How long will Bill Belichick coach?

[Sons Of Shula]

. . .
All right, enough of the build-up, here it is: I think we’re more than halfway through the last season of the Hoodie. There I’ve said it. I think 2016-2017 season will be Belichick’s last.


Everyone has been saying that Brady retires first and that just never seemed right to me at all. Brady’s told us, he never wants to retire, Belichick has said the opposite. The reason why I can’t get rid of it is this is exactly how it will happen: amidst another AFC East coronation, a march into the playoffs (and hopefully through them) and then that’s it. He’ll Keyser Soze and just limp away. There will be no fanfare. He will not announce it; he will not do a self-aggrandizing tour; he will not sit down with Collinsworth or Phil Simms. He won’t explain himself, he will just leave.


For all the accusations of his arrogance, Hoodie is a humble guy who views himself as a football coach and nothing more. He sends appreciative letters to friends and former professors, how humble is that? Snail mail. Great Grandparents don’t do that. In fact, I bet he will do nothing more than issue a friendly letter at the end of the season thanking the Patriots players, the organization, the Krafts and the fans. Class, quiet, humble. He will retire from the public eye with the same energy that he devotes to questions of Tom Brady’s ability.


The thought occurred to me after looking at Jamie Collins’ latest Instagram grenade lob, saying he’s happier in a young locker room on a miserable team than he was in the confines of 1 Patriot Place where nothing is more important than winning and doing your job. The players have changed and so has he.


Remember when Tom Coughlin realized he didn’t understand the mindset of his players and capitulated by trying to become a “new wave” coach. He listened to his players, he summoned the courage to admit he might not always be right and he still turned beet red in the cold. He left the job two seasons later, the game having passed him by. Bill Belichick is never doing that. Like his personnel decisions, Belichick will walk away two years early, rather than one year late, he will be 65 this spring. The perfect time to pull back and enjoy the fruits of his labor. Hit Narragansett Bay on a Sunday. Or watch his daughter’s Lacrosse team. Basically be the exact opposite of Bill Murray.


He’s tired of it all. Tired of the league trying to keep up with his otherworldly ability to adapt to an ever-changing set of rules, not realizing that their changes give him more ammo. Tired of the league’s marketing department forcing him to use technology he doesn’t need or understand, or wear pink and camouflaged clothes that they can sell for “charity”. Tired of the media scrutiny on private letters or advice he gives to young circus creating players. Tired of Goodell’s leering eye looking for the next untied shoelace to take away his entire draft. We can all agree that something’s been different this year. He’s been less guarded, more forthright, more playful with the media even.


My reasons for believing this are multilayered, but primarily I think this team is built for a young coach to take over and be in a position to succeed immediately. Something Bill Belichick would take great pride in. Remember how he reacted when Parcells tried to bequeath the Jets to him, his fingerprints still warm on the team’s corpse of an 8-8 season. Belichick wanted no part of it. Even resented it. Writing his resignation on a ****tail napkin. He wanted to draw his own path and the 2017 Patriots will be a well-built skeleton for the heir, but the next leader will have as many good options as a young coach could want.


Draft picks abound (he’s replaced the picks that were lost in Deflategate), the cap commitment for next season is a league best $60-70 Million dollars below the projected cap, he will leave with the Greatest Football Player of All Time at the helm as two young potential studs lay in wait. The entire offensive line is signed through 2017. He rid the team of several costly free agents for future picks to ensure that they will have the opportunity bring Butler, Hightower, Bennett back for more. That is of course if the next boss chooses. Unlike Parcells, he’s not thumbing the scale. Hoodie is always aware of his place in NFL history and the idea of leaving a team stretched with expensive cap holds, a dearth of draft picks and aging talent would pain him.


Like Parcells and his father, Bill Belichick is a mentor of football minds whether it’s scouting, personnel or gameplanning. He gives his coaches and players the tools and opportunity to succeed. He has two acolytes who will be head coaches next season in Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia. We’ve already heard both seeming to stake their claim to the helm when Belichick moves out. At Pats Propaganda, we’d gotten some intel in the preseason that the Krafts were putting together a potential succession plan with one of them. We never assumed it was for this season, though. The recent news regarding Josh McDaniels place on the head coaching buzz list seems to lend some credence to this awful, terrible, no good, very bad theory.

Full article: Pats Propaganda - Eureka

 

[NY8123]

As long as Tom Brady is the QB Bill isn't going anywhere. Why would he? This organization is fundamentally solid from top to bottom, it is the best in all of football. Player management, cap space, draft picks it is just a system that works to perfection.

I don't know if he'll ever catch Shula as the winningest coach but he can damn sure go past Landry into 3rd in a few years. I think this will be a Marino/Shula thing. Maybe they both walk away together if they win a final championship or maybe ojne precedes the other.

 

[phins_4_ever]

After this season because when we take, legitimately (contrary to the 2008 season when Brady was out), the AFC East crown in the last game of the season, he will realize that the Patriots reign is broken and cheating won't payoff anymore.

 

[ronnieb_23]

Even though we don't know when one or the other will hang it up...we can safely say there isn't much time left for New England to have both. My guess is within 3 years both will be gone.

 

[Sons Of Shula]

[tweet]821030383114481665[/tweet]

Neither McDaniels or Patricia have accepted jobs nor really entertained interviews with the exception of McDaniels' quick trip to SF.

Patriots win the SB and Belichick's retirement might be a lot closer on the horizon than some might think.

 

[nick1]

McDaniels as a head coach was seen before. he failed, I can only hope he is who they choose after Belichek retires

 

[Unchained 07]

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[SkapePhin]

[tweet]821030383114481665[/tweet]

Neither McDaniels or Patricia have accepted jobs nor really entertained interviews with the exception of McDaniels' quick trip to SF.

Patriots win the SB and Belichick's retirement might be a lot closer on the horizon than some might think.

Makes me wonder if perhaps McDaniels is part of a succession plan and the end is near, either next year or the year after? I'm sure McDaniels wold want to stay to be the HC of the Pats all things considered.

 

[finmann]

HE'LL probably coach till he's 100

 

[Sons Of Shula]

Oh well, so much for that theory.