Albert Breer discusses potential parallels between Bill Belichick and Andy Reid
During his weekly segment with ‘Toucher & Hardy’, Albert Breer discussed Bill Belichick‘s coaching goals and potential role as just a coach.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 17: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick exits the field after the Patriots 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Fred speculated on Belichick‘s desire for coaching records and questioned if he would be willing to relinquish his GM duties. Albert Breer from theMMQB.com noted that if Belichick were to transition to a coaching-only role within the Patriots organization, it would require significant organizational changes and effort to align everyone with the new structure. He cited Andy Reid as an example, highlighting Reid’s decision to separate coaching and GM responsibilities when he moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City, emphasizing that a change in setting might be necessary for such a transition to work smoothly.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Fred Toucher: So your Belichick. Everyone says he desperately wants this coaching record. In order to do that I got to coach. I’m a good coach probably still, but a terrible GM. I’ve always had this power. I have this ego. I should be able to do what I want to do. What I would do. He works for a general manager? Would he take a job as just the coach?
Albert Breer: If you’re going to do that in the place that you’re in (the Patriots), it’s going to take a lot of massaging to get there. It’s going to take a lot of work to get through everything that it would take to reorganize the organization and get him to buy in on it. I think if you’re going somewhere else, that’s different.
I just think the best example again is Andy Reid. Andy Reid Had all the power that Bill had in New England, in Philadelphia. And he decided after he got fired he didn’t want to do all of that anymore. It was his decision. He went to Kansas City. He hired a guy he trusted in, John Dorsey, and it was massively different. Yes, he has a major say in every decision they make there. But he’s not like doing everything. He was in Philadelphia. He’s not doing what Belichick does in New England. It’s a different setup and I think the reason it worked is because there wasn’t somebody coming into the Eagles and telling Bill, this is how we’re going to do things. It was him and a new general manager going somewhere and they were coming in at the same entry point under the same understanding. I almost think for those reasons, it would have to be somewhere else.
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Flurries to the finish: Patriots vs. Jets What To Watch For
The quarterback matchup
CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 28: Trevor Siemian #14 throws the ball prior to playing the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 28, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
The first meeting between these two teams – a 15-10 Patriots win in Week 3 – wasn’t exactly an offensive shootout. Mac Jones led the Patriots to just 201 passing yards for the game, while Zach Wilson had the Jets at 157.
Neither of those quarterbacks will play this Sunday. Jones was benched for Bailey Zappe midseason, and Wilson is out with a concussion. Trevor Siemian will start for the Jets in what will be his third start of the year.
Siemian has made one previous career start against the Patriots, when he was with the Denver Broncos late in the 2016 season. He completed 25 of his 40 pass attempts in that game for 282 yards with no touchdowns and a pick.
Meanwhile, both defenses come in playing well. The Patriots have forced at least one turnover in five of six games going back to the bye, and in only one of those games (Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs) did the opposing team get over 300 total yards. On the other side, the Jets’ defense has been a takeaway machine with six turnovers forced over the last two games.
This likely isn’t a game that will be won at the quarterback position. Rather, it may come down to which quarterback makes fewer mistakes. That being said, the level of quarterbacking won’t be the only thing holding back these offenses…
Let it snow?
FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 03: A general view as snow falls during a game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium on January 3, 2021 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
It’s been a while since the Patriots played in a really good snow game. That’s expected to change this week.
Currently, the forecast for Foxborough includes three to five inches of snow on Saturday night, with another three to five on Sunday accompanied by winds in the mid-teens. Winter football may finally be back in Foxborough (speaking of, check out our podcast on the top snow games in Patriots history).
What does that mean for the game? If the footing isn’t great on the field, running the ball becomes very difficult. It could result in both teams putting the ball in their quarterbacks’ hands and emphasizing screens or other short passes.
Bill Belichick’s last game
DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 24: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots watches from the sidelines during the 2nd quarter of the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on December 24, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Finally, there’s the overarching question about whether or not this will be Bill Belichick’s last game with the Patriots. The rumors and speculation about Belichick’s future with the team that have been building over the past few months will come to a head next week – but first, this game. While this game may have no playoff significance this year it certainly has historical significance if it ends up Belichick’s final one with the franchise.
The question is, will there be any sort of recognition of that possibility? It’s unlikely the team will do anything official, but will fans chant for Belichick? Bring signs? Will Belichick himself acknowledge the crowd in any new way at the end of the game?
Some of that is probably dependent on the way the game goes. We won’t truly know the historical context of this game until after it’s over, but it’s still something to keep in mind as it’s going on.
