Michael Lombardi Is A Bill Belichick Buddy

By Steve Atkinson

Bill Belichick has been feeding his buddy Michael Lombardi information about how he feels for years. The things Lombardi says is how Bill Belichick feels personally. In Lombardi’s latest podcast on the GM Shuffle, he rips the current Patriots coaching staff. He talks about how bad Alex Van Pelt was when he said nothing when other Belichick buddies Matt Patricia and Joe Judge ran the offense in 2022. Then Belichick went out and got flight risk Bill O’Brien which I thought would work too but Mac Jones was so mentally shot from 2022 that he had PTSD in 2023.

Michael Lombardi Disapproves of Alex Van Pelt but Approved Matt Patricia Running The Offense

The way Lombardi rips Alex Van Pelt, a career offensive coach, is ridiculous. You mean to tell me Michael that you’d take Matt Patricia and Joe Judge over Alex Van Pelt? You’re an idiot for the following take.

“Were gonna develop Drake Maye because we got Alex Van Pelt who got fired in Cleveland? Because he couldn’t DeShaun Watson to play good? I’m not trying to say Alex Van Pelt isn’t a bad coach I really don’t know. But I know this But if the organization is worth $9 billion I’m not letting Alex Van Pelt run the Fucking team I can promise you that. There’s nothing in his past that you would entrust him with 9 billion dollars

Michael Lombardi Doesn’t Like It Jerod Mayo Doesn’t Try To Know More About Offense Than He Does

Jerod Mayo referred to Alex Van Pelt as the head coach of the offense. Mayo is a defensive-minded coach and won’t pretend to understand the offensive side of the game, especially when Belichick, who worked with the greatest quarterback for 24 years, is around. During 20 of those years, he had the greatest quarterback of all time, who elevated the players around him that were either drafted or signed by Belichick.

Would you rather have Patricia run your offense, despite his failure as head coach of the Lions and his reliance on Brady throughout his career? Where is Patricia now? Is he still working in football? Also, we’ve seen Joe Judge and Bill O’Brien move down to the college level, but Alex Van Pelt has worked with actual quarterbacks in the league like Aaron Rodgers, and isn’t likely to leave.

Here’s Lombardi on who should start the season before Jacoby officially became the starter which we all knew.

“Jimmy Johnson starts Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning starts those two started and helped them grow. But to me, this looks like a cluster fire. This looks bad. Manning and Aikman both had four years of college experience Drake Maye doesn’t have that. They brought more starch to the table to do that. To me, I think Brissett has to be the sacrifice bun you out there the first four weeks. You’re gonna get the shit beat out of ya you already almost got hurt last night (Sunday). They have no tackles they’re tackle poor.”

They haven’t had offensive tackles for four years, Michael. But again you won’t go there because god forbid you talk bad about your buddy Belichick.

Here’s Belichick I mean Lombardi taking shots at the Patriots media and Jonathan Kraft.

They’re friendly in there, they’re no longer hostile to the media. So everything’s fine. I mean this has got disaster written all over it. And I’ll tell you this you know they lost a lot of close games last year and they played well on defense. Even though I know Belichick was selling pizzas for 24 years down in South Boston and did nothing for the Patriots at all it was all Jonathan Kraft that won those Super Bowls. But they’re gonna miss him and his presence in making the dough. There’s no way you’re gonna overcome that loss on that side of the ball.

Belichick told Lombardi that and that’s how Belichick feels. No longer hostile to the media? Right, Mayo doesn’t grunt and snot in the media’s face and actually gives you a little something, instead of giving you nothing and saying “We’re gonna do what’s best for the team.” Yeah, putting your friends to coach offense, which Lombardi refuses to mention, is doing what’s best for the team? Seriously?

Also, Lombardi refuses to mention it wasn’t Belichick. Stop being so salty. It was Tom Brady who was the head coach of the offense for 20 years. Belichick is the greatest defensive-minded coach of all time, but he had zero clue on the other side of the ball. If he had a clue, he wouldn’t have botched Mac Jones’ second season with a horrendous decision. But again, Lombardi won’t go there and doesn’t mention he had Brady for 20 years, then it fell apart once Brady went to Tampa and won the Super Bowl.

Jerod Mayo has never even called defenses. You talk about getting promoted two levels above yourself. It’s pretty obvious.

Jerod should’ve been the defensive coordinator all along. But Belichick had his son Steve do it for obvious reasons. Do you think Steve Belichick should’ve been ahead of Mayo? Are you serious Lombardi? Mayo ran the meetings and Steve Belichick called the games and why is that? We all know the answer. Mayo is a former player and has a better connection with the players because he played the position. Steve learned things from his dad which is great but the coordinator position should’ve gone to Jerod period.

The below quote got me laughing about Drake Maye starting with the same offensive line for the last three to four years.

Or Drake Maye is gonna get hurt. That’s what you’re worried about and you don’t have player development. You’re not developing the kid. So there’s no plan for player development I mean Robyn Glazer is not sitting in her office developing talent. She’s never done that before but she has a voice in football operations. So does Jonathan Eliot. I mean that’s the problem you have a committee going on and of course, Alex Van Pelt running the offense. He’s the head coach of the offense It’s bazaar to me how logical this all works. You go from a guy who ran everything to sub-contracting and you think you’re gonna get better results? Seriously I would start Brissett I would.”

“Player development: Lombardi didn’t even mention how Mac Jones’ development failed because of Belichick’s decisions before the 2022 season. His decision for Patricia and Judge to coach the offense destroyed Mac’s future in a Patriots uniform. It mentally carried over into the 2023 season.  Bill Belichick humiliating Mac Jones on national TV in 2022 while the crowd chanted for Bailey Zappe who is currently on the practice squad was a complete clown show. Eliot manages the roster and I assume that Robyn Glazer oversees the financial aspects of it.

Lombardi refuses to place blame on Belichick. He cannot criticize the way he handled Mac Jones or player development. I would rather have things the way they are now, even without the greatest quarterback of all time than have Belichick run the offense and defense with his buddies without doing what’s best for the football team