Throughout the entire process until the very end, everyone expected the Falcons to hire Bill Belichick.
As we get further away from the hiring of Raheem Morris, more is revealed about the process that went on behind the scenes. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, Belichick wanted the same powers he enjoyed with the Patriots, which drove Arthur Blank away.
“… the source said meetings with Blank crystalized Belichick’s continued belief that the full scope of football operations, personnel and coaching should be under his decision-making umbrella.”
Albert Breer added that Blank wanted to hire Belichick “the coach” and not all the other hats he wore during his time in New England.
“My understanding is Blank went into the process wanting to hire Belichick as coach,” Breer wrote. “But those around the owner, fearing what that could mean for them, nudged him in different directions.”
For all intents and purposes, it seems that Bill Belichick thought the Falcons job was his, and now with this latest piece of information, it’s been confirmed. During an appearance on NBC Sports Boston, Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal weighed in on Belichick’s thinking.
“I think Bill thought he had the Falcons in his back pocket,” Bedard said. “Arthur Blank, I know, certainly wanted to hire Bill early in the process, but got away from him because Arthur Blank is one of those guys who listens to everybody.”
"I think [Bill Belichick] is pissed"@GregABedard weighs in on how Belichick is feeling about the Falcon's decision to pass on him pic.twitter.com/4AWCd3uqRU
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) January 26, 2024
Every report is seemingly aligned with Arthur Blank wanting Bill Belichick but eventually giving into the search committee’s advice about the architect of the Patriot Way. It’s becoming clear that Blank told Belichick one thing and did another.
“I think he’s pissed,” Bedard said about Belichick. “I think he’s really upset about this. I think he had this job.”
The Falcons got it right, in my opinion. Raheem Morris is a better coach for this team. Belichick needs a roster with a quarterback that is ready to compete immediately, which isn’t Atlanta at the moment. The Falcons need someone younger who is going to be around past two seasons; that wasn’t Belichick. Blank may have did him wrong, but I’m glad he did and ended up at Morris.
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Photographer: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire
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