Breer: Belichick operating like he’ll be here next year
Albert Breer of The MMQB joined Zolak & Bertrand in studio as the Patriots get set to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. at 2-10, many fans of the team would love for the Patriots to part ways with Bill Belichick after the 2023 season. However, does Belichick have one foot out the door, or does he plan on coaching the Pats in 2024? Breer explains what he’s hearing about the future plans of Belichick.
‘He is operating as if he’ll be leading the team in 2024’
“A lot of the planning stuff, you know, he’ll meet with scouts about next year’s draft prospects that stuff is still going on so he’ll you know start to discuss contracts for players for next year. That stuff is going on. So there’s a lot of this stuff that I think because so few people in that building have an idea of which way this is going after the year, coaches, scouts, whoever it is, almost no one knows where this is going at the end of the year. You know, everybody’s looking for signs like, is Bill disengaging? Is Bill pulling away? And, every indication I’ve gotten, is that he is doing the stuff that he’d normally be doing, including getting ready with pieces of business for 2024 like he normally would in any other season.”
“So, it’s just a detail that I kind of came across where it was like, okay, this guy is giving everybody in the building every indication which I would argue, is it’s good leadership, you know, anyway, you know what I mean? Like to do it that way. But he is operating as if, you know, he’ll be leading the team in 2024.”
LISTEN: Albert Breer of The MMQB on Belichick’s future
Greg Bedard: 3 Up and 3 Down for the Patriots in their loss to the Chargers
3 UP
Christian Barmore
Oct 22, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) reacts after a sack during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: Same thing he’s been doing all season.
Jonathan Jones
Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones (31) prepares for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles during the warm-up period at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: I thought he was really good. Broke up some passes.
David Andrews
Dec. 6, 2020; Inglewood, CA: New England Patriots center David Andrews points to the Los Angeles Chargers defense during a game at SoFi Stadium. (Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports)
Greg Bedard: I thought he was tremendous. He had one of his best run blocking games of the season.
3 DOWN
Michael Onwenu
PHILADELPHIA, PA: Mike Onwenu of the New England Patriots walks off the field after a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Aug. 19, 2021. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: I had him for 11 “minus” plays in this game. I don’t know what the hell happened to him. He was awful in this game. A week after he had the best offensive line performance of the season. He must be sick. He must have caught that bug that Deatrich Wise and Shaun Wade had, because I’ve never seen him play like that.
Bailey Zappe
Dec 3, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien talks with quarterback Bailey Zappe (4) as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Bedard: He graded out similar to Mac Jones in a lot of games that I’ve had mac Jones is one of my three down. People will say he didn’t turn the ball over, well he almost did on the final drive a couple of times. He was just okay. Like I said, he took some of the sacks. He graded out negatively for me.
Trent Brown
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – JANUARY 15: Trent Brown #77 of the New England Patriots walks off the field during halftime /ab at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Trent Brown, who now that it’s December we monitor the “give a crap” factor for Trent Brown, just like every other year.
A Bonus 4th Down!
Special Teams
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 26: Bryce Baringer #17 of the New England Patriots punts during the third quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 26, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Let’s also talk about the special teams. All the people who want Bill back because of his defense, ow about his special teams which freaking blow every single week. How many times is Baringer going to give crappy punts when they’re in a field position game? You could make the argument that special teams lost this game as much as the offense. They were like, I don’t know, -20 on average compared to the Chargers? The Chargers whooped your ass on special teams and you lost.
