So now what for Bill Belichick? Seven NFL teams are looking for a head coach, and Belichick isn't ready to "Netflix and chill" or hit the shuffleboard courts.
"It will be difficult to see him in a cutoff hoodie on the sideline, but I will always wish him continued success, except when he's playing our beloved Patriots," Robert Kraft said Thursday, confirming what we've been telling you all year - Belichick isn't done coaching yet. And for good measure, Bill told us that after last weekend's season finale.
"No, I enjoy coaching. ... That's how I feel, but I still like coaching the team. I like preparing the team, game-planning, coaching on Sundays..."
Who wants Belichick? Who should want Belichick? And who should Belichick want? I'm glad you asked. Let's handicap the race.
7. Tennessee: They are out. Owner Amy Adams Strunk poop canned Mike Vrabel earlier this week, in part because he struggled to co-exist with GM Ran Carthon in an arranged marriage. Now you're going to insert Belichick into that scenario, with Carthon running the search? Feels like a hard no.
6. Washington: Belichick would be interested in this. There's history, a new owner who's well-thought-of and has already helped bring life to a franchise in the tank for most of the Dan Snyder era, and a roster that has pieces (WR, RB, DT). But they're already hired Adam Peters, who worked for Belichick, as GM and reporting out of the DC area is they have no interest. So scratch the Commanders off as well.
5. Seattle: Why would the Seahawks move on from a 70-plus-year-old coach to hire another 70-plus-year-old coach, one with zero ties to management? Stop before we start, even if they, too, have some solid building blocks (RB, WR, CB). It is not happening.
4. Carolina: I had the Panthers higher up on my list before owner David Tepper once again embarrassed himself by throwing a drink onto a fan during a game in Jacksonville last month. This guy may be worth a gazillion dollars (or so), but he has been a train wreck in the NFL, and year one of their rookie first-round pick QB out of Alabama did not go well, and that's being kind. They also lost more games than any team in the league and feel like they're more than a year or two away. Unless Belichick cares only about the money and would tolerate meeting with his boss after every game to go over it, I can't see this.
3. Chargers: From a roster perspective, this makes some sense. The quarterback is a top-10 player and is tough. There are some excellent pieces - Slater at left tackle, James as a hybrid linebacker/safety - and though they may have some tough decisions to make with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, I could see Belichick being energized by the California sunshine and perhaps more power than he might get anywhere else. File under: maybe?
2. Las Vegas (baby): I know people think owner Mark Davis wouldn't make another foray into Patriot land for his head coach, but Belichick isn't Josh McDaniels, and Davis loves stars. Also, talk of Davis not being as liquid as some other owners is nonsensical. They are printing money out there. Their biggest issue? The roster is subpar, starting with the quarterback. Jimmy G makes a lot of money and couldn't make it through half a season before getting benched, and the offensive line is porous. But other than that? Sure, why not? The black hole will love his approach, and I'm sorry, but I'd roll with BB over Antonio Pierce, regardless of what the second half of the season looked like. This one is not out of the question.
1. Atlanta: Okay, I don't love the idea of a historical coach like Belichick roaming the sidelines for a franchise devoid of real fans or much history, but Arthur Blank is a good owner who actually cares. He's been looking for a winner and nearly had one (the 28-3 debacle with Belichick on the other side). The roster is middle of the road and without a competent quarterback, but they have the means to sign a veteran QB or make a move in the draft for one of the top prospects. The line is solid, and they have weapons (Bijan, Pitts, London) and a decent offensive line. That would allow Belichick to concentrate on his favored side of the ball and get that Shula record in two seasons. Of the current openings, this one feels like it's got the best shot of happening however...
What about the Dallas Cowboys? Yes, Mike McCarthy has done an excellent job with that offense, and this feels like the best Cowboy team in a long time. But if they lose at home to his old team, the Packers, this weekend, what happens then? Does an aging Jerry Jones, who has admitted he doesn't know how many years he's got left running this show, send McCarthy to the unemployment line and scoop up Belichick, someone he's had a great relationship with and who Belichick has gone out of his way to praise every chance he's gotten? In reality, this job is the best case for Belichick. Prescott. Lamb. Parsons. Diggs. Yeah, he'd have to surrender any notion of shopping for the groceries, but he could catch Shula quicker, and that's a real Super Bowl contender.
(Philly could be another surprise opening. They've vomited on their shoes the last six weeks, and if they get beat by the Bucs, I rule nothing out. East Coast. A chance to play the Giants twice. A short flight to Nantucket. Not too shabby).
THE PLAYOFFS. DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE?
The weekend opens with the upstart Texans against Joe Flacco's Browns. The two teams played in Week 16, with Cleveland winning 36-22 over a C.J. Stroud-less Houston team. Stroud has had a tremendous rookie season with 4,108 yards passing and a 23-to-5 touchdown to interception ratio, which led the league and made him the youngest player in NFL history to do so. The rookie led the Texans from worst to first in the AFC South.
"Decisive with the ball, accurate passer, buy some time, makes big plays down the field," opined Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. "I think when it's all said and done, the fact that he's passed for as many yards as he has without turning the ball over is really impressive for a young guy. Usually the cost of doing business if you're going to throw a lot of yards is you also turn the ball over a lot. It's been impressive what he's been able to do."
Meanwhile, Flacco is chucking the ball all over the yard, turnovers be damned. He's been picked eight times in five games, but the Browns will take the tradeoff. The 38-year-old has been slinging like it's 2014, which happens to be the last time he started a playoff game, throwing for over 300 yards in each of his previous four games. The only player older than Flacco to have 300+ passing yards in 4 straight games was Tom Brady (2017 & 2020); no player age 38+ has had a 5-game streak.
"I think when you get to be in the playoffs and get (the chance) to win football games, there's some part of you that takes pride in that," said Flacco. "No matter where it is. This is what we go to work for every day: to be in this position and to play these types of games. So I think we should all hold our heads high. We earned the right to be playing this Saturday, and you should gain something from that. But once you lace them up and once you're actually out on the field, none of that matters."
DOLPHINS AT CHIEFS
Let's start with the weather. It's supposed to be frigid. Try a wind chill of minus 30 below. That's less than ideal for a team from South Florida.
"Well, it's a mindset," said former Chief and current Dolphin Tyreek Hill. "I feel like if you believe it's going to be cold, then you're going to freeze your balls off. But if you go into this game not even thinking any of that, you'll be fine. With me being me, I played there, and I understand the conditions. I'm not even worried about it at all. I'm going to go out there with no sleeves and tell the rest of the guys it's a mindset. If those guys see you wearing sleeves, obviously, they're going to think you're soft. We're going to go out there and do our thing."
Well, that's one way to look at it. The other?
"You can't prepare for a game like that with that kind of weather, so it'll be new," said Tua Tagovailoa.
The Fins have lost 10 straight games played in temperatures of 40 degrees or less, and Tua is 0-3 in such contests. He'll be going against a defense intent on mayhem. The Chiefs lead the league with 57 sacks, allowing only one TD pass of 20 yards or more, something that's been an integral part of Miami's offense (Tua leads the league with 10 TD passes on deep balls).
The KC "D" may have to stand and deliver when you consider how much of a struggle it's been for the Chiefs offense this year. Patrick Mahomes has had his hands full with inexperienced or middle-of-the-road pass catchers and an offensive line that hasn't played to the same level it did a season ago. Yet, if anyone can elevate those around him, it's this quarterback.
"I'm extremely confident, not only in our offense but in the team," said Mahomes. "You see how the defense is playing. Offensively, I feel like we're going to play our best football at the right time. We don't have to score too many points. If we can just score enough points, our defense will shut the door."
STEELERS AT BILLS
The Bills are 7-1 at home this season and have been in playoff mode for over a month, knowing they needed to win out to get to "the tournament," which is precisely what they did, winning five in a row.
"The mindset doesn't change," said defensive tackle Ed Oliver. "It's the same mentality, the same tenacity, the same effort, the same execution, the same emphasis on every game. We've been in the playoffs for five weeks now. Every game is a must-win. Every play, every snap, every second of every day counts towards one goal, and that's winning."
They'll be facing a Steelers team that will be without star T.J. Watt, who screwed up his knee in the regular season finale, but that has found their way offensively under third-stringer Mason Rudolph. Since making his first start of the year three games ago, the former Oklahoma State product has completed 75% of his passes with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, unlocking both George Pickens and Dionte Johnson in the process.
"We're simply staying with the hot hand and not disrupting the apple cart," Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. "We've been in some tough circumstances. He's delivered, we've delivered."
PACKERS AT COWBOYS
The Cowboys last advanced past the Divisional Round in 1995, but if there was ever a year...
They got Mike McCarthy's former team, the Packers, coming to AT&T Stadium, where Dallas has won 16 straight. Dak Prescott has been dealing - he's probably going to finish as the runner-up to Lamar Jackson for the MVP and has a league-leading 36 TD passes - and Ceedee Lamb is damn near uncoverable (135 catches).
"I don't know if I've had this much confidence or a greater feel than I've had with this offense, with this team, with our approach, and how we're going to go and take care of things," said Prescott this week.
Meanwhile, Jordan Love has been excellent in his first year as a starter, with 32 TD passes (2nd in NFL). But it's been the second half of the season - eight games - where he's looked as good as anyone playing the position, including Prescott, completing 70.3% of his passes for 2,150 yards, 18 scores, and just one INT.
"Everybody looks to him as a leader," said guard Jon Runyan. "He's got complete control of this offense and what he does. We trust him, and you're able to see it on the field. He's a great guy, a great person in the locker room, and the stuff he's done for us is unbelievable, and hopefully, you can sustain it and keep it going forward in these playoffs."
RAMS AT LIONS
The Rams have won seven of eight; the only loss was an overtime defeat at Baltimore. They are hotter than Arizona in the summertime (but it's a dry heat).
This game pits quarterbacks who changed places: Matthew Stafford from Detroit to LA and Jared Goff from LA to Detroit. Both have been eerily similar in production. The big difference? Stafford won a Super Bowl when Goff couldn't, and that has stuck to the Lions signal caller.
"He's a mature guy; he understands that's three years removed," said Dan Campbell. "He knows that's going to be a storyline, as we all do, but it's why he's done as well as he's done because he can just focus on the job at hand -- this is what's right in front of me. He wants to win this game just like we all do because we get to move on to the next round, and I think that's the most important thing."
EAGLES AT BUCCANEERS
What has happened to Philly? And can they fix it on the fly? The Eagles were 10-1 and thinking about having home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Instead, they became the first team with that record and not get to 12 wins, losing five of six to finish the regular season.
To make matters worse, Jalen Hurts dislocated his middle finger in the finale and has been limited in practice, not even attempting to throw a football until Thursday.
"Everything is a challenge when you have a finger out of place," he said.
Hurts finished the 2023 regular season with 12 more giveaways than he had in 2022
"Obviously, it will be a challenge," said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. "And I know that he can overcome because he's overcome so many different things throughout his football journey. And that's what makes him special."
The Eagles might also be without star wide receiver A.J. Brown, who hurt his knee in week 18. Meanwhile, no one thought the Bucs would be here with Baker Mayfield at QB, but they won the dreadful NFC South, and the former number-one overall draft pick, who's now on his third team, has a chance to exploit a pass defense that has been porous for a better part of the season. His top two targets - Mike Evans and Chris Godwin - each finished with over 1,000 yards receiving, and Evans hauled in 13 touchdowns.
Of course, Mayfield is also beaten up, hurting his ribs in week 17 and his ankle the following week. He'll be facing a pass rusher that comes at you in waves.
"The best thing about their defense is their front," said Mayfield. "They've had a lot of studs there for a long time, and they just keep reloading them. It's something that we have to be aware of – and we definitely are. For me, it's doing everything I need to do physically to get ready for the game and going from there. Making sure we're all on the same page, gameplanning-wise to where when we get those live reps, we're ready to roll."