If Bill Belichick wants to keep his job in New England, he may have to pull out all the stops.
Our Tom E. Curran reported last month that "a decision was made" to part ways with Belichick at the end of the season following the Patriots' ugly loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. Patriots owner Robert Kraft obviously has the right to change his mind and keep Belichick in 2024, but it might take some convincing from Belichick when the two sit down for their end-of-season meeting after the worst Patriots campaign in three decades.
As Curran and Phil Perry explained on a new Patriots Talk Podcast, however, Belichick can turn on the charm when he needs to. And Perry wonders if the longtime head coach will try to appeal to Kraft's "emotional" side in convincing the 82-year-old owner to keep him around for another season.
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"It would be him showing what everyone will tell you they see from Bill Belichick when he's away from the cameras," Perry said of Belichick. "And you and I have experienced that too, Tom. It's always the, 'Well, if you really get to know Bill, he's not the way he is at press conferences all the time.'
"So is that the guy we see? Is it the guy Robert Kraft sees whenever they have that meeting? Because I do wonder -- and I know there are people that are close to Kraft who wonder -- if (Belichick) can turn on the humanity in that final meeting, does that sway Robert Kraft, who not only has committed to him for another year contractually and so will be owing him money if he does plan on firing Bill Belichick, but for someone who is, I think in a good way, an emotional person whose strength might be in his humanity?
"So, does Bill Belichick flip that switch when he steps into his boss' office about a week from today?"
Belichick has built up immeasurable goodwill over two-plus decades of massive success in New England, and he could play that card when he meets with Kraft. Why not give the greatest coach in the history of the franchise the chance to finish out his contract in 2024 with what should be a revamped roster?
As Curran pointed out, however, Kraft would be doing his franchise a disservice if he's swayed enough by Belichick's "charm" to change his mind.
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"I think what the Patriots need to guard against is being emotional," Curran added. "If you've made a decision -- which, all indications that I was given weeks ago are that they have -- that wasn't, I'm surmising, easily arrived at.
"The last six weeks since (the loss to) Indianapolis in Germany have featured a 2-4 team with depressing losses and a benched quarterback, and stirring performances by the defense. But it should not be so tenuous a decision that just a smile and a 'You've been a great owner to me and I want to come back' should flip everything."
"That, to me, is what is distressing about the overall future of the franchise. If you can just make a decision or flip off a decision because you're uncomfortable with it, or you're afraid of the future, or the finances might be messy, or you want to have Bill back -- those aren't the right reasons to move off of that decision.
" ... It would seem extremely shortsighted to me if all it would take would be 45 minutes of charm to change the direction of the franchise."
Also in this episode:
- Has this team indicated it’s on the cusp of being competent?
- Jerod Mayo reacts to reports that he’s rubbed people the wrong way