Former Patriots Rival Shares Bold Criticism of Bill Belichick

Getty Bill Belichick

For decades, Bill Belichick has led the New England Patriots as the head coach and de facto general manager. He has six Super Bowls to his credit, but he’s still taken some criticism for his ability to find the right kinds of players–especially of late.

On a recent episode of The Get Up on ESPN, former New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott took Belichick the GM to task for his failures in that role.

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Fire Belichick the GM?!

Scott has never been one to mince words. In case you’re not aware who he is, you might recognize him from this iconic WWE-like promo from his days with the Jets.

Now that you’re reacquainted, Scott was a guest on The Get Up, and the topic switched to the Patriots and their current struggles. Scott had a harsh evaluation of Belichick’s general manager skills, and had an even bolder recommendation for his former AFC East rival.

Right here is a list of all drafts from the last five years of which the great Bill Belichick has had numerous picks. He hasn’t been able to really come up with any stars. I believe he hasn’t drafted a Pro Bowler since 2013. So, this is a bigger indictment of Bill Belichick — not the coach, but the general manager — and his abilities to surround his team with talent. I mean this is a big indictment on Bill Belichick, and maybe Bill Belichick the general manager should be fired and on the hot seat. Keep the coach around because the coach is outstanding.

Wow, who dares to question the track record of a future Hall-of-Famer like Belichick? Scott was done. He attempted to pour more salt in the wound by linking the recent failures to the absence of Tom Brady. Scott also predicted doom for the Patriots’ matchup against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

When you have the greatest eraser — the equalizer — in Tom Brady, the greatest of all time, it didn’t matter who was out at receiver. He would make it work. I just think that it’s a bigger case for Tom Brady to say he was the reason why that organization was successful for all those years. You take him away, and it’s like when LeBron [James] left the Cavaliers. It’s like, you won with these cats? You go from being maybe winning the division, being a Super Bowl contender to not being able to even make the playoffs? You’re going to get shut out by the Buffalo Bills?

Scott’s troll game is especially strong these days. Here is the entire segment:


But, Does He Have a Point?

I’m not one of those people who believes Belichick is above reproach. Belichick as a coach has consistently gotten more out of his roster than any other coach in NFL history. However, there is some validity to criticism of his ability to find solid players at specific positions.

Belichick has consistently targeted underachievers at wide receiver with only a few exceptions. Most recently, he seems to have missed on N’Keal Harry, and he haphazardly dealt for Mohamed Sanu last year near the trade deadline. There’s also Phillip Dorsett and many other non-descript guys who have played the position.

Scott is a bit offbase and extreme to suggest Belichick be fired from anything, but throwing a blanket of brilliance on the Hoodie is probably an example of over-simplified analysis.


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