Bill Belichick is considered a coaching legend in the NFL. He has been on the sidelines for the New England Patriots for 23 years – winning the Super Bowl six times. But the Patriots’ first game in Germany could be Belichick’s last.
What was that? A smile? By Bill Belichick? At the New England Patriots’ press conference in Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, reporters rubbed their eyes in amazement. Winning the lottery is more likely than seeing the 71-year-old smile. Bill Belichick, coach of the team from Massachusetts, referred to in the US newspapers as the “Emperor” in reference to “Star Wars” because of his usually very grumpy facial expression, shows a completely different side in Germany. “I’ve never seen you laugh as much as you do in Germany. How do you feel here?” a reporter wanted to know at the press conference. Belichick laughed and praised the hosts. “I love it here, I’ve been to Germany a few times. The country and people are great, thank you for the hospitality,” replied Belichick, as usual thin-lipped and dressed as usual in a hoodie.
But there isn’t much to laugh about at the moment for the Patriots coach. With only two wins from nine games, his team is far down in the table and the move towards the playoffs has long since left. The Patriots only had a similarly bad record in Belichick’s first season. That was in 2000. Back then, Germany failed miserably at the European Football Championships in Belgium and the Netherlands. Bill Clinton was President of the United States. And the Patriots won just five of their 16 games this season.
And he can still smile: Bill Belichick at the press conference in Frankfurt.
© Uwe Anspach / DPA
The Patriots are disappointing in the NFL
The team once again falls short of expectations; the Patriots have only reached the playoffs twice in the past five years, only to fail in the first round. Arguably the most dominant football team of the 21st century, which won six times under Belichick won the Super Bowl is currently in shambles – and Belichick is coming under more and more pressure. “The Patriots’ path is at an end. The players are no longer willing to submit to the authority of their head coach,” said sports journalist Mike Florio on “NBC Pro Football Talk” with Belichick. In “The Athletic” Mike Sando asked whether the path back to success could still be achieved with Belichick.
Belichick is not particularly popular among US sports journalists because of his behavior. After the defeat against Washington last weekend, he answered questions in very monosyllables – but he also behaves similarly when his team wins. “One of the reasons Belichick is so uncooperative with the media is that he finds the effects of popularity disruptive and corrosive,” writes columnist Sally Jenkins in the Washington Post. Belichick is an anti-elitist who would rather win with ungrateful, overwhelmed and underpaid reliable players than with superstars. “That’s because he always understood that there are many more dependencies in football than the throwing arm of a quarterback or the coach’s announcements through a headset.”
But the 71-year-old still has isolated support. “For me, Bill is the best coach who has ever coached,” says Sebastian Vollmer in an interview with star. The 39-year-old played under Belichick for the Patriots for nine years and was the only German to win the Super Bowl (2014 and 2016). It was Belichick who led the team to the title. “On paper the teams weren’t always the better, but they were well trained,” said Vollmer.
The key to success for Belichick was always discipline. Between 2011 and 2018, his team received 25 percent fewer penalties in playoff games than the other teams. “The most important thing in the game is the unforced errors. Once you eliminate things like penalties, turnovers and mental errors, you can just go out there and execute a play the way you’re supposed to execute it. Unless you can do that, you don’t have much of a chance to win,” Belichick once told the Washington Post.
Bill Belichick relies on discipline
In order to ensure discipline in the team, Belichick sometimes resorted to harsher measures. “We had a training session once and he warned us that a snowstorm was approaching and that we should leave early enough to be at the 8 a.m. meeting. Everyone was there on time, except for five players. They would be a few minutes late came, but Bill locked the door,” recalls Vollmer. Belichick’s strictness would have had a hand and foot, also because a team with players and staff consists of around 100 to 150 people. “If there is no order and discipline, it’s like kindergarten and you don’t get anything done. But the Patriots are at the forefront when it comes to the expectations of the players: how punctual or over-punctual you are, what you do alone how you prepare, how long you stay in the stadium and much more. That’s certainly an old-school appreciation from a Bill Belichick who expects that from his players.”
The future of the Patriots is at a crossroads, also because the stars are missing. “If you look at who we’ve lost over the last five years, they’ve been absolutely exceptional players, including Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski as future NFL Hall-of-Famers and many other players who will be in the Patriots Hall of Fame. If you look at the current team and see who could do that, the list gets shorter,” says Vollmer. But Belichick is also responsible for the squad, and he didn’t make particularly happy decisions, especially in the important position of quarterback. After Brady left in 2019, he signed former MVP Cam Newton, who only threw eight touchdowns all season. Young hopeful Mac Jones, who succeeded Newton, got off to a promising start and led the Patriots into the playoffs for the last time in his first year in 2021. But since then Jones has also been declining, and his values have continued to decline in the past and current seasons.
Meanwhile, the “Emperor’s” chair is also wobbling menacingly. The Boston Globe recently reported that it is not out of the question that the Patriots will part ways with Belichick this season. “The next two games (against Washington and Indianapolis, editor’s note) before the week off are extremely important, especially the game in Germany. This is practically the Super Bowl for the Kraft family,” writes editor Ben Volin. His contacts in the organization also indicated to him that it was not 100 percent certain that Belichick would be allowed to end the season on the sidelines.
Separation after the Germany game?
Team owner Robert Kraft put pressure on the team again on Saturday. The multi-billionaire showed up unexpectedly at the Patriots house in downtown Frankfurt on Saturday. “I told the team this morning that I met German fans and reassured them that every move on Sunday is important. I told the players that a win on Sunday is crucial and I hope that continues on the field,” said Kraft. Kraft did not comment on what could happen after a defeat in Frankfurt. There could be a change of coach, also due to the upcoming weekend without games – US media report that the Krafts already have a solution in hand. Bill Belichick’s smile could then disappear very quickly.
Sources: Washington Post, Washington Post, The Athletic, Boston Globe, NBC