Turns out the Atlanta Falcons weren’t the only ones who left Bill Belichick out in the cold.
Even before the franchise opted to hire Raheem Morris on Thursday — after being linked to the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach — Belichick got ripped by an always outspoken sports personality.
Skip Bayless Rips Bill Belichick: ‘Glorified Defensive Coordinator’
Fox Sports 1 personality Skip Bayless, not shy from giving out outlandish takes, ripped into the former New England Patriots head coach Thursday. This came nearly four hours before the Morris hire.
Bayless threw some serious shade at the unemployed coach, who remains without an NFL job following the Falcons’ decision.
“In the end, that means he was a glorified defensive coordinator for a dynasty,” Bayless said during Thursday’s “Undisputed” episode.
While Belichick is considered a tenured defensive mind, why would Bayless believe that the legendary head coach wasn’t much of a coaching leader?
“Because he ran a defense while Tom effectively ran the offense and made all the winning plays to win all those Super Bowls,” Bayless said.
“Belichick was a glorified defensive coordinator.”@RealSkipBayless isn’t buying into the notion Bill Belichick is the GOAT head coach pic.twitter.com/hRUYWz3s5r
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 25, 2024
Bayless then pointed out how, without Brady as his quarterback, Belichick went 64-85 as a head coach. After Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Belichick went 29-38 with just one playoff appearance.
That playoff game saw the rival Buffalo Bills blow out Belichick and the Patriots 47-17 in the Wild Card Round.
Bayless Gets Strong Reactions
Of course, Bayless got some pushback for those comments by his co-hosts.
“Stop!” Keyshawn Johnson said.
He also questioned if Brady’s offensive coordinators Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels had any kind of impact.
MORE: What’s Next for Bill Belichick?
“So Tom Brady was calling the plays, and he was designing everything?” Johnson loudly asked.
“Tom took that offense over after about two years,” Bayless said.
Still, Bayless pivoted to what’s become a tired “Brady made Belichick” argument that Johnson and fellow co-host Michael Irvin disagreed with.
There is one aspect of Belichick, though, that the men agreed on.
‘Undisputed’ Believes Belichick Wouldn’t Have Fit Los Angeles
While Belichick has his titles in tow, he’s been known for giving succinct answers during weekly media sessions and in postgame press conferences.
Many across NFL circles believe he’s too boorish of a personality despite his winning résumé.
And for that reason, the “Undisputed” crew believes that the Los Angeles Chargers were better off without Belichick.
With the Bolts hiring Jim Harbaugh, Irvin believes the now-former Michigan head coach will become beloved in the City of Angels.
“LA is going to LOVE Jim Harbaugh. He’s going to be a megastar out in LA. Bill Belichick is not going to give you the quotes that you’re going to want. Jim Harbaugh is going to talk to you and give you some funny stuff beyond the football field. And he’ll talk to those reporters and mess with them,” Irvin said.
Johnson also believed that Harbaugh is a better fit given the fact the Chargers have Justin Herbert to work with. The fact that he’s now in Los Angeles means Harbaugh has the opportunity to win over the nation’s second-biggest television market.
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