Belichick hates when ex-assistants ‘tear down’ his program. Does that apply to Flores?
Bill Belichick rarely makes news in news conferences.
But he’s remarkably candid in documentaries.
Appearing recently in HBO’s “Belichick & Saban: The Art of Coaching,” the eight-time Super Bowl champion groused about former Patriots assistants raiding New England’s staff when they become head coaches.
“Look, I’m happy for the people that have worked hard for me to get opportunities,” Belichick said, according to AL.com. “I want to see them build their own program. When they try to tear down our program, that’s kind of where the line, I feel like, gets crossed.”
Was that a veiled shot at the Dolphins? When Brian Flores agreed to take the job in Miami, he did so hoping to bring a bunch of friends with him.
Ultimately, Flores hired three assistants directly from New England: offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea, cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer and de facto quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski. That doesn’t even include Patrick Graham, who spent years with Flores in New England but hasn’t worked for the Patriots since 2015.
Belichick, in a conference call with reporters Monday morning, was not asked directly about his comments in the documentary and whether he had Flores in mind when he said them.
But he did get a question about the Dolphins’ habit of poaching Patriots players off the waiver wire and New England’s practice squad.
The Dolphins on Sunday used five players who have been part of the Patriots’ organization in the past calendar year. Calvin Munson, Jomal Wiltz, Eric Rowe and Trent Harris all started for Miami against the Bengals.
It’s not a new phenomenon. Flores has used every opportunity possible to acquire guys he coached in New England.
And so a reporter asked Belichick: Are you OK with a former coach picking up guys off your practice squad?
“I’m not really following you,” Belichick responded. “I mean all practice squad players are eligible to sign with any other team in the league. And every team in the league has signed practice squad players.”
If Belichick has any hard feelings toward Flores, he did a good job masking it Monday. He was complimentary about the job Flores has done in his first season in Miami, calling them “a tough team that competes well.”
“Over the second half of the season, they’ve improved from where they were earlier in the year,” Belichick added. “They’ve been competitive, really, every week. And you know just the overall level of execution and fundamentals have improved, despite the fact they’ve played a lot of players and had moving parts over there on both sides of the ball. You can see the improvement and the continuity from the guys that have been together. And some of the guys that have stepped in there with limited play time opportunity have improved impressively. And I’m sure they’re continue to get more opportunities.”
