Felger & Mazz: The demand for Bill Belichick is not that high
As the NFL offseason rolls on, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is still a coaching free agent. On Wednesday’s Felger and Mazz, the guys gave their thoughts on Belichick and the latest in his search for a new team.
What’s the best sport for Bill Belichick?Ā
Felger: Rex Ryan on ESPN talking about Belichick to Buffalo. Mazz has had a thought about that….
Mazz: Yeah, I just think that look Rex Ryan was there, obviously, coach with the Bills so I think he has some perspective on how ownership feels up there. And I still think that that environment or that sort of structure, meaning you got a team in place that’s on the cusp potentially of a championship, I’m not telling you it’s a perfect roster, but it’s a good team….That’s the spot. Because if Bill wants power, if he wants to go in and have personnel control and hire his own staff, that’s the type of thing you do for a guy who’s a long term coach. He’s going to be 72, he’s not going to get that. look, I can’t imagine, and if there’s a team that gives it to him, God bless him., Like, good for you, I get it. You know, maybe Atlanta would do it because they’re so desperate for attention and fans. Or Jacksonville or you know, I’m just throwing them out there, but Carolina like, take your pick. But otherwise why would you give a 72 year old guy that kind of power and control? You wouldn’t. So the more likely scenario is a team that can win a championship. Bill’s got to swallow his ego and go to a place that says, “Bill, we want you as a mercenary. We don’t want you to handle the personnel. We don’t want you to bring in everybody. We’ll give you a couple spots, or you want to build your staff of coordinators, certainly. We would do that for any coach, but nothing out of the ordinary”.
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots gives a thumbs up on the field prior to Super Bowl 51 against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Felger: The fact that he doesn’t have a job I feel is on him. He’s been too demanding. It has to be, I think. I don’t know. Murray, what do you think?
Jim Murray: I think it’s over. And I think that’s part of it. Because he wants to have full control. It seems to me what’s going on with the Atlanta Falcons is that the owner is all horny to hire him but when he went and talked to Rich McKay andTerry Fontenot, like his brass there, they were like “well wait a minute, that would probably mean that we’re out. Like, let’s pump the brakes here. Let’s talk to other options”. And it feels like there’s a distinct lack of buzz for anyone hiring Bill Belichick at this point. So frankly, if I have to give you an answer, I think it’s over. I think he’s done. This thing is ending with a thud like it did with Brady last year. We all expected this was going to be a big thing here and it was going to be a big ceremony whether it was here or somewhere else and he’ll pass Shula, I think he’s done. I don’t think anyone’s going to hire him.
Felger: In Atlanta I’d rather go with the younger guy because I’m building something a little more from the ground up, and I want a long run and it’s not a “quick fix, put us over the top”. If I’m a team like Buffalo, or Dallas, or maybe the Chargers are in this category, and we can discuss if anyone else is in that category, but more of a “ready made” team, I’m not taking Bobby Slowik, I’m taking Bill Belichick.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony āMazzā Massarotti, and Jim Murray āBig Jimā. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
Patriots coaching staff tracker: Building out the staff
Offensive coaching staff
Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt directs the offense during training camp, Aug. 5, 2022 in Berea. (Syndication: Akron Beacon Journal)
Offensive coordinator: Alex Van Pelt
Quarterbacks coach: T.C. McCartney
Running backs coach: Taylor Embree
Wide receivers coach: Unknown (no official parting of ways with Troy Brown)
Assistant wide receivers coach:Ā Tiquan Underwood
Tight ends coach: Vacant
Offensive line coach: Scott Peters
Assistant offensive line coach: Robert Kugler
Offensive assistant: Ben McAdoo
Offensive assistant: Michael McCarthy
The Patriots completed their coordinator search by hiring Van Pelt, a former NFL quarterback. Now, they begin the process of filling out his staff. Here’s a look at who they’ve been linked to for positional coaching roles…
— Robert Kugler (former Carolina Panthers assistant offensive line coach)
— Ben McAdoo (former New York Giants head coach)
— T.C. McCartney (former Cleveland Browns coach)
x — Andy Dickerson (hired by Cleveland Browns)
Patriots’ offensive coordinator interviews…
— Scott Turner (Las Vegas Raiders pass game coordinator)
— Klint Kubiak (San Francisco 49ers pass game coordinator)
— Luke Getsy (former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator)
— Brian Fleury (San Francisco 49ers tight ends coach)
— Tanner Engstrand (Detroit Lions pass game coordinator)
— Jerrod Johnson**** (Houston Texans quarterbacks coach)
— Thomas Brown***** (Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator)
— Nick Caley (Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach)
— Zac Robinson*** (Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach)
— Dan Pitcher** (Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach)
— Shane Waldron* (Seahawks offensive coordinator)
*Waldron was hired as the Chicago Bears OC after interviewing with the Patriots
**Pitcher was promoted to the Bengals’ OC job, replacing new Titans head coach Brian Callahan
***Robinson was hired as the Atlanta Falcons OC after interviewing with the Patriots
****Johnson is staying in Houston in his current role
*****Brown was hired as the Chicago Bears pass game coordinator after interviewing with the Patriots
Defensive coaching staff
Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive coordinator: DeMarcus Covington
Defensive line coach: Jerry Montgomery
Inside linebackers coach: Dont’a Hightower
Outside linebackers coach: Drew Wilkins
Cornerbacks coach: Mike Pellegrino
Safeties coach: Brian Belichick
The Patriots named Covington their defensive coordinator, promoting him from within (he was previously the defensive line coach). Mayo and Covington now will go through the process of building out the rest of the staff. Above are coaches they’ve interviewed for positional roles since officially promoting Covington, and below is a look at the other coaches the Patriots interviewed for the DC role, who could be candidates for positional coaching jobs.
— Jerry Montgomery (former Green Bay Packers defensive line coach & run game coordinator)
— Gerald Alexander (Pittsburgh Steelers assistant defensive backs coach)
— Michael Hodges (New Orleans Saints linebackers coach)
— Christian Parker (Denver Broncos defensive backs coach)
— Tem Lukabu (Carolina Panthers outside linebackers coach)
Special teams staff
Jun 2, 2022; Thousand Oaks, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams special teams assistant coach Jeremy Springer during organized team activities at California Lutheran University. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Special teams coordinator: Jeremy Springer
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported the Patriots are hiring Springer as their new special teams coordinator. The team has had multiple special teams coaches in the past, so look for him to add one or two assistants to his staff. The only other coach the Patriots interviewed for special teams who hasn’t taken another job yet is Thomas McGaughey.
