Belichick-to-Atlanta Looks Inevitable as They Scheduled a Second Interview. And I Have Questions.

Kevin Sabitus. Getty Images.

You think you know a guy … 

I've spent the better part of 20 years training my mind, body and spirit to become The Belichick Whisperer. To be that one person who can anticipate his moves, think his thoughts and feel his feelings. And yet it's proven impossible. Even to me, who got to look across a desk from him and stare into his eyes - the windows into his soul - on all those Patriots Mondays on WEEI. Still, he remains a riddle inside an enigma wrapped in a mystery to me. A Matryoshka Doll of unpredictability. 

Because no sooner did I think I had Bill Belichick's next move figured out:

[Belichick is] about to turn 72. Which makes it highly doubtful he's interested in taking over a tear down project. One of the downtrodden franchises he's been linked to like Atlanta or Carolina. Major DIY reno projects are for the young. Guys who don't mind spending all weekend pricing out 4x8 sheets of drywall and swinging a sledgehammer. 

A 72 year old legend deserves a turnkey project. A ready made, fully furnished smarthome with all the latest amenities and anything else I can throw into this metaphor before I finally beat it into the ground. 

But the Dallas job never became available. Neither did Philadephia's. Accompanied news he'd interviewed for the Falcons job already. And now this:

Given that we haven't heard word one about him interviewing with anyone else, it would appear to make his future with the Falcons close to an inevitability. Who could've guessed it? Certainly not me. But as the equally wise and all-seeing Gandalf put it, "Hobbits really are amazing creatures, as I have said before. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch."

Consider me surprised it's gotten even this far between Belichick and Atlanta. Which raises more questions than answers:

Why the Falcons? This is the most confounding mystery of all. Not that the Falcons are terrible, necessarily. They were 7-10, a distant second in an NFC South so bad that a 9-8 Buccaneers team came in first. One season after the entire division finished under-.500. So what's the appeal, other than winning this division isn't an insurmountable task? 

The Falcons aren't outstanding in any area to speak of. There's some young talent at the skills positions in RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts, who are all under 24 years old. But Jessie Bates III is their only Pro Bowler. They were 26th in points scored and 18th in points allowed. Their quarterback at the moment is Desmond Ridder, who can be defined by two stats: 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. And they're drafting 8th, which puts them out of range of the the Big 3 QB prospects. When Bill Parcells was between jobs, he always landed on the team that had the No. 1 pick so he could build around it. That's not the case here.

Simply put, the Falcons are just sort of … there. Not much of a fanbase to speak of. Not the most popular football team in their home state. Doomed to mostly play Sundays at 1pm, even with Belichick. This feels more like the consolation prize for an unemployed coach just looking for any opportunity to get his career back on track, not the best there ever was in this game. 

Why is a second interview necessary? Come to think of it, why was there even a first? Sometimes in the social media game, somebody beats you to the punch and says the thing you wish you said. And all you can do is tip your cap:

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That said, what is there to talk about? Belichick's philosophy? What are his strengths and weaknesses? How he intends to improve the team? What makes him believe he's Atlanta Falcons material? Where does he see himself in five years? How well does he work with others? If he was a tree, what kind of tree would he be? No one's professional life has been more open to examination in our lifetimes. It's been dissected and analyzed more than any of the FIVE presidents who have been in office since he first came to New England. If there's something Arthur Blank doesn't know already, it's because he has actively avoided finding out. The whole process should be narrowed down to him simply looking at any of Belichick's eight Super Bowl rings. Or even just the one he's so triggered by:

Is he taking his sons with him? This question came up a couple of days ago, after it was reported Steve and Brian still have their jobs on Jerod Mayo's staff if they want them. Since then, there was this, which seems to suggest at least Steve might be staying put:

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Leading to the very real and surreal possibility he might have to build an entirely new coaching staff without the two people he trusts most. Who could still be coaching for the man who fired him. 

How long would this be for? I suppose the short answer would be until he breaks Don Shula's record. Which, at the rate the Falcons won on Arthur Smith's watch, 7-10 all three seasons, would take him into 2026. Which seems like a long time to rearrange your life and start over again in a new city well into your 70s. Not that I can ever imagine him ever wanting to leave the profession he was raised like a veal calf for. Just that if the goal is to win, whether we're talking about Shula's record or making deep runs in the postseason, Atlanta just doesn't seem like the path to get him to either. 

Then again, he's made a career out of doing things no one expected. Even me. Unless some dark horse franchise comes out of nowhere - and soon - it looks like I'm buying myself an Atlanta Falcons hoodie. To go along with this: