The Bucs And Bill Belichick Continued
February 6th, 2024
Is Bucs GM Jason Licht among the Belichick-eager general managers in the NFL?
Former Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff dropped a super-interesting series of podcasts last year that flew way under the media radar.
Joe listened to nearly every one.
Dimitroff traveled the country for in-person interviews with NFL GMs. Guess who was featured on the inaugural episode? Correct! It was Bucs general manager Jason Licht, Dimitroff’s former front office colleague with the Patriots. Nuggets from Licht’s interview were written about here.
Fast forward to yesterday, and Dimitroff was a guest on WDAE-AM, Tampa Bay’s sports radio station.
Dimitroff was asked about Belichick’s future as a head coach and dropped this gem.
“I’m not going to mention names, but there are a number of guys out there that I know are in GM spots, who, quite honestly, if their owners would allow them, would contemplate heavily the idea of bringing in Bill [Belichick] even if their coach was not on the losing side of the win-loss record,” Dimitroff said.
It’s not a big leap to think one of those “guys” is Licht, who was the Patriots director of player personnel for three seasons (2009-2011) and in the New England front office back in 2002.
Most interesting to Joe was Dimitroff saying that even GMs of winning teams would have strong interest in replacing their head coach with Belichick.
February 6th, 2024 at 10:49 am
A house plant is better than our current HC.
Do It!
February 6th, 2024 at 10:49 am
I don’t see it
February 6th, 2024 at 10:52 am
Yeah, uuhh, no.
February 6th, 2024 at 10:53 am
Golden handcuffs with Bowles. He has the results that make it too hard to get rid of him, but the eye test and the strength of division make one think he SHOULD be doing better, the wins SHOULD be less contested, the final record SHOULD be through the roof. I think he’s a train wreck season away from being a D Coordinator the rest of his career. I am hoping he finds the recipe here to excel in this division. He has had to deal with alot. So kudos to his resiliency and you can’t hardly argue with the results of the last couple seasons. Keep adjusting Todd. Don’t get stuck in your own system.
February 6th, 2024 at 10:57 am
I can see this happening next year. This time next year Bowles could be fired and Bill to replace him.
February 6th, 2024 at 10:58 am
No way. If there’s one team that BB wouldn’t come to it’s the Bucs.
After TB coming in and winning a Superbowl in his 1st year, there is no way BB is coming here with a lesser cast and strengthening the argument that the Pats Dynasty was all Tom and not the coaching.
I just don’t see it.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:01 am
Licht and BB would make a great team if BB let Licht and Co actually do their jobs. BB is great at coaching, he should just stick to that. Deviating from that cost him his job in NE
February 6th, 2024 at 11:03 am
Bill Belichick is trash without Tom Brady and will always be trash without Tom Brady on his roster
February 6th, 2024 at 11:04 am
BB can’t be allowed to draft players
February 6th, 2024 at 11:04 am
Joe, if you intended for there to be a hyperlink associated with “here” then it isn’t working.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:06 am
The fact that there were several head coaching spots available and Belichoad got zero speaks volumes.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:09 am
You Bowles haters ever see Belichick in a post game interview. He would drive you guys crazy.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:12 am
So there are GMs who would replace their winning head coaches with Bill Belichick but all of the GMs refused to replace their LOSING head coaches with Belichick?? I call B.S!
February 6th, 2024 at 11:13 am
Gross. Keep Belicheat away from this franchise….
February 6th, 2024 at 11:15 am
The only thing saving Bowels a$$ is the division he coaches in.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:20 am
It didn’t save the jobs of other coaches in the division.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:25 am
His age has to be the biggest factor at this point and he would need to let go of wanting total control over the roster.
As far as special teams the Bucs interviewed ex player, former multiple time special teams Pro bowler and most recently Seahawks special teams coordinator Larry Izzo for STC position. I hope he doesn’t leave the building.
Excellent coach.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:28 am
Belichick has a record of just 82-98 without Brady as his quarterback after the 2023 NFL season. That’s good for a winning percentage of just .463.
Todd Bowles record without Tom Brady – 9-8 a winning percentage of .529…
Nah – I’m good. If and when we replace Todd Bowles I will be ready for an offensive minded head coach not another DC.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:30 am
Get Brady to unretire again, then sign Belecheat! Sign them to a 3 year deal and a crap ton of money and then in 2025/26 we can get it all sorted out again!
February 6th, 2024 at 11:31 am
I am 100% with you Marine Buc! After Bowles, no more defensive minded head coaches. I am tired of the merry go round of offensive coordinators. Enough!
February 6th, 2024 at 11:34 am
Belichick seriously considered taking Trask in the 2021 draft and would dump the midget and light it up with Trask.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:45 am
@Boss
Put down the crack pipe, TB won a playoff game.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:52 am
Now that we have an OC, it won’t be us. Bill has his own OC.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:55 am
“Belichick has a record of just 82-98 without Brady as his quarterback”
I don’t really think that is a fair comparison. No head coach does well without a good starting QB.
Heck, Bowles would be .500 if the NFL had not added a 17th game.
February 6th, 2024 at 12:12 pm
I rooted against Bucs for how Brady was treated comparing his divorced final season to choke boy Braker. Brady holds no grudges he still follows and likeS Bucs posts on IG. Bucs official ig account even commented on Brady’s trip to Australia. Bucs ig likes posts Brady puts up all the time. Maybe its me Maybe I need to not get upset over little things. Here is what I think Brady really like the BUCS because Bucs allowed Brady to end the Belichick Brady debate. Bucs let Brady do whatever he wanted for that I love the Bucs. I know BRADY does not like BAKER MAYFIELD he has no respect for BAKER. Bucs fans dont care I am just saying Brady is not ever fully embracing the BUCS while BAKER is the QB. To make sure Brady nevers comes back to tampa and unfollows them from IG would be for the Bucs to hire Belichick. BUCS FANS BRADY FOLLOWS THE BUCS IG ACCOUNT YET 2 WEEKS AGO BRADY UNFOLLOWED BRIDGET MOYNAHAN MOTHER OF HIS FIRST CHILD. BRADY FOLLOWED HER ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR 15 YEARS BETWEEN FACEBOOK AND IG. HE ALSO UNFOLLWED GISELE BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. BRADY DOES FOLLOW RAIDERS BECAUSE HE IS DEEPLY INVOLVED WITH RAIDERS BUSINESS. BRADY WILL BE APPROVED HIS 5-10 PERCENT OWNERSHIP BY THE SUMMER
February 6th, 2024 at 12:21 pm
As BADLY as Bowles needs to be replaced for the sake of the Bucs future, It should NOT be with another defensive minded coach….
League is evolving at a rapid pace led by impressive OC/HC!
Bowles defensive is slipping and just as much a reason for the Bucs loses this season… Letting the score get so out of hand early and added pressure on the offense…
I know people point out the defense allowing so few points… meaningless when you lose half your games…
If the Bucs won all 17 games then that would be impressive because they were constantly getting their opponents best… It’s NOT because most teams, once they get a lead, back off and coast… Doesn’t mean the Bucs defense tightened up or is even good but rather the opponent let up making that stat much less meaningful…
Playoffs against Lions, people say it was close…. The disturbing reality is that the Bucs NEVER had a lead so the Lions were never really threatened to lose….
February 6th, 2024 at 12:22 pm
No please
February 6th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Only defensive minded coach I wouldn’t mind is Mike Tomlin, but I rather have Bobby Slowik, Ben Johnson
February 6th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
I’d take him as DC over bowels
February 6th, 2024 at 12:37 pm
I hope not, Belichick is 72 years old, his drafts have been disastrous and his old school system is as bad as Bowles were until Bowles made some changes mid season. Why trade the pot for the kettle when both are black on the bottom
February 6th, 2024 at 12:38 pm
At Bradybucs…WHO CARES!! How old are you…12??
February 6th, 2024 at 12:46 pm
@Marine
Thanks for making what to me should be an obvious point!!!
“Belichick has a record of just 82-98 without Brady as his quarterback after the 2023 NFL season. That’s good for a winning percentage of just .463.
Todd Bowles record without Tom Brady – 9-8 a winning percentage of .529…”
Now mix in the reason Arthur Blank took a hard pass…it meant neutering Rich McKay who is very tight with Blank. BB is a CONTROL FREAK!
Do we suppose Licht isn’t aware of this having already worked with the egomaniac? So Todd is prepared to simply hand over his family jewels to BB just to get him in Tampa? Really?
But there is another reason that drives me just as much which was expressed this morning so well with terrific snark on the Morning Roundup talking about the young Belicheat.
“Joe doesn’t think this guy could recruit a thirsty alcoholic to drink a cold beer.”
Thanks for that line this morning! It explains why I’d rather see the Bucs pull a Cleveland Browns and go 1-34 over the next two seasons rather than see BB as coach! Hiring BB is the one thing that could make me turn my back on the Bucs. I’m the thirsty alcoholic who’d take the hard pass on a BB cold beer!!
February 6th, 2024 at 12:49 pm
Flaw with this thought is Belichick had the opportunity as GM to draft Trask instead of Mac Jones in 2021.
February 6th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Good one Boss. See you next tuesday at comedy central.
February 6th, 2024 at 1:08 pm
I think Andy Reid rates higher because he has had so many different QBs
February 6th, 2024 at 1:20 pm
You never know I would not have thought Brady would come here.
February 6th, 2024 at 1:24 pm
Joe … ‘It’s not a big leap to think one of those “guys” is Licht’.
Actually it strikes me as being a massive leap. Why would Licht approve Bowles hiring Liam Coen as OC if he was even contemplating replacing Bowles with Belicheck?
Just take a look at what Belicheck has done since Tom Brady left New England. Pats finished LAST in the AFC East with a 4-13 record. Year before that they finished 8-9 which was 3rd in the AFC East (thank heaven for the NY Jets).
So in the last 2 years when Todd Bowles went 17-17 in the regular season and made won the NFC South twice, Belicheck went 12-22 in the AFC East. Does anyone REALLY believe that JL would tie his star to Belicheck now?
Then again, this is a slow time of year for Bucs news. Actually Joe, the ‘big leap’ was listening to Dimitroff in the first place. His last 3 years as Falcons’ GM were just as bad as what Belicheck just went through. Small wonder that Arthur Blank replaced him.
February 6th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Could you imagine the explosion certian members of the media would have if minority coach, Todd Boles lost his job with a winning record to white Bill Belichick. Target would run out of soap boxes for them to stand on.
February 6th, 2024 at 2:07 pm
I could see it. We have four assistant coaches gone already, they could know something we don’t.
Bill and Licht have a relationship.
February 6th, 2024 at 2:49 pm
No NFL team should have a defensive minded head coach. If you have a good team, you most likely will lose your OC(See Bucs 2023).
February 6th, 2024 at 2:50 pm
BB is basically Jeff Fisher without Brady. Not much of an improvement over our current HC.
February 6th, 2024 at 3:18 pm
I would love to see the Bucs hire HOF-soon-to-be Slater, who retired from the Patriots after a stellar career.
February 6th, 2024 at 3:48 pm
No thanks. I’ll keep rolling with Bowles.
February 6th, 2024 at 4:12 pm
Boise Bucs Fan Says:
February 6th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
Could you imagine the explosion certian members of the media would have if minority coach, Todd Boles lost his job with a winning record to white Bill Belichick. Target would run out of soap boxes for them to stand on.
People actually think about stupid Sh&$t like this? Wow. WTF cares. You apparently. A lot. Gross
February 6th, 2024 at 4:34 pm
Not as much as you imagine. The narrative about Belicheat right now pushed by the folks you cite is that he’s unfairly being blackballed by NFL owners. Besides, Team Glazer has a strong track record with non-white coaches. Street cred.
February 6th, 2024 at 4:46 pm
I am of the mindset that Brady made Belichick, not the other way around. Then you step back even further and look at Belichicks coaching tree, its a nightmare to say the least. Finally, Baker Mayfield IS NOT a Belichick type QB. Belichick would break Mayfields spirit and send him away after a few games of free gunning.
February 6th, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Only if Arians returns at the OC. That would be the oldest, most amazing coaching staff.
February 6th, 2024 at 5:14 pm
Jack Clark
“So there are GMs who would replace their winning head coaches with Bill Belichick but all of the GMs refused to replace their LOSING head coaches with Belichick?? I call B.S!”
You may call it but you’d be missing the point. The reason any sane GM who REALLY wanted to be a GM wouldn’t hire BB is because BB demands in effect to be the GM much like he was at the end in N.E.
So if Jason Licht signed off the on the Glazers hiring BB he’d be signing the end of his power and ability to actually be a GM. This is why Arthur Blank hired Raheem instead of BB who really wanted that Falcons job. Blank realized that his friend and devoted employee Rich McKay would be neutered in effect keeping nothing but a title. That and perhaps the fact that as badly as BB performed as an HC without Brady he SUCKED even worse as a GM.
BB was a great DC…a poor HC without Brady, and an even worse GM!!
February 6th, 2024 at 5:17 pm
But yet none of the crappy teams signed him hummmm . Not buying it bill was a great coach but just like everyone else the game is passionate g him by . Time to hang it up. One of the best runs ever from a head coach.
February 6th, 2024 at 5:22 pm
Marine Buc and D.R. gave the factual reasons why BB is a no go.
As for me Joe gave and even better reason on the morning roundup when describing little Belicheat…a chip off of the block.
“Joe doesn’t think this guy could recruit a thirsty alcoholic to drink a cold beer.”
EXACTLY. And as much as I love the Bucs a BB hire would be the one thing that would totally tune me out. I am not entertained by that horses arse. I’d rather see the Buc pull a Cleveland and go 1-33 over the next two years than watch that egomaniac on the sidelines with his hoodie…perhaps he’d at least pull up the hood to cover his massive D-head.
February 6th, 2024 at 6:32 pm
Why replace one stiff with another?????
February 6th, 2024 at 6:45 pm
Belichick is a losing head coach without Brady. No thanks. Bowles record would be better here if he could get a decent offense going. But that might go south next season.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:21 pm
Boring old azz Belicheat probably won’t coach in the pros ever again, if you hire the guy the first thing he does is go to the owners and demand to fire everyone so he can bring in his people. I think most GM’s are fond of their jobs and realize they would effectively be firing themselves hiring that dinosaur.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:51 pm
geno711 Says: “Flaw with this thought is Belichick had the opportunity as GM to draft Trask instead of Mac Jones in 2021.”
No flaw at all. Jones and Trask both played in the SEC, played against each other, and had very similar season stats. That’s why they were both Heisman Trophy finalists. Belichick was going to pick one, but not both. He chose Jones, and regrets it.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:52 pm
Hard pass. Cheatin’ Bill was nothing before Brady, nothing after him. Dimitroff also said in that interview on WDAE he was surprised the Falcons passed on him. Likely because he wanted too much power and control. (He Speculated that Richie McCay probably wasn’t loving that.) Always the case when coaches want to control everything they rarely have success. When you look at how poorly his coaching tree has performed makes it more believable it was all Tom. Again, hard pass.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:55 pm
I think coach Bill will collect 25 million this year from Mandarin Bob.
February 6th, 2024 at 9:38 pm
Belichick the coach hell yeah I would be down. His players will be prepared and that soft mentality will be rectified. having said that Bill Belichick the GM I’d rather run through a forest fire covered in gasoline but His coaching ability with a GM like Licht yea I could see it. Whoever hires him has to limit his control because he sucks in front office
February 7th, 2024 at 12:04 am
I totally agree with stpetebucfan. Imagine that Bill win the SB next year, he will demand a GM role of Litch. If you are a GM, you certainly don’t want to take the risk of losing your job. So only Owners whi to move from the current GM will hire Bill. Mark my prediction here, then you will see it happens but not the Bucs with a good Litch at GM.
February 7th, 2024 at 10:02 am
Bradybucs better be joking! 🤣🤣 🙏