Belichick Blowing Off the Coaches Photo: A Tradition Unlike Any Other
Nothing says “Spring is here” like the NFL owners meetings and the annual coaches photo. The faces come and go. Jon Gruden is back. Jeff Fisher is probably gone for good. New faces like Matt Patricia and Mike Vrabel get into the mix. The perennials like Marvin Lewis and Andy Reid in his party animal Tommy Bahama print wouldn’t miss it if there was a compensatory draft pick in for them.
But the one who every year steals the show – with a no-show – is Bill Belichick. Because as John Updike once said of Ted Williams, gods don’t answer letters. While the rest of the head coaches are picking out their outfits, fixing their hair and getting lined up by the photographer like it’s class picture day, The Hooded One is scheming against them, working on new formations, pouring over scouting reports and figuring out how to fit their players under his salary cap. In 2020.
So I hope they all had fun grabassing for the cameras. But this photo to me looks like 30 or so guys standing in their own graves. And they won’t be smiling much longer.