NEW YORK _ Bring Bill Back Home.
Can Bill Belichick, yes Bill Belichick, be the next coach of the Giants?
John Mara, Steve Tisch and Dave Gettleman must work their contacts to find out if Belichick wants the Giants' wide-open head coaching job after explosive details emerged Friday in an ESPN story of a fracture in the relationship between Belichick on one side and Tom Brady and Robert Kraft on the other.
Interestingly, as Belichick's future became the talk of the NFL, Mara and Gettleman were scheduled to be in Foxborough on Friday interviewing New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. McDaniels is considered the favorite for the Giants job but he has already interviewed with the Colts. Patricia is considered the favorite in Detroit. If McDaniels and Patricia both leave in the next few weeks, could that also expedite Belichick's departure?
The Giants have a very attractive opening. Despite their 3-13 season, they are considered a stable franchise with tradition and they have the No. 2 pick in the draft. This becomes a very delicate situation with timing crucial.
The Giants will regret it if they make a hire and then Belichick works his way free from the Patriots after the season and still wants to coach. But they also can't wait to find out and miss out on all the other candidates if he stays. That's why they must get information as soon as possible.
If The Hoodie is available (that's a big if) ...well, go get him. He's the best coach in NFL history.
Of course, there is precedent for a Giants coaching legend getting tired of Kraft and working his way back to New York. Bill Parcells established the blueprint when he coached the Patriots to the Super Bowl with one foot out the door on his way to the Jets in 1997.
The Jets eventually had to give up one draft pick in each of the first four rounds spread over three seasons as compensation. The Patriots gave the Jets a first-round pick for Belichick in 2000. Clearly, the Giants are not giving up their first-round pick when they will likely take Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen when it figures Belichick will only coach a few more years, but other than that, there should be a path to a deal with Kraft, who is close to Mara.
Belichick still has a very soft spot for the Giants, even though they beat him twice in the Super Bowl. He made his name in his 12 years with Big Blue, working the final six as Parcells' defensive coordinator. He helped the Giants win their first two Super Bowls.
NFL Films followed Belichick around for the 2009 season. Prior to a preseason game against the Giants in the final year of Giants Stadium, the camera crew accompanied Belichick around the Giants locker room. He pointed out the racquetball courts, the coaches locker room and other areas.
He stopped at one point and became teary-eyed.
"This is a great organization," he said. "It's hard not to get choked up about it. I loved it here. I loved it here."
After losing to the Giants a second time in the Super Bowl following the 2011 season, he gave Tom Coughlin an extraordinarily long hug. They worked together for three years on Parcells' staff.
Even though Belichick is 65 years old, he doesn't seem to be burned out on coaching. He's in his 18th season with the Patriots and in the first 17 has been to seven Super Bowls and won five, and New England could be on its way to winning another Feb. 4 in Minneapolis.
The Patriots responded to the ESPN story with a joint statement from Kraft, Belichick and Brady:
"For the past 18 years, the three of us have enjoyed a very good and productive working relationship. In recent days, there have been multiple media reports that have speculated theories that are unsubstantiated, highly exaggerated or flat out inaccurate. The three of us share a common goal. We look forward to the enormous challenge of competing in the postseason and the opportunity to work together in the future, just as we have for the past 18 years. It is unfortunate that there is even a need for us to respond to these fallacies. As our actions have shown, we stand united."
Will a 65-year-old coach, a 40-year-old quarterback and a 76-year-old owner really want to break up the band before they win every Super Bowl possible?
As I detailed in my "Brady vs Manning" book, Brady and Belichick have never been close, never even going out for pizza and beer together after a late night of game planning.
Belichick has always picked on Brady in meetings knowing he could take it, sending a message to the rest of the team that if Brady doesn't complain, they have no right to either. But the ESPN story says Brady has grown tired of it.
Despite at least one attempt, Parcells was never able to work his way back to the Giants. Can Belichick do it? Will Kraft let him go?
Things could be shattering in New England. The ESPN story detailed how Kraft forced Belichick to trade Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers at the trade deadline. New England received just a second-round pick. It made no sense then. It makes no sense now. The Patriots left themselves vulnerable at backup QB. Kraft is extremely close to Brady, who says he wants to play another few seasons. Brady felt threatened by Garoppolo. Belichick did not want to trade Jimmy G but followed orders. Kraft rarely gets involved in personnel decisions.
There was also the well-documented issue with Alex Guerrero, Brady's personal trainer, whom Belichick this season banned from the team plane and the sidelines during games. It's startling he was ever given that access. Brady is so close to Guerrero that the trainer is the godfather to one of his sons.
Of course, this is all very good news for the Jets. If they can't beat the Patriots, let the Patriots beat the Patriots. Remember, after winning back-to-back Super Bowls, there wasn't enough credit to go around for Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson in Dallas and Jones fired him. The Cowboys won another Super Bowl two years later with Barry Switzer coaching Johnson's players, but Dallas has now gone the last 22 seasons without even getting to the Super Bowl.
If this is the end of the Belichick Era in New England, then it will be logical that McDaniels will be the Patriots' next coach. He and Brady are like brothers despite Brady blowing up at him on the sidelines during a late-season game in Buffalo.
Kraft treats Brady like a fifth son. He was very supportive of him during Deflategate after Brady looked him in the eye and swore he didn't do anything.
But Kraft once detailed to me the conversation he had with Belichick after Spygate:
"How much did this help us on a scale of 1 to 100?" Kraft asked.
"One," Belichick responded.
"Then you're a real schmuck," Kraft told Belichick.
All good things come to an end, especially in the NFL.
If this is the end for Belichick in New England, it will be good news for the Jets and could be great news for the Giants.
