New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick Excited To Play More In The NFL Combined – New England Patriots Blog

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quick thoughts and notes about New England Patriots and the NFL:

1. Silence when combining: The NFL’s scouting mix takes place March 1-7 in Indianapolis, and true to form, Bill Belichick plans to keep a lower media profile.

The Patriots are the only NFL team that doesn’t plan to have their head coach or a human resources executive answer questions from non-team reporters from media headquarters.

The league does not require teams to conduct such interviews, but encourages them to do so. Belichick’s Patriots and Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints has been commonly held in recent years. But Payton stepped down from coaching this year, and the Saints in turn are scheduled to have his replacement, Dennis Allen, answer questions from reporters not on the team.

Belichick as the sole showrunner this year is hardly a surprise. He’s not one for hype, especially in 2022 with Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL – including texts from Belichick – a potential hot topic.

However, there was a time when he played along.

In 2014, Belichick made a surprise appearance inside the media headquarters, shared a detailed look at how the association had evolved over his 30+ years of attendance, then answered questions about his coaching staff, staffing decisions and high-impact topics such as the value of the triple cone drill and the nuances of player evaluation.

His answer that day provides route types for where things are today.

The coaching staff already had most of the pieces in place (current staffers have been holding meetings over the past two weeks), and as Belichick said in ’14: “We’ll see it all come together as how.”

Specifically about staffing decisions, as Belichick said in ’14: “I talked about it at the end of the season, the process involved, [and] I would say we are in that process. “

Belichick, who has instead appeared on NFL Network’s live combo broadcasts in recent years, traditionally sees little value in answering those kinds of questions before he has to. answer.

One can affirm that it will be a solid gesture for him – especially for a section of fans concerned about the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and three attack assistants. other companies, there are no identified/announced plans to replace them.

Others may simply say that Belichick Q&A sessions don’t usually provide that kind of insight, so what’s the point?

2. Clean the lid: The next phase in the Patriots halftime period that needs close scrutiny is managing pay caps, and moving to free up space to best position the team at the start of the 2022 league on the 16th. March. Miguel Benzan Salary Limit Wizard (@patscap) produces a easy-to-read snapshots among the Belichick & Co. can consider for cropping and external Kyle Van Noy is an example that I would like to highlight of the types of decisions ahead: How does Belichick balance potential savings ($4.1 million) against Van Noy’s place on the list with the number $7.3 million limit (9th highest on the team)? There are usually one or two surprises along the way.

3. JC’s prediction: The window for teams to assign franchise cards to players has opened and runs until March 8, with the corner rolling back JC Jackson Uniquely likely candidates are strongly considered in New England. One tag would be $17.3 million projected for the 2022 season. Unless the Patriots believe they have strong tagging and trading capabilities, I rate the chances of them tagging Jackson as low. .

4. Vegas Coach: McDaniels has three former assistants working with him in Las Vegas – Mick Lombardi (OC), Carmen Bricillo (CV) and Bo Hardegree (QBs) – and I am told there is no “bad blood” between him and Belichick on that front. Sometimes, when a coach leaves a team and brings in an assistant, it can lead to strained relations. But not in this case, partly because the contract expired and Belichick moved around his offensive staff by welcoming Joe Judge back and adjusting to Matt Patricia’s responsibilities.

5. Clark on the radar: I asked ESPN drafts analyst Jordan Reid to forward one of the leads Patriots fans should keep an eye on. His answer: LSU linebacker Damone Clark. Much of the media-based draft analysis points to the first round, but Clark will likely consider the second or third round more at important position of demand. One reason Reid makes him a good fit for the Patriots is his size (listed at 6 foot-3, 245 pounds), which is what Belichick traditionally values ​​in a defender to play. downhill in running game.

6. Bourne-Asiasi Combination: Things didn’t turn out the way the patriots hoped with the third pick of 2020 Devin Asiasi, the tight end of UCLA. He’s only active for one match in 2021. While things seem to be trending in the wrong direction, it’s more news to hear that Asiasi has spent recent weeks training with Kendrick Bourne in Portland, Oregon. Bourne’s energy and urgency should be something Asiasi would benefit from being around on a daily basis.

7. No increase in ticket prices: While several teams across the NFL have announced ticket price increases in 2022, the Patriots have no plans to do so this year, even as renovations to improve Gillette Stadium are underway. An increase of some sort seems inevitable in the future – possibly the year after renovations are slated to be completed – but is without a doubt a much-appreciated gesture in 2022. from Robert and Jonathan Kraft for season ticket members.

8. Folk market: Veteran striker Nick Folk is one of the best bargains in the NFL, with a base salary of just over $1 million per season for the past two seasons. Given his success, a 55-goal streak in the regular season under 50 yards since the opening game of the 2020 season means a kicking team may be ready to offer him more. in a free agency. So how long are the Patriots willing to extend to re-sign him – assuming Folk is willing to kick elsewhere without a retainer Jake Bailey and snapper Joe Cardona – can be one of the more intriguing questions faced by a developer team Quinn Nordin also on the list.

9. Vrabel’s Dad: Mike Vrabel was like a coach on the field when he played for the Patriots (2001-08), with Belichick says he and Vrabel talked about coaching him after his game days. This year, after Vrabel was named Coach of the Year at the Associated Press following the Titans’ 12-5 season, he saluted his father, Chuck, as a major factor in his involvement in the coaching business. training.

“I grew up as the son of a basketball coach, I was always on one team. I was an only child, but my dad made sure I worked hard and appreciated the importance of the game. When I entered professional football, in the back of your mind [you’re thinking]”Whenever this is over, I think I want to do this.”

10. Did you know? If the captain of the special team Matthew Slater re-signing with the team in 2022, which will be his 15th season with the team, tying him to Troy Brown and Julius Adams for the third longest tenure of all time – behind Tom Brady (20) and Steve Grogan (16).