Getty Bill Belichick dodged questions about his future.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft conversing with team president Jonathan Kraft created quite the stir on a viral video amid a 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday, November 5.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick deflected it the moment he faced a question about it during WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday, November 6. New England’s 2-7 start only stoked speculation about Belichick’s future in Foxborough.
“Yeah, you’d have to ask them about what they said,” Belichick said. “I don’t know. We didn’t do enough yesterday.”
Sorry. Now with video.
After the FG, you can CLEARLY read the lips of Jonathan Kraft when he looks down at his phone and says something that isn’t good for certain folks in the Pats organization….. WATCH THE VID.
@GreshFauriaWEEI @christianfauria
Questions about Belichick’s job security only continued when he met with the media on Monday morning. Belichick doesn’t view his job as on the line — albeit publicly.
“I’m going to control what I can control and get ready for the [Indianapolis] Colts,” Belichick said during Monday’s press conference.
New England travels to Frankfurt, Germany, next to take on the Colts in a matchup steeped in recent tradition. The Patriots and Colts now look far from their former AFC-contending selves, and Belichick indirectly acknowledged Kraft’s disappointment with the season.
“I would think you’d have to ask him about that. I don’t want to speak for him,” Belichick said during his WEEI interview. “But yeah, I mean, everybody’s frustrated with it.”
Bill Belichick Breaks Silence on Tyquan Thornton’s Benching
Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton’s third game back didn’t amount to much as the second-year player rode the bench in the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Commanders. Thornton caught a pass for seven yards amid 12 snaps in the first half.
Belichick acknowledged with a simple “yes” on Monday that Thornton was available for the second half of the game. However, Belichick also got questioned if Thornton’s limited playing time had to do with an injury.
Mac had Tyquan Thornton wide open on 4th and 3 but couldn’t connect
“I don’t know, you have to ask the coaches,” Belichick told reporters.
As for Thornton, he acknowledged after the game that he could do things better amid one catch versus three missed targets. Thornton started the season on injured reserve, and he entered this season with a lot to prove after he mustered 22 catches as a rookie.
“There’s definitely a lot that I could have done differently,” Thornton told reporters in the locker room on Sunday. “I could have run better routes. I could have created more separation. Yeah, I’ll take full accountability.”
“It’s all about your faith, you know?” Thornton added. “Just coming in each and every day and staying true to the process. Don’t get discouraged at all, just continue to work.”
Bill Belichick’s Pregame Decisions Turns Heads
Belichick drew more questions from not starting cornerbacks Jack Jones and J.C. Jackson on Sunday. Both eventually played in the loss to the Commanders as Jones posted three tackles and Jackson posted one.
“I’m not going to get into that — decisions we make on personnel,” Belichick told WEEI.
“Yeah, look, all those guys, we played all the corners yesterday,” Belichick added. “There’s a certain way we played them, and it varies from game by game. As you said, J.C. and Jack weren’t available earlier in the year, so there’s been a variety of circumstances there. Gonzo [Christian Gonzalez] and Marcus [Jones] aren’t available now, so I think everybody is working through it. We need to coach better, play better, and play more consistently.”