The three most powerful people in the Patriots franchise -- coach Bill Belichick, QB Tom Brady and Owner Robert Kraft -- have had "serious disagreements," according to sources cited by Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com. They "differ on Brady's trainer, body coach and business partner Alex Guerrero; over the team's long-term plans at quarterback; over Belichick's bracing coaching style; and most of all, over who will be the last man standing." Sources interviewed "described a palpable sense in the building that this might be the last year together for this group.”
Among the areas of disagreement listed:
- Regarding the role and influence of Guerrero, sources said that after several incidents, Belichick "explained to Brady in early September that many younger players felt pressured to train at TB12 rather than with the team, and asked the quarterback what was going on." Brady said that he "didn't know anything about any such pressure." Belichick "felt the need to permanently clarify Guerrero's role, drawing sharp boundaries" and removed parts of his access to the team.
- Sources said that Belichick's "negativity and cynicism have gotten old" to Brady, who has embraced positive thinking. Those who know Belichick and Brady well are "amazed that they've co-existed this long."
- Several times this past October, Brady "met with Kraft to discuss playing longer." That same month, he also "met with Belichick, who was "skeptical of a long-term contract extension but was content to start Brady as long as he was the best" QB. A source said the meeting ended in a "little blowup." Complicating matters even more was the fact that Belichick "didn't want to trade" QB Jimmy Garoppolo. Two weeks before the Nov. 1 trade deadline, Belichick "met with Kraft to discuss" the QB situation. The meeting "ended with a clear mandate to Belichick: trade Garoppolo because he would not be in the team's long-term plans, and then, once again, find the best quarterback in the draft and develop him." Sources said that Belichick was "furious and demoralized," but in the end, he "did what he asks of his players and coaches: He did his job." Sources said that Belichick, having always "subscribed to the philosophy that it's time to go once an owner gets involved in football decisions, left the impression" that the current dynamic was "unsustainable."
- After the trade, Brady "seemed liberated." Kraft "hugged Brady when he saw him that week, in full view of teammates." One Patriots official said of Brady, “He won.”
- Sources said that Brady "seems to be searching this year, as if reaching the pinnacle of his profession is as fleeting as it is rewarding." However, Belichick has also "taken a longer view." He has "taken pride" in Garoppolo's 5-0 record with the 49ers -- and in the fact that Kraft has "confessed to people in the building that trading Garopplo might have been a mistake." He has even "become good friends” with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The two men had a "long and private meeting during the off week after the regular season, when the commissioner visited Foxborough."
Wickersham: "Nobody is budging now." The three were "supposed to meet in late December to clear the air, but that never happened." Kraft "ultimately will attempt to broker a solution" (
ESPN.com, 1/5).
