Serby: What Could've Been If Belichick Stayed with Jets

[flgreen]

What could’ve been if Belichick stayed with Jets

By Steve Serby

October 16, 2013 | 2:08pm

 

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Bill Belichick and former Jets president Steve Gutman at the press conference introducing Belichick as the new coach.

Photo: AP

MORE FROM STEVE SERBY

 

 

 

The ground shook in Jetville the day that Bill Belichick, one day into the job, stood at a franchise-changing press conference and announced he was resigning as “HC of the NYJ.”

And so here we are, 13 years later, and the guy is still staring down at the Jets from his perch atop the AFC East.

With his three rings.

We’ll never know for sure whether Tom Brady, without Belichick, would have gotten Bob Kraft and the Patriots those three rings. Those who choose to disparage Belichick for his Spygate treachery or his monotone coachspeak can make that point all they want.

Phil Jackson is a Hall of Fame coach because of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Bill Parcells is a Hall of Fame coach because of Lawrence Taylor … and Bill Belichick. Belichick is a Hall of Fame coach because of Brady. That’s the way it works in sports. Brady or no Brady, Belichick is this generation’s Lombardi.

Even if it’s been a decade since he won his last Super Bowl, thanks in no small part to Eli Manning at the end of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.

He is not without fault, or blame. Leaving little Ellis Hobbs on an island against Plaxico Burress in the last minute of Super Bowl XLII was a mistake. Going for it on fourth down deep in his own territory so Peyton Manning wouldn’t get the ball back was a mistake that cost him a 2009 game against the Colts. Spygate was disgraceful. Taking a flier on Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth was a disaster. Plenty of high draft choices never worked out.

And here he is again anyway, still winning, still chasing that elusive fourth Super Bowl, forever a threat to capture it, still the bully on the Jets’ block.

He is a recurring nightmare to the Jets and their long-suffering fans, stalking them remorselessly as he does in his gray Hoodie, saying all these nice things about Rex Ryan and the Jets, killing them with kindness, then killing them on game day — if not so much on the scoreboard, then emotionally and psychologically.

Here we are all these years later, and the Jets still haven’t found a coach who can beat him or a quarterback who can beat Brady.

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Belichick and Brady on the sidelinesPhoto: AP

You bet he saw what Dick LeBeau did to Geno Smith (and Marty Mornhinweg) on Sunday, and you bet he’ll try to bait the rookie quarterback into three fourth-quarter picks once again …

The fates of the Jets and Patriots could have been so different. All Belichick had to do on that fateful day was say: “I am proud and honored to be HC of the NYJ. GM Bill Parcells and I will begin our pursuit of a Super Bowl as soon as this press conference is over. Questions?”

There isn’t a Jets fan I know who hasn’t wondered how the past 13 years might have played out, if only Belichick had uttered those words.

There would have been no Al Groh, no Herm Edwards, no Eric Mangini, no Rex Ryan pacing the sideline. No Brett Favre at quarterback, no Mark Sanchez, no buttfumble, no Tim Tebow, perhaps no Geno Smith. Santonio Holmes would never have been named captain, never would have been on the first jet out of town after quitting on his team in Miami.

Rob Gronkowski might have been a Jet. Darrelle Revis might have been a Jet for Life. Woody Johnson might have three rings. Spygate might have happened anyway.

There would have been no hilarity at press conferences, mostly give-and-takes such as this one Wednesday:

Q: Where do you value depth in terms of building a team, in terms of its importance?

Belichick: It’s pretty important. You can’t have a team without players.

So here he comes again. He’s 5-1 without Gronkowski, and no one is certain whether the monster tight end will play Sunday. He doesn’t have Vince Wilfork or Jerod Mayo, the integral linebacker being placed on IR. It doesn’t look as if he’ll have Danny Amendola.

He still has Brady. And the Jets still don’t have him.

 

[flgreen]

Can't help wondering what could have been if nobody opened the door of the locker Todd stuffed Serby in all those years ago

[Thor99]

**** you, Serby.

[Bleedin Green]

I haven't read a word of this yet, but is it just me or do we get one of those freakin' articles every 3 to 6 months?

[Scott Dierking]

Serby's line of writing fits how some posters here think about football and cause and effect-Like a fairy tale.

[Scott Dierking]

I haven't read a word of this yet, but is it just me or do we get one of those freakin' articles every 3 to 6 months?

If it isn't Belichick, it is Namath and he chiding the Jets for never having a QB like good ole Joe

[Sperm Edwards]

Why would Revis have been a Jet for life if only Belichick was the head coach? What possible reason, using history as a guide, could there be for anyone to guess that would have made any difference?

 

Seems more likely that Belichick would have let Revis go even earlier.

[bitonti]

do the Jets draft Brady in this alternate universe?

[Scott Dierking]

Why would Revis have been a Jet for life if only Belichick was the head coach? What possible reason, using history as a guide, could there be for anyone to guess that would have made any difference?

 

Seems more likely that Belichick would have let Revis go even earlier.

How would Revis even become a jet in the first place? It is far flung.

 

In Serby's fairy tale, the Jets are supposedly very, very good, thus not drafting close to #16, or where ever Revis was taken.

[Scott Dierking]

do the Jets draft Brady in this alternate universe?

They draft every Simm's sibling and immediately pays dividends.

 

Belichick even has an illicit affair with Phil's wife, and tries to pay off her silence

[The Crusher]

do the Jets draft Brady in this alternate universe?

 

 

...and the Pats Mo Lewis?

[faba]

Tom Brady would have been a bum without Bill in New England

[jetscanes331]

F--K Serby and F--K Belichick twice.

[Maxman]

Serby's line of writing fits how some posters here think about football and cause and effect-Like a fairy tale.

 

Totally agree.  Like the posters that refuse to see that clearly Rex is getting a contract extension. 

[Scott Dierking]

F--K Serby and F--K Belichick twice.

F--K Al Golden

[JiFtheOracle]

Does Tom Brady become a Jet? If not, I doesnt make a lick of difference. 

[Scott Dierking]

Totally agree.  Like the posters that refuse to see that clearly Rex is getting a contract extension. 

If there was a reputable source reporting it, maybe I would consider it

[Klecko73isGod]

Why would Revis have been a Jet for life if only Belichick was the head coach? What possible reason, using history as a guide, could there be for anyone to guess that would have made any difference?

 

Seems more likely that Belichick would have let Revis go even earlier.

 

No Groh or Mangini? Wouldn't they have been assistants under Belichick had he stayed?

[Integrity28]

Does Tom Brady become a Jet? If not, I doesnt make a lick of difference. 

 

 

You just wanted to use the words "lick" and "Tom Brady" in the same post. Fag.

[JiFtheOracle]

You just wanted to use the words "lick" and "Tom Brady" in the same post. Fag.

 

It was a typo, I meant to say dick.

 

#superfag!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sourceworx]

Does Tom Brady become a Jet? If not, I doesnt make a lick of difference. 

 

 

Exactly. Belichick isn't this savant. He just stepped in sh!t big time in that 6th round of the 2000 draft.

[faba]

See what Bill did in Cleveland without a franchise QB

[Lil Bit Special]

If belichick was hc of the nyj he would have been fired and reestablished himself as a defensive genius but never getting the coveted hc title again.

[Jetscode1]

Refused to read.

 

Who cares.

 

If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

[Sperm Edwards]

How would Revis even become a jet in the first place? It is far flung.

 

In Serby's fairy tale, the Jets are supposedly very, very good, thus not drafting close to #16, or where ever Revis was taken.

True.  Even Trader Mike Tannenbaum had to move up from 25-ish to get him.  Belichick has never made that kind of move, where he'd have to use his first AND his second on one draft prospect, and never would.

 

I agree, if Belichick is here then Revis never would have been on the Jets.  Of course if it led the team to greater glory, any of us would rather have had Belichick and even one ring than a handful of playoff wins and 5 years of Darrelle Revis since 2000.

 

So while there would be no Revis, we also would have had a HC who would want the exact players the Jets had (particularly on defense).  There would have been no Herm Edwards whose first orders of business were to dismantle the defense that Parcells/Belichick had built over the past few seasons, and to install a WCO with a slow, old QB coming off a ruptured Achilles injury as well as a blocking-only TE with hands of stone.  

 

Certainly, Paul Hackett would not have been the Jets offensive coordinator, nor Brian Schottenheimer or Tony Sparano after him.  

 

There would have been no Damien Robinson, Aaron Beasley, or Donnie Abraham as "perfect" pieces for Herm's precious, beloved Tampa-2 defense.

 

There would have been no failed conversion of Shaun Ellis inside to a 3-technique DT, which then means we may not have taken Bryan Thomas over Ed Reed.

 

There would have been no trading of two #1s and a #4 for Dewayne Robertson (and his cap-killing rookie deal), with Ty Warren getting taken at our first original pick and Dallas Clark the first healthy, non-QB at our other one.  

 

There would be no Doug Jolley & Mike Nugent instead of Aaron Rodgers, who I think was still sitting right there at our original pick.

 

Then again, all our original draft slots would have been different, so the shoulda-woulda-coulda's above would be different as well, and Belichick has never been the master he gets credit for being at the close of every draft.  Every draft of his - particularly after round 1 is over - is an A in late April and a C or worse when looking back.  Also don't know if Terry Bradway still would have been the GM since Woody took every Parcells recommendation as gospel.

 

But the fact is we went the next 6 years (including all 3 Patriots' superbowl* rings) our head coaches were Al Groh and Herman Edwards.  And where there may have been at least one championship*, failure and stupidity ensued.

[PFSIKH]

do the Jets draft Brady in this alternate universe?

 

 

And that is the key question in any scenario with articles like this.

 

They key is Dick Rehbein and not Belichick staying. 

 

His recommendation to draft Brady was why ultimately the Patriots drafted him. 

 

Would he have become QB Coach for the Jets in 2000?

[MexiRoll6]

I haven't read a word of this yet, but is it just me or do we get one of those freakin' articles every 3 to 6 months?

Every time NE comes to NJ to play the Jets. BB would never have taken the job here, even if that was the plan. Parcells deviated from the plan by STICKING AROUND. BB never would have been given proper credit either way here behind Parcells and he KNEW it. The Pats hated Parcells after he ditched them so that was the perfect scenario for him. In NY if he lost it would have been his fault and if he won it was because he coached Parcells old team. End of story. A better what if would be if Mo Lewis had simply touched Drew Bledsoe out of bounds and never hurt him. We never would have heard of Brady, the Pats would have traded Bledsoe a year or two later and drafted a new QB, but it wouldn't have been Brady.

[SayNoToDMC]

Why would Revis have been a Jet for life if only Belichick was the head coach? What possible reason, using history as a guide, could there be for anyone to guess that would have made any difference?

 

Seems more likely that Belichick would have let Revis go even earlier.

 

We would have kept him cheaper too. He wouldn't be making nearly as much money without Rex's system and constant attention he drew towards him

[Sperm Edwards]

We would have kept him cheaper too. He wouldn't be making nearly as much money without Rex's system and constant attention he drew towards him

 

He still would have been the game's top CB, and his uncle is still Sean Gilbert.  Either way, I agree with Scott.  We never would have drafted Revis in the first place.  I don't see Belichick burning both his 1st and his 2nd to move up to draft Revis.

[PFSIKH]

Every time NE comes to NJ to play the Jets. BB would never have taken the job here, even if that was the plan. Parcells deviated from the plan by STICKING AROUND. BB never would have been given proper credit either way here behind Parcells and he KNEW it. The Pats hated Parcells after he ditched them so that was the perfect scenario for him. In NY if he lost it would have been his fault and if he won it was because he coached Parcells old team. End of story. A better what if would be if Mo Lewis had simply touched Drew Bledsoe out of bounds and never hurt him. We never would have heard of Brady, the Pats would have traded Bledsoe a year or two later and drafted a new QB, but it wouldn't have been Brady.

 

I think you are spot on up until this point.

 

-The Patriots thought enough of Brady after his rookie training camp that they kept four QBs.

-He out played Drew during that his second training camp.

-When push came to shove and Drew was healthy, he kept Brady as the starter.  It is not like Brady was on pace for 5000 yards and 30-40 TDs.  Belichick quickly pulled the plug on a QB with almost 30K yards passing and had actually led his team to a Superbowl.

 

Now, would the Patriots have 3 Superbowl titles in 5 appearances if Brady won the job in 2002?  Probably not.