At his year-end press conference, head coach Bill Belichick complained about the New England Patriots spending too little. Owner Robert Kraft’s tit-for-tat response has now been delayed. Belichick’s statements give the impression of a red herring. One comment.

Normally, Bill Belichick prefers to avoid being the media’s catchphrase.

But at his year-end press conference a few months ago, he was pretty blatant in his criticism of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

The team has not spent enough money since the departure of Tom Brady, was the tenor of his statement.

That Kraft is now defending himself on “NBC” against his head coach’s assertion is absolutely understandable, because the impression is imposing: Belichick is trying to distract from his own failures.

Alienation process with Brady is capped by disastrous receiving corps

Belichick’s team has more or less been wrecked since winning the Super Bowl in the 2018/19 season.

Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020/21 season was preceded by years of estrangement.

This was crowned in his last season with the Patriots by a devastatingly miscast receiving corps.

A 33-year-old Julian Edelmann in his penultimate season was still the most dangerous option Belichick provided his deserving quarterback at the time.

Belichicks with disastrous draft record

Part of the reason things got this far, and hardly looked better until the very end, is the fact that the head coach’s draft record is a real disaster.

N’Keal Harry proved to be a complete waste of a first-round pick in 2019, even though Deebo Samuel, A. J. Brown and D. K. Metcalf, among others, several absolute superstars of today’s NFL were available.

In general, Belichick has selected exactly one offensive talent in 52 attempts to earn a Pro Bowl nomination for the Patriots since Rob Gronkowski in 2010: Mac Jones.

The very player whose career took a serious hit last season due to Belichick’s nepotism, as the head coach felt he absolutely had to fill the offensive coordinator position with Matt Patricia.

Belichick’s negligent handling of Mac Jones

It should have been clear to everyone in advance that the offence would not perform miracles under the 48-year-old, who failed miserably in Detroit, especially as Patricia is actually a specialist for the defence.

But Belichick seems hell-bent on not working with people he doesn’t already know and is foregoing new impulses in return.

The defence is still a bench, but to deal with the young career of the appointed Brady heir Jones in this way is simply negligent.

The head coach’s part in the team’s record of 25 wins and 25 losses over the past three years cannot be overlooked.

Belichick is running out of arguments

His criticism of the financial policy he himself helped to determine is therefore neither honest nor appropriate.

If Belichick wants to avoid the impression that he, of all people, wants to shirk responsibility as “Mr. Accountability”, he urgently needs to return to success next season.

Otherwise, the most successful coach in NFL history will slowly run out of arguments to keep him in New England.