Former New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel dropped an article that hinted on the idea that coach Bill Belichick had loosened his typical ruling with an iron fist on players’ comments to the media.
There have been remarks touching on concerns and uncertainties with the way the offense is being handled.
FOX Sports analyst Colin Cowherd took things a step further by saying the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach had changed. He pointed to the success, money and age being the primary culprit in the metamorphosis of Belichick.
Well, former Patriots assistant coach and former NFL head coach Eric Mangini disagreed with those comments, during an appearance on “The Herd.”
“I heard you talking about Bill yesterday when you said that he changed, and I don’t know many people in their 70s that changed,” said Mangini. “If anything, they become more ingrained in what they believe in. Bill has not changed. There’s been one comment from one guy. There wasn’t comments before. There hasn’t been comments after. And you’re not going to see anymore comments.
“That’s been handled. That’s been addressed. And there is a plan, and there is a consistent plan. And I can promise you that money hasn’t changed him. The fame hasn’t changed him. He’s been wealthy since he was in Cleveland.”
There aren’t many talking heads out there that know Belichick as well as Mangini. So his points are duly noted in this segment.
However, it will be interesting to see if other comments sneak through the cracks if the team struggles down the road. But so far, it has been dead silence since the initial comments—just like Mangini said.
