Andy Reid Explains Showing Mercy to Bill Belichick, Patriots

Bill Belichick might feel like he doesn’t have a lot of friends at the moment, but the under-fire New England Patriots’ head coach received a gesture of respect from an old rival in Week 15. His counterpart Andy Reid called Belichick “the best to ever do it” after the Kansas City Chiefs ran out comfortable 27-17 winners at Gillette Stadium.

The scoreline could have been worse for the Pats, but Reid had his Chiefs take a knee in a goal-to-go situation at the New England seven-yard line with 35 seconds on the clock. Asked why he opted against pursuing more points, Reid simply said, “it was the right thing to do,” per The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.

Reid’s show of mercy was a classy gesture amid the mounting speculation about Belichick’s future. The questions will continue after the Patriots slipped to 3-11, keeping them on course for the worst season in Belichick’s 24-season, six-Super Bowl title tenure.

Ironically, Belichick has faced criticism in the past for not extending fellow coaches the same courtesy in similar situations.

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Andy Reid Did Something Bill Belichick Wouldn’t

Running up the score is a controversial issue among the coaching fraternity. Some view it as unnecessary and lacking sportsmanship, while others believe it’s disingenuous to ever ask their players to ease up in a game.

Belichick belongs in the latter bracket based on some notable examples during his career. The most infamous occurred during the 2007 season when the Patriots beat a Washington team coached by Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs 52-7.

During the game, the Patriots went for and converted a 4th-and-1 at Washington’s seven-yard line, despite leading 38-0, per ESPN’s John Clayton. Belichick even had his offense go for and move the chains on 4th-and-2 when the Pats led 45-0.

As Clayton also noted, Belichick had reinserted quarterback Tom Brady midway through the fourth quarter of a 49-28 win over the (Miami) Dolphins a week earlier.

Reid’s unwillingness to be as ruthless was welcome, but surprising. Especially since both coaches were making history on the day, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Reid could also have taken the moment to inject some much-needed extra confidence into a Chiefs’ offense sputtering in recent weeks. It’s not as if the Chiefs hadn’t already baffled the Patriots at the goal-line more than once during the game.

The Chiefs scored all three of their touchdowns from inside the 10-yard line. Their best was this throwback, single-wing play to get rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice a carry into the end zone, highlighted by Coach Dan Casey of “The Play Caller’s Club” podcast.

While another trick play might have been fun for the Chiefs to try, Reid knew it wasn’t necessary with the game in the bag. The creditable gesture did Belichick a favor.

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Pressure Will Continue to Mount on Bill Belichick

Rumors Belichick is done after this season aren’t going away. There appeared to be a reprieve of sorts when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday, December 16 Belichick’s fate “has not yet been decided.”

Rapoport explained how “New England finishes could go a long way in determining what’s next.” Being beaten by 10 points at home wasn’t the best way to start what could be a four-game audition for Belichick’s future.

Some have been more emphatic about what the Patriots and owner Robert Kraft will do next. Among them, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston said the “decision was made” to dump Belichick after the 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany in Week 10.

Curran is standing by his report, regardless of Rapoport’s update: “So decision. But not firm. We agree.”

Any decision Kraft faces might have been easier to make had Reid let the Chiefs pile seven more points onto Belichick’s growing misery.

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