Patriots coach Bill Belichick is speaking out after a recent comment about the team’s past sparked pushback from one of its most notable alumni.
Days after Belichick cited “the last 25 years” as to why New England fans should be hopeful about the future, the longtime coach clarified the remark Wednesday to The Boston Globe.
“We’re not resting on our past laurels; that’s not the message to the team or the fans,” Belichick said.
“We have never operated that way and aren’t now.”
Belichick’s reference to the past caught former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi off guard.
During an appearance Tuesday on ESPN’s “Get Up,” the three-time Super Bowl champion — who played for the Patriots from 1996 to 2008 — said Belichick’s take is “off-message.”
“I don’t know how many times I’ve been in meetings with Coach Belichick and the very first meeting is, ‘I don’t care about anything in the past.’ We win Super Bowls, ‘last year doesn’t matter.’ Pro Bowls don’t matter, All-Pros don’t matter. ‘Everything you’ve done last year doesn’t matter, fellas. It’s about who we are going forward,'” Bruschi said, according to NESN.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media in December 2022.Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesBruschi added the approach from Belichick, who has won six Super Bowls in New England, “was surprising to me.”
“This is what the good teams do. Players hold coaches accountable also when they get off-message. Right now, Coach Belichick is off-message,” Bruschi said.
“That is something that his players shouldn’t hear — that he is basing some optimism to fans on ‘what I’ve done the last 25 years.’ I don’t know if I’ve ever heard Bill mention something like that in terms of his whole body of work. It was surprising to me.”
Tedy Bruschi (seen holding up the Lombardi Trophy in this 2004 photo) called out his former coach this week over a comment made about the Patriots’ past success.Corbis via Getty ImagesThe Patriots last reached the Super Bowl in February 2019, when then-quarterback Tom Brady led New England to a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Brady left the Patriots in March 2020 and won his seventh and final Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in February 2021.
The Patriots have only reached the postseason once after Brady’s exit, in what was a wild-card loss to the Bills in January 2022.
New England finished last season at 8-9 and third in the AFC East.
Belichick said Monday there’s “a lot of work to do” between now and September.
Bill Belichick speaks to quarterback Mac Jones before a game in September 2022.Getty Images“Long way to go,” Belichick during the NFL owners’ meetings in Phoenix, according to NESN.
“It’s March. We play in September. There’s a long way to go, a lot of work to do.”
As for quarterback Mac Jones, who is entering his third season in New England, Belichick would not commit to the former Alabama product as the Patriots’ starter.
Elsewhere, Patriots owner Robert Kraft lauded Jones, who struggled in his sophomore season as Matt Patricia and Joe Judge took over the offense after Josh McDaniels left to become the Raiders’ head coach.
“I think we experimented with some things last year that frankly didn’t work when it came to him, in my opinion. We made changes that I think put him in a good position to excel,” Kraft said.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft chats with Mac Jones on the sidelines. Boston Globe via Getty ImagesThe Patriots hired Bill O’Brien as their new offensive coordinator in January.
It’s been an interesting week for Belichick and Kraft, with Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston recently describing the relationship between the two as “icy” and “wary.”
“It’s interesting, because I watched them last week at the Devin McCourty retirement ceremony sitting next to each other, and there was an embrace at the beginning. But when they put a microphone in front of them, they are putting their agendas out there in very specific ways,” Curran said earlier this week.
“The non-committal verbiage (from Belichick) around Mac when you know that Robert is laying at your feet blame for Mac failing last year is probably the biggest wishbone in all of this. So, I think they’re wary of each other, and they’re kind of peeing on their territory.”
