entirely the case.
Rumors have circulated the last week or two that this big meeting, which will no doubt include owner heir apparent Jonathan Kraft, will in fact occur on Monday, maybe as soon as possible after Belichick meets with the press.
These rumors of Belichick’s future, his former trusted captain and defensive assistant Jerod Mayo as his replacement, and rifts within the organization are all issues on the table to be deciphered.
Funny, the adoration for Belichick and his devotion and success with the organization got a bit of a revival in the last month. In November, it appeared New Englanders were overwhelmingly rooting for a change yet the last few weeks of support for Belichick has picked up a lot of steam.
But public support might not be enough. In fact, full support of owner Robert Kraft might not be enough.
The wild card is Robert’s right-hand adviser and eldest son, Jonathan.
Why would he wield some extra power in their “meeting” to discuss Belichick’s short-term and long-term future?
Robert will turn 83 before the next season. and Belichick turns 72 in April.
Jonathan, who is no spring chicken, turns 60 in March. His time as the man in charge of the Patriots is getting closer and closer.
And at some point, six months from now, a year from now or two years from now, Jonathan is going to want his guy.
When we talk about the most successful teams in the NFL, it almost always means hitting the trifecta – elite owner, coach and quarterback.
Robert and Jonathan, while best friends, have very different personalities. Robert is more “public” and Jonathan is private.
And Jonathan’s seat at the table is much more than “the son.” He is one of the top marketing advisers representing NFL ownership. He was way ahead of the curve several years ago when gambling was broached. He not only predicted its eventuality but its exponential revenue streams.
You could argue the Robert Kraft, Belichick and Tom Brady trifecta is the best ever, never to be replicated.
As bad as 2023 was, 4-13, there is a lot to like about the future, particularly when it comes to player procurement with the Patriots getting the third overall pick – see Hall of Fame potential athlete – and tens of millions of dollars under the salary cap to add some top tier talent in 2024.
I would bring Belichick back.
We know he can still coach X’s and O’s. We know his players, none of whom were worthy of Pro Bowl status, gave everything they had for 17 games, many of which were “painful,” which is a testament to the coach.
And he probably has learned from his post-Brady player acquisition, realizing he can’t do it alone. He needs stars; in fact, several of them.
But it might be too late. The heir apparent may have already stated his case.
Belichick mentioned Robert Kraft, but in my opinion, Jonathan Kraft is the one to win over.
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.