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“He Pushed Tom Brady,” After Reports Suggest Robert Kraft May Sever Ties With Bill Belichick, Stephen A. Smith Echoes the Sentiment

Published 10/12/2023, 7:30 AM EDT

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Stephen A. Smith does not hold back. On his eponymous show, Smith let fly in a response to a question posed to him via tweet. The target of his rage on this occasion was Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL franchise, New England Patriots. Presently 1-4 in the ongoing season, the Patriots’ general manager Bill Belichick is having a torrid time. A six-time Super Bowl winner as Patriots’ head coach, Belichick now sees questions asked of both his pedigree and future with the Patriots.

Stephen A. Smith opined that were he in Kraft’s shoes, he would no longer permit Belichick to be the GM of the franchise. Smith listed some of Belichick’s personnel decisions, terming them questionable. The Patriots lost 38-3 to the Dallas Cowboys and followed that with a 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints. That marked Belichick’s worst back-to-back losses in his career, according to research by Smith’s team.

Stephen A. Smith would give the Patriots a new GM

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Stephen A. Smith listed more statistics that painted a grim picture of the Patriots’ situation. According to the research, the Patriots committed twice as many turnovers as points scored. Smith posited it might be time to end Belichick’s time as GM. To substantiate that claim, he added that over the past decade, only two of the Patriots drafted by Belichick became All-Pro selections. The players in question are Jake Bailey and Marcus Jones. In the 12 years before that, there were 10 All-Pro selections, including Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork, Asante Samuel, etc.

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Simultaneously, Smith defended Belichick’s record as a coach. Belichick has eight Super Bowls to his name, winning two while a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. Stephen A. Smith claimed there was no better coach in the league. He posited that Kraft ought to keep Belichick on as head coach should he wish to continue. Nevertheless, he insisted it was time for Kraft to “move in a different direction.” Smith added Belichick’s recent track record as GM was unsatisfactory. He singled out Belichick as the one who “pushed Tom Brady out of the door”.

Bill Belichick’s personnel choices were criminal

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Stephen A. Smith was critical of Belichick for his choice of offensive coordinators. In Smith’s words, “He doesn’t need to be making personnel decisions, not after giving Mac Jones Matt Patricia and Joe Judge as offensive coordinators last year and play-callers. That was a crime in and of itself.” Smith opined if Bill Belichick wanted to leave, then it was time to part ways.

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Stephen A. Smith noted the Patriots’ offense did not do its job against the Saints. As he put it, “The Patriots had only 156 yards of offense, eight first downs, one third down conversion, and 14 attempts and didn’t reach the Red Zone once. They fell to 1-4 for the first time since 2000, Belichick’s first season as head coach of New England.” Smith added without Tom Brady, Belichick’s record stood at 72-79.

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Stephen A. Smith admitted that there was none better at coaching football than Bill Belichick. However, Belichick, a legend in his own right, might have outlived his usefulness as a General Manager, according to Smith. Smith pointed out many of Belichick’s recent shortcomings and bizarre personnel decisions. If Belichick wanted to continue coaching, per Smith, he should stay. Else, he posited, it is time for the six-time Super Bowl winner to go. All that remains is to see whether Robert Kraft concurs.

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Written by:

Anirudh Haridas

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Anirudh Haridas is a US Sports writer at EssentiallySports. A staunch sports fan, Anirudh brings his experience as a Soccer content writer. A diehard fan of ice hockey, Anirudh delved into the US sports arena, driven by the phenomenal pace of the sport.
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Edited by:

Debmallya Chakraborty