Is it Boston Globe? Or Ben Volin, who has been beating that drum for a while.Boston Globe reporting the decision has been made.
Why wouldn't Bill quit if he suspected he was getting fired?
So frustrated that he kept signing BB to new contracts, including this past offseason when he re-signed him for two more years.Tom Curran: Sources made 'clear to me' decision to move on from Belichick made after Germany game
A few more details here--including that Kraft first grew upset with BB in 2017 when the latter's relationship with Brady began to fray--and that Kraft was even more frustrated that BB had no plan in place to replace the GOAT.
Interesting, he doesn’t even try to cite the counterpoint to that, namely that the team tried to sell out in their cap and roster management strategy to squeeze the last few years out of Brady. Whether you agree with that alternate viewpoint or not, Curran is clearly voicing what is, or what he at least perceives is, the Kraft camp’s uncut POV here. Bill can’t do anything for Curran, after all, but Bob and Jonathan aren’t going anywhere.Tom Curran: Sources made 'clear to me' decision to move on from Belichick made after Germany game
A few more details here--including that Kraft first grew upset with BB in 2017 when the latter's relationship with Brady began to fray--and that Kraft was even more frustrated that BB had no plan in place to replace the GOAT.
Yes--as you and @BaseballJones point out, there are a few holes in what Curran claims about Kraft's PoV on BB in the video, including an existing contract that seemingly did little to nothing to erode BB's authority or decision-making supremacy--as well as a SB victory. More to come I'm sure. Belichick's next press conference will probably shatter all previous records for variations on, "I'm just focused on Kansas City."Interesting, he doesn’t even try to cite the counterpoint to that, namely that the team tried to sell out in their cap and roster management strategy to squeeze the last few years out of Brady. Whether you agree with that alternate viewpoint or not, Curran is clearly voicing what is, or what he at least perceives is, the Kraft camp’s uncut POV here. Bill can’t do anything for Curran, after all, but Bob and Jonathan aren’t going anywhere.
If they end up with #2 I think you want someone other than BB making the decision on what to do with it.I don't see it happening and think TC has been a rube for a while. Maybe he has something, but I'll believe it when I see it. His days of being the trusted voice are distant.
Everything ends badly…otherwise, it wouldn’t end.If it ends this way it's pretty depressing. The fact that this story has been out for several hours and there's been no public rebuttal is at least notable. The Krafts should realize if they don't nail the next hire and rebuild, fans' ire will quickly turn to them. The narrative will be they couldn't land the airplane with either BB or TB.
He'll be right some year!Hasnt Curran been saying this for a while?
No, I feel like he was saying this in various interviews since after the Germany game.He'll be right some year!
It is as shitty as it gets.If Kraft is leaking to the media and unceremoniously showing the man that made his franchise one of the cornerstones of the league the door he is a massive ass.
Yes. This is what I was referring to earlier in the thread. Be interesting to see if kraft leaves him hanging the rest of the season.Curran explicitly said on his Nov. 30 podcast that Kraft was going to let BB go:
"Let's try to keep this as organized as possible, with a chronological attack of how the situation WILL, not may, but WILL unfold with different opportunities and different scenarios. First, OK, fast-forward to the end of the season. Krafts say, 'Bill, we don't want you to coach anymore. Love ya, mean it, it's time for a new direction."
And then he and Phil Perry worked through various scenarios from that fact pattern.
I'm really curious why that report from Curran TODAY was the one that caught everyone's attention. It might just be that Curran works so hard to sound cute that it's fucking impossible to understand what he's trying to say half the time, and today's report was the first time people actually heard what he was saying.
The bolded isn't even logical. BB drafted Jimmy G to be that guy but the Krafts would let him bc Brady lasted longer than anyone thought he would. That's a plan.Tom Curran: Sources made 'clear to me' decision to move on from Belichick made after Germany game
A few more details here--including that Kraft first grew upset with BB in 2017 when the latter's relationship with Brady began to fray--and that Kraft was even more frustrated that BB had no plan in place to replace the GOAT.
What was the plan after Jimmy was traded? There was no plan. Also this isn’t just due to the lack of QB. The entire roster kinda blows with the drafts being bad for awhile forcing the team to waste money on garbage in free agency after 2020.B
The bolded isn't even logical. BB drafted Jimmy G to be that guy but the Krafts would let him bc Brady lasted longer than anyone thought he would. That's a plan.
Lol at this post. Are we going to do this again?What was the plan after Jimmy was traded? There was no plan. Also this isn’t just due to the lack of QB. The entire roster kinda blows with the drafts being bad for awhile forcing the team to waste money on garbage in free agency after 2020.
The plan was to win another Super Bowl - which seemed to work out OK.What was the plan after Jimmy was traded? There was no plan. Also this isn’t just due to the lack of QB. The entire roster kinda blows with the drafts being bad for awhile forcing the team to waste money on garbage in free agency after 2020.
Purely speculative/observational, but I thought Robert looked/sounded/ seemed noticeably older , weaker, and slower on Gameday last Saturday. I wonder if he’s fully entered figure head status, and the lucky sperm is steering the ship now. If so, I can definitely see him acting out of the worst motivations you listed above. I think a reasonable case can be made to part ways with BB. But if he really is being smeared/hobbled like this before the season even ends, after everything he’s accomplished and done for the franchise, fuck the Krafts. A reminder that players and coaches are why I still care about and follow professional sports. Not owners. So many of whom are such venal, distasteful human beings.We can debate Bill’s strengths with and without Brady, but is there any doubt that Kraft’s reputation as an owner and winner and all around good fella is based entirely on the two of them? Kraft seems like exactly like the kind of petty, lecherous scumbag who’d act out of the worst motivations.
I know we joke about it, and it’s a far remove, but if I knew a dude in real life who was rich and got busted getting hand jobs in a local mall, like we could still be friends, but would I ever think that person had good judgment or want to be in any way involved with him?
It is a good time to remind folks that the person hiring the next coach and GM is not going to be a 58 year old Robert Kraft, who himself was 4 years removed from making his own blunder on the hiring front.Purely speculative/observational, but I thought Robert looked/sounded/ seemed noticeably older , weaker, and slower on Gameday last Saturday. I wonder if he’s fully entered figure head status, and the lucky sperm is steering the ship now. If so, I can definitely see him acting out of the worst motivations you listed above. I think a reasonable case can be made to part ways with BB. But if he really is being smeared/hobbled like this before the season even ends, after everything he’s accomplished and done for the franchise, fuck the Krafts. A reminder that players and coaches are why I still care about and follow professional sports. Not owners. So many of whom are such venal, distasteful human beings.
That's more or less exactly what happened, and it ended with awkward silence.FWIW, Pat McAfee kinda hinted that this was the direction the Patriots were going to go when he interviewed Robert on Gameday last Saturday. I can't remember exactly how he said it but it was something along the lines of "I don't envy your position, we know what's about to happen this offseason."
I think Bill is also a special case. His cantankerous, fuck everyone attitude is fine when the team is winning but a little harder to tolerate otherwise. It's not doing him any favors this season. (It's why Pete Carroll, despite much less success, will probably never go through this same type of scrutiny.) He's earned the leeway to end his career with the Pats on his terms, but that's easier to say from a distance than from inside the building. All that said, we have no idea whether Jonathan has the skills and emotional intelligence to handle this, assuming he's now driving the bus.You fire Shit Shitterson after 2 mediocre season and one terrible one. You shouldn't fire Bill Belichick after 20 mostly-great seasons, 2 mediocre ones and one terrible one. Then again, NFL owners are a special kind of human being, to whom normal rules of human behavior dont seem to apply. So whaddoIknow.
BB is a great example of someone whose shit is awesome when you are winning and problematic when you're losing. That cantankerous attitude when they lose to drop their record to 11-3 with Brady? Oh shit, you know he is going to come out and destroy the Bears or whatever next game. But that attitude when he is 2-9 and no one knows who the QB is? That comes off as a sour guy who has lost control. Same with his GMing. Spending time turning a UDFA into a playable 5th CB is cute... when the rest of the team looks great as a super bowl contender. When your offense is so bad you can't muster more than 10 points 4 weeks straight though, bringing in FA safeties off the street for tryouts or making transactions related to Malik Cunningham (good for him - I have a feeling the Ravens are going to be a great fit for him) seems a bit lost.I think Bill is also a special case. His cantankerous, fuck everyone attitude is fine when the team is winning but a little harder to tolerate otherwise. It's not doing him any favors this season. (It's why Pete Carroll, despite much less success, will probably never go through this same type of scrutiny.) He's earned the leeway to end his career with the Pats on his terms, but that's easier to say from a distance than from inside the building. All that said, we have no idea whether Jonathan has the skills and emotional intelligence to handle this, assuming he's now driving the bus.
View: https://twitter.com/MikeReiss/status/1734945156011356214Belichick's next press conference will probably shatter all previous records for variations on, "I'm just focused on Kansas City."
What was the plan after Jimmy was traded? There was no plan. Also this isn’t just due to the lack of QB. The entire roster kinda blows with the drafts being bad for awhile forcing the team to waste money on garbage in free agency after 2020.
There really isn't a need to do this again. We know where Jsinger stands as he has made it clear multiple times, in multiple threads, using the same words. It's a position to take. IMO, it is not a good one. The redundancy is not necessary whatsoever.Lol at this post. Are we going to do this again?
I think Kraft should get a ton of credit for keeping the Pats in Foxboro and taking a far less lucrative deal than what was being offered by Hartford. I think Gillette is the last NFL stadium that was built without any taxpayer money, and as a result it is kind of a joke of a stadium compared to many of the other newer ones despite being only 20 years old or so. Not that Kraft needs extra billions but he would probably have extra billions if he moved the team to Hartford way back when.We can debate Bill’s strengths with and without Brady, but is there any doubt that Kraft’s reputation as an owner and winner and all around good fella is based entirely on the two of them? Kraft seems like exactly like the kind of petty, lecherous scumbag who’d act out of the worst motivations.
I know we joke about it, and it’s a far remove, but if I knew a dude in real life who was rich and got busted getting hand jobs in a local mall, like we could still be friends, but would I ever think that person had good judgment or want to be in any way involved with him?
Having Myra at his side for many of those years didn't hurt how the public perceived him, either.I think Kraft should get a ton of credit for keeping the Pats in Foxboro and taking a far less lucrative deal than what was being offered by Hartford. I think Gillette is the last NFL stadium that was built without any taxpayer money, and as a result it is kind of a joke of a stadium compared to many of the other newer ones despite being only 20 years old or so. Not that Kraft needs extra billions but he would probably have extra billions if he moved the team to Hartford way back when.
Beyond that I agree we don't really know much about him and his reputation as a good owner from a football success perspective is almost entirely based around BB and TB.