Krieger: Belichick is still experiencing a cold snap

Published September 21, 2006 at midnight

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ENGLEWOOD - Bill Belichick brought his customary warmth to a required conference call with the Denver wretches in anticipation of Sunday night's Broncos-Patriots tilt in Foxborough.

Bill, are you pleased that rookie running back Laurence Maroney is contributing so soon?

"I'm happy when any player can contribute to our football team."

Bill, what would you say was the biggest factor in the Broncos' playoff victory over the Patriots in January?

"Denver played better than we did. Coached better than we did. Played better."

Here's a somewhat longer exchange. Pay no attention to the dentist's drill whining in the background. This is my colleague Jeff Legwold questioning Belichick on the subject of Deion Branch, the former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player who held out for a new contract and was traded to the Seahawks 10 days ago. This left quarterback Tom Brady throwing to strange - well, let's say unfamiliar - wide receivers. Brady publicly lamented Branch's departure.

"Bill, did you address the Deion Branch trade with your team at all or did you just go on?" Legwold asked.

"That's been a couple weeks ago," Belichick said. "We're past it."

"Well, it seems like some of the players may not be," Legwold said.

"Well, you'll have to ask them about that," Belichick said.

"So you didn't think it was something you had to deal with in the locker room or anything like that?"

"Right now, we're dealing with Denver, and believe me, that's plenty for us. That's plenty. They're a good football team. It's going to take our best game of the year. It's going to take our best effort on Sunday. That's where all our attention is right now. That's the only thing that's on my mind right now is the Denver Broncos. It's a big challenge for us. That's what we're working on. That's what we're focused on."

"Did you think in camp at any time that Deion would be back playing for you?" Legwold persisted.

"Right now, I'm thinking about Denver," said Belichick.

Legwold was just getting started, but another wretch jumped in with this:

"What's your philosophy on icing kickers?"

Seriously. You can't make this stuff up.

Belichick was deified as a coach with his third Super Bowl title, if not before. And it's not as though great football coaches are usually nice guys. But they do tend to engender great loyalty within their own organizations. Outsiders may have thought Chuck Noll uncivil, but you didn't hear that in the Steelers locker room.

When I mentioned to Patriots defensive lineman Richard Seymour on another conference call that his coach comes off as something of a cold fish, Seymour replied, "Does he?" This was not a video conference call, but sometimes you can hear a person smile.

I wanted to give him an opportunity to rebut this impression, so I asked if Belichick is warmer with his players.

"Well, you know, he . . . uh . . . I mean, coach Belichick is coach Belichick," Seymour said. "I think he's pretty straightforward. He's a business-oriented guy and he's here to coach. And that's all we expect out of him."

I'll take that as a no.

Belichick's reputation in and around Boston took a hit in July when the front page of the Boston Herald was adorned with a picture of Belichick in his familiar hoody and headset alongside this headline: "BILL STOLE MY WIFE."

It seems that Belichick has been named as "the other man" in a nasty New Jersey divorce involving a former receptionist for the New York Giants who met Belichick while he was Bill Parcells' defensive coordinator.

In the case of a more popular figure, this might be dismissed as nobody's business. After all, the man is not running for office. But the gossip makes its way around NFL circles at hyperspeed in part because Belichick seems to have made so few friends along the way.

Just last weekend, he appeared to freeze out former protégé Eric Mangini, the rookie head coach of the New York Jets. The two coaches met at the center of the field and shook hands after the Pats' victory, as tradition demands. It was as brief a meeting as it could be, Belichick shaking hands and immediately turning away. "Good game," Mangini reported his mentor saying.

Contrast that with the preseason scene after the Broncos beat the Houston Texans. Mike Shanahan greeted Gary Kubiak, his former offensive coordinator, with a big smile and they shared a few warm moments at midfield, surrounded by players and television cameras.

This is the normal human reaction among people who have worked together for years, particularly in the crucible of NFL competition. Belichick doesn't seem to share it.

None of this changes the fact that he's an extremely able football coach. Even after sending Branch and Willie McGinest on their way in the Patriots' ongoing recycling project, Belichick's squad is off to a 2-0 start.

On the other hand, Brady's public unhappiness with Branch's departure may be the first crack in the Patriots' implacable facade. So long as Belichick doesn't have to fall back on his personality to fix it, he should be fine.

kriegerd@RockyMountainNews.com

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