Bill Belichick's rebuttal to Robert Kraft's ‘risk' comment did him no favors
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Belichick's long retort came off as extremely thin-skinned. The relationship between these two must be worse than ever. Belichick took some undeserved shots from Kraft in
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But Belichick is the one rewriting history. Belichick says he is the one who 'took a big risk' by taking the Patriots' job? Belichick wasn't exactly in high demand after going 36-44 with the Browns, and he lost out on the Raiders job to Jon Gruden. Kraft, though, did take a risk in trading a first-round pick for a sub-.500 coach with a dull demeanor at the podium.
Another questionable claim: Belichick in 2000 took over a Patriots franchise that had 'dismantled' their 1996 Super Bowl team and 'became one of the worst in the AFC'? They went 10-6, 9-7, and 8-8 in three years under Pete Carroll, and only bottomed out at 5-11 after Belichick took over. Belichick in 2000 also inherited several players from the 1996 team, including Drew Bledsoe, Troy Brown, Terry Glenn, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, Willie McGinest, Ted Johnson, and Adam Vinatieri.
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And while Van Natta, not Belichick, wrote that the Patriots ranked 31st out of 32 teams in spending since 1994, that stat has Belichick's fingerprints all over it. It also warrants a fact check since the Panthers and Jaguars didn't exist until 1995, the Ravens until 1996, the Browns didn't play from 1996-98, and the Texans didn't exist until 2002. Unfortunately, accurate cash spending data from the last 30 years is difficult to find.
Belichick spent 25 years ignoring the noise, staying above the fray, and cultivating an image as a cunning, unflappable genius. A rapid transformation into the sensitive, media-hungry Belichick in the last six months is a surprising turn that is damaging his legacy.
Ben Volin can be reached at
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