"Bill Belichick is sabotaging the Patriots" - Colin Cowherd slams 6x Super Bowl-winning HC for destroying New England
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots went 10-7 and held the top seed in the AFC at one point in 2021. Despite this, one analyst is flying in the face of any pundits who are bracing for a true Patriots resurgence in 2022. Speaking on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, show host Colin Cowherd openly wondered if the head coach was sabotaging the team. Here's how he put it:
"I [said] this last year, but it's almost like Belichick is sabotaging the Patriots. So when he leaves, they've got no skill players and none of his top assistants. He's still bitter about the garoppolo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jimmy Garoppolo thing."
What happened with Bill Belichick and Jimmy Garoppolo?
According to Pro Football Reference, Jimmy Garoppolo was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft at 62nd overall. Many called the quarterback the heir apparent to brady" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Tom Brady. However, the quarterback sat for two full years before getting his first start.
Vince Wilfork: "I believe I was probably one of the best two-gap nose tackles who ever played the game."
"I was a nightmare for offenses trying to figure out where I was going to be. And all that credit goes to Bill Belichick."
The first start came in 2016 in response to Brady's Deflategate scandal. The starting quarterback was suspended for the opening month of the football season, and so it was up to Garoppolo to show what he could do. He made a quick first impression, delivering wins in his first two starts.
However, the quarterback succumbed to injury and Jacoby Brissett had to finish out the month. Despite the injury, the quarterback had made a big enough impression to put pressure on Tom Brady, making him question his future. It was rumored he went to Robert Kraft, the owner, and asked him to pressure Belichick to trade Garoppolo.
Local media (that covers the 49ers and asks them questions directly): team made it clear they tried trading Jimmy Garoppolo but couldn’t because he was hurt. Team still hopes to trade him.
National punditry: 49ers must not trust Trey Lance because Garoppolo’s still around!
Belichick eventually caved in and sent the quarterback to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick, according to Bleacher Report. Since then, Garoppolo has had three seasons in which he was over .500 in games started. He's also played in a Super Bowl. Last season, the quarterback made the NFC championship game.
In his career, the quarterback has thrown for 71 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. With the 49ers, he has thrown for 66 touchdowns and 38 interceptions. His short run in New England saw him throw five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Put simply, Cowherd was alluding to the head coach wondering what could have been had he stayed put and been available when Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2019 football season.