Some pretty interesting and amusing quotes in here.
NFL executives, coaches take issue with Bill Belichick's comments on salary cap
By
Ryan Hannable
Bill Belichick made a lot of headlines with his comments over the weekend when he said the team is playing younger players this year and doesn't have much roster depth due to salary cap limitations.
The coach doubled down on Ordway, Merloni & Fauria on Monday.
“Look, we paid Cam Newton $1 million,”
he said. “I mean it’s obvious we didn’t have any money. It’s nobody’s fault. That’s what we did the last five years. We sold out and won three Super Bowls, played in a fourth and played in a AFC championship game. This year we had less to work with. It’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact.”
A number of various NFL executives and coaches took issue to the comments,
speaking anonymously to Mike Sando of The Athletic.
Here's a sampling of the quotes.
Former head coach: “I saw that and I thought, why is it out there? Bill never would put anything like that out there, and all of a sudden it’s out there. Something is weird.”
Executive: “I have always wondered if they just decided to tank this year, especially once they had the opt-outs.”
Veteran coach: “Bill is saving up for next year and blowing smoke and hoping people believe him, crying poor, whatever. There is nothing to it. He knows it. They got stuck when Brady called their bluff and left. They didn’t improve the team and Brady said he’s out, going to go get some sunshine, bring his boy Gronk out (to Tampa Bay), have some drinks with the head coach and have some fun and call it a career.”
Executive: “It seemed very un-Belichickian to say what he said. You are the coach and GM. You have made all these decisions unless there is a veiled message, which could make you think about what they’ve spent. ... It is not a cap issue. They have been tight against the cap in moving money around, but lots of people have had the ability to do that and go through it.”
Executive: “Belichick has really run it tight economically whether it’s been players or staff or coaches and I think that has probably finally caught up to them. The cap is an excuse. The cap to me is hiding really that they haven’t spent cash. And it’s not just players. I wonder to some degree whether they’ve had a little bit of a brain drain. Everybody focuses on the coaches who have left not being successful, but (Titans GM) Jon Robinson, (Bucs GM) Jason Licht and all these other guys have left also.”
Executive: “Tell me the last Pro Bowl player they drafted and what year."
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