Bill Belichick has given a lot of praise to a 2-13 football team.
In his weekly “Belestrator” segment with Patriots.com, Belichick again pounced on Jets head coach Adam Gase and quarterback Sam Darnold, among others, as he anticipated the end of the regular season. on Sunday.
“You can see Darnold here against a Miami bombing, and he really makes a great pitch here,” Belichick said of Darnold’s video of the Jets ’Week 12 defeat against the Dolphins. “You can do all the throws, deep throws, intermediate throws and use your backs.
“… Darnold has a big arm and he’s a big guy who can stay in his pocket and do a good job handing out the ball.”
While coaches, especially Belichick, do nothing to praise upcoming opponents, the Patriots ’longtime coach seems to have done his best to do so.
Belichick began showering Darnold with praise on Wednesday, even as many believe he has stepped back this season. This has led to speculation that the Jets could select a replacement for the 23-year-old in the 2021 NFL draft.
Gase recently took responsibility for Darnold’s struggles, but Belichick has said he doesn’t think anyone is better for the job at Florham Park. It has been speculated that Gase could join Belichick’s squad next season, as Gase is expected to be sacked by the Jets after Sunday’s game.
“Coach Gase is an excellent game planner, designs tough plays for defense and does a good job in the calling area at the right time, has a really good feel for the pace of the game offensively and so on.” Belichick said in the video shared Saturday on Twitter.
Belichick also congratulated great receiver Jamison Crowder in the preview video, as well as defensive end Nathan Shepherd and John Franklin-Myers, and defender Tarell Basham.
As for the Belichick team, the Patriots (6-9) will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008.