Why did Bill Belichick criticize Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank on ManningCast in NFL Week 2?
The former Patriots coach told a cheeky story about the time he bested the Falcons for a Super Bowl title and the franchise owner’s reaction to that moment.
Still out of the job, the former Patriots head coach continues to maintain an active role in the football world which is what makes his analysis all the more poignant. With that said, one has to wonder whether he will manage to secure a new head coaching job in the NFL
Bill Belichick opens up about Arthur Blank
As you may have seen in our previous report, former New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick made an appearance on the ManningCast for Week 1′s clash between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets. As the alternate live television broadcast of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” since the start of the 2021 season, it was surprising to see the lack of interest in the Sports Emmy Award-winning show.
Indeed, that was on show once again in Week 2 when Belichick was also on hand for the game between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, a contest that garnered an all-time low viewership audience of just 872,000. Of course, where the show itself is concerned, host Peyton Manning did in fact ask about Super Bowl LI where the Patriots came back from a 28–3 deficit to beat the Falcons and that’s where things got interesting.
Belichick explained that so dramatic was the win that night that he actually thought he was dreaming, such that he watched the ending of the game replay after arriving at his hotel in order to confirm that it was all real. Further to that, the 72-year-old also went on to offer up a humorous anecdote about Falcons owner, Arthur Blank, who he claims prematurely celebrated his team’s win on the sideline during the fourth quarter.
“I also remember Blank down on the sideline in the fourth quarter celebrating when they were ahead,” Belichick told the Manning brothers who couldn’t hide the fact that he had an interaction with the Falcons owner during the game. Belichick continued, “He’s a pretty good dresser now. Arthur’s always looked sharp, but you know he was down there on the sideline and you know we were getting beat and I’m like ‘Jesus,’ but anyway...” Belichick didn’t stop there either, as he went on to take another jab at the Flacons, a team that held two interviews with him during this past offseason, before ultimately choosing someone else. As for what he said, Belichick seemed to be triggered by the mention of Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney, resulting in the coach referring to the pass catcher as “One of those three free agents they signed illegally - Mooney, Woerner and of course Cousins - that they contacted early, got fined for it, lost a draft choice and all that.” Tell us how you really feel.