The surreal aspect of the big media debut of Bill Belichick’s post-New England Patriots coaching career was him sharing a set with a character named “Mad Mel” on “The Pat McAfee Show” for his coverage of the draft. the NFL.
In the McAfee program, contributor Ty Schmit impersonates Mel Kiper Jr., an ESPN NFL draft analyst, but actually does so in a more cutting manner than the actual Kiper. It’s good-natured, but it harkens back to the days when a more daring Kiper began building his legend as the ultimate draftnik more than four decades ago.
While it was a little strange to hear Mad Mel’s character’s comment precede Belichick’s comment about draft picks, it was actually apropos.
Belichick’s analysis was similar to Kiper Jr.’s, with one difference. Belichick is arguably the greatest NFL coach in history, so his words had much more impact. During his first act, Belichick came to play.
At 72, Belichick told everyone what he really thought about twenty-somethings being recruited into services he may not have known about or pretended to know about as coach, while he seemed to ignore it – “SnapFace”, anyone – new platforms, such as ESPN+, YouTube and TikTok, on which the McAfee program was broadcast on Thursday.
It’s part of Belichick’s media blitz that will earn him millions as he bides his time in hopes of returning to the sidelines again. Sporting a blue suit with a pink tie and handkerchief, he didn’t hold back, nor did the six quarterbacks drafted in the first round.
It was especially intriguing when he discussed his former team’s choice of North Carolina’s Drake Maye with the third pick in the draft.
“Drake compares himself a lot to Josh Allen,” Belichick said. “He’s been doing this for a while. We’ll see.”
Belichick noted that Maye had similar athleticism, but had already said earlier that his footwork needed tweaking. Belichick made headlines because he wasn’t afraid to say what he really thought, a refreshing change from his terse press conferences as coach.
He compared No. 1 pick Caleb Williams to Russell Wilson, but stressed that Williams needs to become more reliable. He quibbled a lot.
“Caleb Williams is really talented and he can make every throw.
If he can be a little more consistent, he has a chance to become a very good player.”
Bill Belichick #PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/AgjuUsSY2j
– Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2024
Jason McCourty, former Patriot and emerging broadcast star noted on social networks looking at his former coach, “I felt like I was back in a team meeting!” »
Belichick was away from team meetings with McAfee’s new media show, which was far less serious than traditional offerings on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network. Belichick apparently became more comfortable as the series went on, breaking down certain films and telling the series’ video editor, Evan Fox, “Roll it up, Foxy,” when he wanted to highlight a strong moment.
Besides Mad Mel, “Boston” Connor Campbell was on set in a tuxedo, alongside former NFL players AJ Hawk and Darius Butler. After Maye was chosen by New England, Boston Connor, a Patriots fan, commented at length on how great Maye would be. Then the audience heard from Belichick, who sounded like he had vetoed the pick if he was still running the show in Foxboro.
“Drake Maye makes incredible pieces that you really love.
He can really drive the ball and is an outstanding athlete. » ~Bill Belichick #PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/RvmUZpXDra
– Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 26, 2024
That wasn’t all. The stream featured Oz Pearlman, also known as “Oz The Mentalist,” doing some magic tricks, including recording Connor’s tuxedo during most of the project for a while. After an Oz sequence, Belichick did the “I’m not worthy” tilting move.
Belichick played with everything. He participated in a fake interview with Commissioner Roger Goodell during an opening setup. He served as a booker, texting Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton to join him.
There was a draft board that Tone Digs, wearing a cowboy hat and whose real name is Anthony DiGuilio, was pointing out while Belichick explained the options. Belichick even turned around to take a photo of the crowd at one point, breathing it all in.
This is just the beginning for Belichick. At the end of the draft on Thursday, he announced that he would do a weekly segment with McAfee on Mondays during the regular season.
Although that’s now settled, he also has a semi-regular spot on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” Manningcast scheduled for the season. He is going to write a book on leadership. He can do a podcast and possibly a video show.
On Thursday, Belichick, sitting with McAfee, Mad Mel and the crew, looked like he was having fun. He even smiled.
Quick clicks
— Before the draft began, ESPN host Mike Greenberg interviewed Goodell. It wasn’t exactly Frost-Nixon. The funniest part happened on ESPN when Greenberg asked about streaming and Goodell said Amazon and YouTube have attracted younger audiences, emphasizing that it’s here to stay.
— Laura Rutledge stood out with her interviews with players’ families on ABC. Strong, concise questions that captured the details.
— On NFL Network, Kaylee Hartung got the post-draft interview spot that used to be Melissa Stark’s. Hartung teamed up with Cam Newton on the red carpet as the NFL Network focused on the players’ fashion aspect in its introduction, while ESPN asked the “College GameDay” crew to do more football in the hours preceding the selections.
– One of my favorite Chris “Mad Dog” Russo moves is when he seeks to criticize someone or something by bringing up a random fact from the past. For example, Thursday before the draft on his SiriusXM show, in an attempt to degrade the analytics, he said some of the assistant general managers were 24-year-olds from Dartmouth who had never heard of the Ice Bowl. The accuracy of the statement is definitely in question, as I’m not sure there are any 24-year-old NFL assistant general managers, much less Dartmouth, and, if so, I bet they’ve heard of the Ice Bowl. Nonetheless, it was funny.
— Nice tribute to the late Chris Mortensen by ESPN in early coverage.
The NFL Draft will never be the same without the beloved Chris Mortensen ❤️ pic.twitter.com/j5lgVLXY8b
–ESPN (@espn) April 25, 2024
(Photo of Bill Belichick during his January press conference announcing his departure from the Patriots: Eric Canha/USA Today)