While We’re Young (Ideas) | Belichick: We’re On to Carolina
BOSTON – For a lifelong media relations executive, there was nothing more entertaining than watching and listening to Bill Belichick interviews before and after New England Patriots games. It was nothing short of brutal.
Prior to the games, the assembled media would attempt to get a morsel of game preparation from a rock, try to obtain Belichick’s thoughts of the strengths and weaknesses of his upcoming opponent or, at least, a mundane quote about a superstar coming to play the Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Paraphrasing here, Belichick would step up to his home stadium podium, complete with Gillette advertising to his back, and he’d speak in a low monotone voice, never providing a syllable of intonation, enthusiasm or maybe tipping his hand on true competitive spirit or rivalry. It would be something along the lines of:
“Great football team and a great organization. Very well-coached club. Strong offense. Strong defensive unit. Great secondary. They’re good in all three phases of the game. We’ll need to coach better. The players need to prepare this week, play better, harder. We can’t let down at all.”
Nice quote, but when you’re hearing the same exact thing no matter if the Patriots were playing an 0-7 team or a 7-0 former Super Bowl championship team, it got a bit repetitive and utterly ridiculous.
Nope.
Media members assembled, especially those who hadn’t fallen on a sword, would consistently try to re-word a question and come back at Belichick from another angle, maybe citing a specific opponent’s name.
“Great player. We have to defend better.”
Weather conditions? “It’s the same for both teams. Just gotta play.”
The price of tea in China?
“Consistent. Great tea.”
And, my favorite was an answer to a question/statement that went something along the lines of, “You’ve had tremendous games against Peyton Manning in the past. What’s the common denominator in those games and what we’ll possibly see this Sunday?”
Belichick: “Peyton Manning.”
Of course, Belichick’s greatest postgame press conference performance is only rivaled by former Philadelphia 76ers all-star Allen Iverson with his, “Practice. You talkin’ about practice. Not the game.”
Belichick’s “We’re on to Cincinnati” phrase seemed to be on a damn loop. It was so bad, it was great. In fact, it’s the greatest thing to hit Cincinnati since WKRP. And, it was the most ridiculous and horrifying thing to hit Boston since the January 15, 1919 Molasses Flood.
The thing that made me laugh out loud was watching Belichick on the Deflate Gate scandal when he claimed that he wasn’t a scientist nor the “Mona Lisa Vito” of football (which was outright hysterical for anyone who’d seen the motion picture, “My Cousin Vinny.”
Equally mind boggling were the incredible NFL 100 specials, celebrating the NFL’s 100th Season in grand fashion by naming the all-time greatest players, many who Belichick saw play or remembered from his extensive study of the game. Put bluntly, Belichick was “off-the-charts” great in his commentary and his enthusiasm for the project. He knew the documentaries were an ever-lasting legacy, not necessarily of him, but for the NFL. He wanted to do right by the history of the NFL, the legacy players and coaches and he was fantastic. It certianly showed, ‘Hey, he knows how to do it.”
Belichick was also fabulous on the pregame studio show for the Army vs. Navy game played at Gillette Stadium. With the fact his father had coached at Annapolis, Belichick told story after story about growing up watching Navy football.
Why does your favorite column list these great memories of Belichick past? Undoubtedy, you’ve heard or read by now that Belichick was named head coach of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, quickly earning a new nickname of “Chapel Bill.” He joins a competitive ACC Conference where he might meet up against former Assistant coach “Chestnut Bill O’Brien” of Boston College. Belichick’s former “right hand man” in Berj Najarian was hired by O’Brien to work in a similar role as he had with the Patriots, acting as Chief of Staff and all-around miracle worker. It will be interesting to see if Najarian takes a drive down I-95 South to re-join Belichick at UNC or if he stays at BC where he’s earned a legion of supporters in the department of athletics. Najarian’s immediate concern is Boston College’s trip to the Pinstripe Bowl in the Bronx and that will come as Carolina heads north on I-95 to the Fenway Bowl. Both games are scheduled for December 28th.
One final note on Belichick is that he certainly “won” his introductory press conference in Carolina, showing his charming, brighter side rather than dour football persona. Big Bill took a nice poke at Duke University, immediately jumping on the basketball-centric rivalry, and he also provided the world with a comment that could’ve only been stated before by the great NY Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra.
Asked about the chance of a return to the NFL sidelines at the first pro job offered, Belichick stated emphatically, “I didn’t come here to leave.”
He later noted that coaching at the college level was “a dream come true.”
Maybe Belichick can begin to build a “Dream Team” at Carolina by checking if UNC basketball great Michael Jordan has any eligibility remaining on the gridiron, rather than the hardwood?
TIDBITS: Army! Navy! USAA! … The San Antonio based savings and investment vehicle for the U.S. military and their families extended its presenting partnership of the Army-Navy game, as reported Friday by SBJ. … This year’s game was played in Landover, MD on Saturday with Navy upsetting and dominating their 125-year rival, 31-13. USAA’s existing deal was set to expire in 2025, and the new agreement establishes the partnership through 2030.
USAA has been the presenting sponsor of Army-Navy since signing the 2009 contest. The Texas-based insurance provider has used 160over90 as its brand sponsorship agency of record since 2011. Army and Navy also announced a 10-year extension of their deal with CBS to broadcast the game last week.
Future Venues for the Army-Navy Game:
- M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD – Dec. 13, 2025
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ – Dec. 12, 2026
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA – Dec. 11, 2027
GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for a FRIEND OF PGA Tour GOLF: For any readers who love the follow the PGA Tour or if you have friends/family members who live and die by the Tour, each and every week, this is a special offer just for you for the Holidays. … PGA Tour Brunch is offering a Christmas/Holiday Special from today through January 10, 2025. … That also coincides with PGA Tour Brunch beginning season-long coverage – starting with The Sentry – January 2-5, 2025. … PGA Tour Brunch publishes six days a week (Tuesday is off day) and includes a Wednesday Preview with odds listed. To get your discounted offer, visit HERE.
THIS JEST IN: He’s a rambler, gambler and soon to be diplomat. Houston Rockets team owner Tilman Fertitta, the billionaire and chairman, president, and CEO of dining, hospitality, gaming, and entertainment corporation Landry’s Inc., is reportedly in line to be named the United States Ambassador to Italy.
CBS News first reported that President-elect Donald J. Trump is eyeing Fertitta for the prestigious post. For the appointment to become official, Fertitta would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, figured to be a rubber-stamp manuever.
Fertitta, a resident and native product of Houston, Texas is sometimes referred to as “the world’s richest restaurateur.” Through Landry’s, Fertitta owns more than 600 properties in 36 states with other locations in over 15 countries. His restaurant holdings feature more than 80 different restaurant brands. He also owns and operates numerous gaming, hospitality, and entertainment venues, including the Golden Nugget Casino and hotel brand.
YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: Louisiana Tech will replace the Thundering Herd of Marshall in the upcoming Independence Bowl because the Marshall coach (Charles Huff) departed the day after the regular season ended, taking the head coaching job at Southern Miss. and most of his players headed out with him … As of Saturday morning, 36 Marshall players entered the transfer portal, including 29 scholarship players. Louisiana Tech (5-7 in the Sun Belt) will play No. 19 (but most likely falling in the national rankings) Army (11-2, the No. 1 in the American Athletic Conference) on Dec. 28 at 9:15pm. Navy plays Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 27 at Noon ET in Ft. Worth, Texas.
YOU SHOULDN’T MAKE IT UP: The woman who alleged in 2006 that three Duke lacrosse players raped her admitted on a podcast that she fabricated the story. In a podcast interview with the “Let’s Talk With Kat,” Crystal Mangum said she lied about the crimes she accused three Duke athletes of committing at a party in 2006. The three were declared innocent in 2007 when Mangum’s story did not hold up under police and legal examination. … “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong,” said Ms. Mangum, now serving a sentence for second degree murder of an ex-boyfriend. … On March 13, 2006, Ms. Mangum worked as an exotic dancer and had been hired to perform at an off-campus Duke lacrosse team party. She told police that she was raped and beaten while trapped in a bathroom. … Since the statute of limitations has passed, there is no further legal recourse for the Duke students to pursue. They had successfully sued the school for improperly dealing with the allegations and the follow-up being botched. … Podcaster Kat DePasquale conducted at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, where Ms. Mangum is currently imprisoned for fatally stabbing her boyfriend. The crime occurred in 2011 and she is eligib le for parole in 2026. … Ms. Magnum’s false accusation resulted in a national news frenzy and proverbial conviction by false public opinion.