The Falcons finally introduced Raheem Morris as their next head coach with a press conference today. However, a lot of the talk around the league is still surrounding who the Falcons decided not to hire, Bill Belichick.
From the start of their head coaching search, Belichick was believed to be the favorite to land the job in Atlanta. They were the only team to show serious interest in arguably the greatest head coach of all time, and Arthur Blank was reportedly enamored with The Patriot Way, which has resulted in six Super Bowls for his friend Robert Kraft in New England.
However, as the process lengthened, issues arose that turned Blank away from Belichick. He wanted to hire Belichick the head coach, not all the other hats Belichick wanted to wear at his next organization. In New England, he was the de facto general manager for two decades, having full autonomy of coaching and personnel decisions. Most expected him to relieve some of that power at his next stop, but apparently, Belichick had no interest in doing that. He wanted full control and was going to bring in all of his guys if Blank had hired him, leaving many people currently in the organization without jobs.
If this were 5-10 years ago, I’m not sure that would have been an issue, but Belichick is approaching his mid-70s. He’s not going to be coaching forever, and it seems that Blank felt uneasy about moving heaven and earth for a head coach that may only be around for a couple of seasons. That forced the Falcons to reset and evaluate all of their other options seriously, leading to the hiring of Raheem Morris, who blew them away throughout the interview process.
The idea of hiring the greatest coach of all time should intrigue everyone, which is why it was so odd that the Falcons were the only team to show serious interest, and it led to one of his former players, Julian Edelman, speaking out in favor of his former head coach.
https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1754565858259562749?s=20
I completely understand where both Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski are coming from. In the right situation, there should have been a half-dozen teams vying for Belichick’s services. There is no questioning that he is one of the brightest football minds the game has ever seen.
However, Atlanta was not the right situation. This is not a roster primed for a Super Bowl run next season. They don’t even know who will be the quarterback in 2024. Belichick would have just been a band-aid on a wound that needs surgery. Could he have gotten the Falcons to the playoffs? Probably, but the organization would have found themselves in the same position they were in this offseason — searching for a new head coach — in a few years once Belichick decided to retire. Not only that, but they would also have to completely overhaul the front office because of all the changes Belichick would have made.
I’m fairly shocked teams on the cusp of contending, like the Cowboys and Eagles, didn’t give Belichick an opportunity. However, it’s evident that his desire to have complete control over the organization turned a lot of teams off. Now, he’ll have an entire year to evaluate if he’s willing to change, or we may have seen the last of him on the sidelines.
—
Photo: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.