In one of the most shocking developments in recent years, Bill Belichick is leaving the NFL for college football, agreeing to become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels.
After parting ways with the Patriots following two decades worth of work, the only club that was interested in hiring Belichick last offseason was the Atlanta Falcons, and for a lot of the process, it seemed inevitable.
Arthur Blank reportedly wanted to hire the man many consider to be the greatest head coach of all time, but his confidants apparently convinced him otherwise, eventually landing on the “safe” option of Raheem Morris.
The decision was criticized, and as we get further away from that saga, more information comes to light. The latest is just more of the same, painting the Falcons in a bad light. From an article by Seth Wickersham of ESPN, Belichick apparently took issue with Atlanta’s draft strategy or, more specifically, Terry Fontenot’s arrogance.
“Listening to Fontenot discuss drafting systems last January, as if he knew it all, bothered him,” a Belichick confidant said to Wickersham.
One reason why NFL clubs were hesitant to hire Bill Belichick was his totalitarian style of leadership, running an organization from top to bottom his way. Reports, however, did emerge that he’d be willing to work with Fontenot and the rest of the existing staff.
Regardless of the semantics, I think it’s notable that Bill Belichick, who has drafted and developed some of the best players this league has ever seen, thought Terry Fontenot was a know-it-all.
Belichick proved capable of overcoming Hall of Famers leaving New England, except for Tom Brady. The Falcons, on the other hand, haven’t had much success drafting at all. In all honesty, I’m not quite sure how Terry Fontenot survived Arthur Smith’s firing.
Very rarely does a GM survive four seasons without a postseason appearance, but getting rid of Fontenot after this season might cause more issues than keeping him. The Falcons were better off hiring a GM and head coach together. Now, if they want to fire Fontenot, think about the situation that a new GM is coming into.
He’ll be married to a head coach that he had no say in hiring, a $180 million quarterback that he didn’t sign, and a rookie quarterback that he didn’t draft. What respected GM candidate is going to want to come into that mess?
The Falcons would be hiring a GM to come in and make a monumental decision immediately — keeping or trading Kirk Cousins. The Falcons should’ve fired Terry Fontenot with Arthur Smith and wiped the slate completely clean. Now, it’s even more of a mess than before.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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