Is Bill Belichick in the Midst of a Post-Term Mid-Life Crisis?
In his inaugural season as head football coach of the New England Patriots in 2000, Bill Belichick finished 5-11. This came after he was fired in Cleveland in '95 for posting the same record. He had an undeniable run from 2001-2019, going 237-83 and winning six Super Bowls. This streak coincided with Tom Brady being the quarterback. Think of that anyway you like. Those are the facts.
From 2020-2023, without Brady under center, Belichick went 29-38, and in his last season, a disappointing 4-13. The only bright spot would be the Patriots' position in the 2024 NFL draft, which enabled them to pick Drake Maye number three overall. But I'm not sure that was Belichick's reason for losing 13 games.
Four days after the regular season ended, Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced he and Belichick made a mutual decision to move on. Despite being a lock for the HOF, Belichick, 71, did not garner much interest and couldn't land a head coaching job in the NFL for the 2024 season.
Not only did Belichick move on from the New England Patriots in 2023, after spending 16 years with longtime girlfriend Linda Holliday (61), they also moved on from each other.
Belichick began dating Jordan Hudson, a Bridgewater University grad and cheerleader he met in 2021 on a flight from Boston to Florida when the two were randomly seated beside each other. She was 23 at the time and 48 years Belichick's junior. Think of it this way: Coach Belichick was 48 when Jordan's umbilical cord was cut and her first pamper taped on.
Proud father? NOT!
Photo: Jordan Hudson/Instagram
Belichick's daughter Amanda (39) and sons Stephen (36) and Brian (31) all have the same mother, Bill's college sweetheart, Debby Clarke. They were married in '77 while Bill was a wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions. The two divorced in 2006 amidst rumors that Bill was having an affair with New York Giants secretary Sharon Shenocca, per the New York Post.
If you look at the numbers and the results, Belichick clearly showed a decline in his coaching and drafting expertise over his last four seasons as head coach of the Patriots. This decline correlates with his separation from Brady and then Holliday. Maybe Belichick is human, after all, and is in the midst of a post-term mid-life crisis?
Recently, the feud between Belichick and Kraft has ramped up. Belichick took to the airways to comment on the comment made by his replacement and former defensive coach, Jarod Mayo. After a 32-16 thrashing by the Jaguars across the pond, Mayo said his team "played soft." Belichick seized the moment to take a shot at Mayo, saying that when he coached the same players, they "weren't soft." He was defending his former players while also trashing his replacement.
It's been pointed out that Mayo didn't say the players were soft but that they were "playing soft" and that at least four key defensive players from Belichick's top-rated defense in 2023 aren't currently playing defense for the Patriots: Matthew Judon (traded), Christian Barmore (blood clots), Ja'Whaun Bentley (torn pec), and Jabrill Peppers (commissioner's exempt list).
In 2023, Belichick's final season as Patriots head coach, he started the season 1-5 before a thrilling 29-25 win against the Bills in what would be Mac Jones' only good performance in his final year with the Patriots. He out-slung Josh Allen on 25-32 passing for 272 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, with a QB rating of 126.7.
From there, Belichick's Patriots lost five in a row (2-10) en route to their 4-13 last-place finish…
Belichick's recent behavior indicates a man on the decline, desperate to prove he isn't…