Storied franchises like the New England Patriots have a distinct aroma as opposed to the wretched stench of perennial losers like Arizona, Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Detroit. And because the wafting scent of winning is an aphrodisiac to owners who want what Robert Kraft has, the natural inclination is to reach out and poach someone. Once the regular season draws to a close the hunt is on for those teams that need not concern themselves with the postseason. Yes, the losers are looking to become winners and anyone even remotely associated with a Super Bowl contending club is fair game. Therefore, it is not surprising that Bill Belichick may be seeing the last of his subordinates once the Patriots’ championship aspirations are realized or not.
Where coaches like Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels or default defensive coordinator Brian Flores will land is anyone’s guess. However, there are online sportsbooks taking action on just such an occurrence. If you’ve ever wondered how to bet on sports, you might find intriguing proposition wagers like odds on who will be the Jets’ next head coach.
Right now, both McDaniels and Flores are prepping their charges for a date at the Razor against the highest AFC seed emerging from wildcard weekend. But undoubtedly the background noise they are hearing is a cacophony of NFL CEO’s, GM’s, and assorted executive management types baying at the moon, not to mention the duo’s agents, for an appointment – a little sit-down if you will – to discuss the allure of a long, prosperous future in the desert with the Arizona Cardinals or a trip to the Queen City to wax prosaic on the football wonderland that is Cincinnati. We may chuckle at the thought of leaving a rabid hotbed of football heaven here in New England but then again, we’re not being offered oodles of cash to take the money and run.
Regardless of who abandons ship and where they go, Bill Belichick will fill the void and the next man up will be as good as the last man gone. It’s not supposed to work that way of course but it does in Bill’s world. When asked about the prospects of some of his staff being courted for any number of the eight coaching vacancies available, Belichick replied, “I’m really focused right now on getting our team ready for the next game, and try to prepare us for a week from Sunday. Whatever else is happening is happening. Not really much I can do about it. Doesn’t really affect me. So, you should talk to those teams to see what they’re doing. I don’t really know.”
It was a typical Belichickian response which basically avoided the answering the actual question, gave a cursory enough response to let the reporter know that he wasn’t going to get a bone on this day, and essentially ended the discussion. Belichick has it down to a science yet reporters have a job to do and the Patriots’ head coach is expert at deflecting, avoiding, and turning any query into an awkward intrusion. But the fact remains that the Patriots could very well be seeking a new offensive coordinator of their own once their season is done, hopefully after hoisting another Lombardi Trophy on high, and may also be in search of a defensive coordinator that may demand he’s actually given the title of, well ya know, defensive coordinator. Only time will tell but for right now, New England has the guys that everyone else wants in yet another championship run.