Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest coach in the history of the NFL, may be on the hot seat if he doesn’t turn things around in New England.
So says former NFL linebacker LaVar Arrington, the three-time Pro Bowler who on April 2 appeared on Fox Sports 1’s “First Things First” and said that Belichick now faces scrutiny after the Patriots’ 7-9 record in 2020. That not only dropped them to third in the AFC East standings, but also was the organization’s first losing record in 20 seasons.
That alone isn’t reason enough for Belichick to feel any modicum of pressure to succeed — other than from himself, that is. But, Aarington said, that former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won a Super Bowl in his first season outside the organization with Tampa Bay raises the question of whether he or Belichick was the real reason for New England’s success.
“That seat is warm for Bill Belichick and that might sound crazy for some people, but Bill Belichick has to have a good season this year. And you know why? Because there are whispers — ‘It was Tom. It was always Tom. It couldn’t have been anything else but Tom.’ And Bill Belichick has to show before he gets too far away from Tom Brady leaving that it was not Tom Brady, that it was, in fact and indeed, the system of what Bill Belichick built in New England.”
MORE: NFL Draft prospects 2021: Big board of top 100 players
Below is Aarington’s entire segment discussing Belichick’s supposed hot seat.
To be fair, the Belichick-vs.-Brady argument has been ongoing for some time, even when they were winning their six Super Bowls together. And there was a clear drop-off at the position with former NFL MVP Cam Newton, who completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,657 and eight touchdowns to 10 interceptions last season.
It’s clear that Brady is doing better than Belichick post-breakup, but it likely will be a long time before Belichick faces any sort of heat regarding his job security.