For the last several weeks, a lot of the conversation surrounding Bill Belichick has been the same: He’s likely gone. Robert Kraft has his finger on the trigger and now just needs to actually pull it. Kraft wants an “elegant solution” to this final chapter, while some believe Belichick will revel in playing hardball.
But, one thing continues to confuse me: Why do certain people think a Belichick trade isn’t worth discussing? Trading an NFL Head Coach isn’t insanely rare. We’re not talking Halley’s Comet. Do you know how many times a head coach has been traded since 1997? SEVEN.
Oh, but wait, Belichick has won titles. Awesome. Do you know how many times a Super Bowl-winning head coach has been traded since ‘97? Thrice: Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren, and Sean Payton. That’s 42.8% of traded head coaches! And, another head coach that was traded, quickly won a Super Bowl, when Jon Gruden did so with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
By the way, why is it crazy to think the GOAT of NFL head coaches, who has also acted as GM, would have trade value? Some will bring up the post-Brady resume. Well, the Patriots weren’t afraid to pay up for Belichick, even though he went 36-44 leading the Browns. Herm Edwards had a 20-28 regular season record, during the three years prior to his trade from the Jets to the Chiefs. Bruce Arians was 15-16-1 in his last two years with the Cardinals, sat for a year, then got dealt to the Bucs. You get the point.
Here’s another thing: Owners don’t like being embarrassed. They don’t like “losing” on or off the field. They strongly believe in precedent. And, precedent tells us that there’s been a head coach trade every 3.7 years since 1997, including last offseason when Payton went to Denver. Payton wanted out, did TV for a year, returned still under contract to New Orleans, and was subsequently dealt along with a 3rd-round pick for a first and second.
Oh, and if you’re worried about Belichick’s contract getting in the way…why? Payton had TWO years left on his deal with the Saints. He was traded to Denver, his old deal was ripped up and Payton was then given a 5-year deal worth $18M per season by the Broncos.
Check this excerpt out from the Sporting News and ask yourself if it sounds familiar:
Payton's retirement could force New Orleans' hand.
The main thing working in the Saints' favor is that there are a lot of teams with ambitious owners looking for coaches this year.
Payton had spent 15 years as the Saints' Head Coach. He had amassed a 152-89 record. He won a Super Bowl with one of the greatest QBs of his generation, Drew Brees. One side of the relationship wanted out. And, the owners figured it out. Why? Because the Saints had contractual leverage and precedent. Could you imagine that?
It wasn’t “messy.” It wasn’t “confrontational.” Payton wasn’t “concerned with his new team giving up a pick.” It was a business deal where each owner got what they wanted. Just like head coach trades that happened before and head coach trades that certainly will happen after.
I’m not telling you it’s impossible for Belichick to play hardball. Or, that he won’t be upset about his new team giving up a pick. I’m not even guaranteeing you a trade will happen. All I’m telling you is that other top coaches have been in similar situations and have been traded without a war breaking out. This situation might be dramatically different than those others because Belichick is dramatically different. Or, Belichick, Kraft and “Owner X” will do business, just like all the others did.
Is Craig Breslow Really Chaim Bloom?
“Craig Breslow is just another Chaim Bloom!” You’re sure to hear that plenty of times over the next 10 months, especially if the Red Sox don’t add a significant free agent. And, there are the obvious similarities: They both went to Yale. They both suffer from analytical robot speak. They dress the same. I get it. But, there’s one category where Breslow can and NEEDS to separate himself from his Ivy League twin: Trades.
Don’t get it twisted: Red Sox ownership was NOT disappointed by Bloom’s free agency approach. That approach came from the top, much like Breslow not being given an empty checkbook to offer Yoshinobu Yamamoto $300+ million. The issue was Bloom’s hesitancy to pull the trigger in any significant way at the trade deadline and/or offseason his last two years.
Do we not remember the leaks that followed Bloom’s firing? He failed to trade Chris Sale. Ownership thought deals were set last deadline to only not happen. Fellow personnel leaders were frustrated at Bloom’s indecisiveness. That was the issue. Let us all hope that Breslow proves himself to be different in that category, or 2024 could end up another lost season.
Stevens Understands the Mission
If there is one obvious need for the Celtics right now, this writer believes it’s someone who can fill the role that Grant Williams was supposed to fill: The 4-5 big that can stretch the floor and not be a total loss defensively. And, it certainly seems that Brad Stevens agrees with the recent reports of interest in old friend Kelly Olynyk and the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart. Both guys are hovering around 40% from three, have shown the ability to rebound and won’t get completely lost defensively within this team’s structure on that end. They would both provide insurance behind aging, but still good, Al Horford and injury prone Kristaps Porzingis. I like it.
Bruins Solid Win Doesn’t Erase Recent Ills
After the holiday layoff, it was nice to see the Bruins come up with a solid win against an undermanned Sabres team on the road. But, we can’t forget a major issue that has consistently caused the B’s play to decline over the last few weeks.
This team is in desperate need of secondary scoring at the wing. Jake DeBrusk’s 13 points in 32 games is obviously not enough. He’s been more than solid on the PK and has had a formidable two-way game, but he needs to score more, especially with the way this team is constructed. Maybe DeBrusk’s two assists on Wednesday night will start a “run.” We’ll see.
If not, where do the B’s go for help? Maybe Matt Poitras’ return helps move Morgan Geekie to the wing. Maybe moving Zacha to forward, like we saw to start the Sabres game, will provide a boost. Maybe a call up of Georgii Merkulov could provide a spark? One thing we all know is that it’s going to be tough to play at a consistently high level, when you’re not scoring enough five-on-five and/or sustaining zone time to put pressure on the opposition.