Bill Belichick says that he had followed the “great risk”

Bill Belichick has rarely reacted publicly to comments that Patriots owners Robert Kraft made about him, since the two men separated in Neuengland after a remarkable 24-year NFL dynasty 18 months ago.

But after the latest comments from Kraft that he took a “great risk” in 1999, Belichick replied to ESPN in an explanation that he took a “great risk” by joining a lively franchise with just a few resources across the salary limit.

“As I told Robert several times over the years, I took a great risk by taking over the New England Patriots Head Coaching job,” Belichick told ESPN in response to questions. “I already had the opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Jets, but the owners' situation was unstable.”

Belichick said he was asked by numerous people to reject Kraft's offer and stay with the jets that had just hired him despite the instability.

“I was warned by several former patriots and other members of other NFL organizations and the media that the job in New England would come with many internal obstacles,” said Belichick. “I made it clear that we had to change the way the team regained the success previously achieved.”

During a recent appearance to name his best decision in three decades as a patriot owner, Kraft immediately mentioned his decision in 1999 – Belichick – and the “great risk” that he set for it.

“The one who was most interviewed was in 1999,” said Kraft in the podcast “Dudes on Dudes”, who was firmly together at the Fanatics in the last month of Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.

“I gave up a no. 1 -draft election for a trainer who had only won a little more than 40% of his games to get it out,” said Kraft. “I don't know if there are any jets fans here. I think that Bill Belichick was coming to the patriots in 1999, was a great risk and I was hammered in the Boston area, but he was with us for 24 years.”

“And we did it well,” added Kraft ironically.

A certain Hall of Famer of the first ballot, Belichick, put together a record of 266-121 with the patriots, won 17 AFC East title, appeared 13 times in the AFC championship game and won a record of six super bowl titles.

Belichick refused to name the previous coaches, of which he said he had warned him to stay away from New England. One was probably Bill Parcells, Belichick's mentor and former boss, who criticized the oversized role of strength in personnel decisions after leaving the patriots in 1996.

Belichick also did not detailed the “many inner obstacles” with which he worked for strength at first. One was a 2000 Patriots team that was $ 10 million compared to the salary limit. For the patriots it was an anomaly to surpass the cap; Since the introduction of the NFL, New England has taken the 31st place of 32 teams in 1994.

During his first season, Belichick released several highly paid players that he inherited, including offensive Tackle Bruce Armstrong, Wachmann Todd Rucci, defensive Tackle Henry Thomas and tight end Ben Coates. This season the patriots ended 5-11. But during his second campaign in 2001, Belichick -Benched Drew Bledsoe won their first Super Bowl title for Tom Brady and the Patriots.

“I estimated that Robert gave me the opportunity to make these changes and build a program that matched my vision for a championship team,” Belichick told ESPN.

When asked by ESPN, why he had the feeling that strength said that the attitude of him was “a great risk”, said Belichick: “You have to ask Robert.”

The Patriots spokesman Stacey James did not respond to ESPN questions and said that strength could not be reached for a comment.

Belichick has largely been silent with Krafts, Multifront efforts to burn his heir as a team owner. The 84 -year -old force entered the 14th year of a campaign of his followers to involve it in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As a force, why Belichick was a great risk, strength emerged his term as a coach of Cleveland Browns and said that he had won “a little more than 40% of his games”. (Belichicks record in Cleveland from 1991 to 1995 was 36-44, a win of 0.450.)

In a decade, detailed Belichicks series of success is not one of the most dominant defensive coordinators in NFL history, starting with the New York Giants for Parcells in two Super Bowl winning teams. After leaving Cleveland, Belichick combined with Parcells in New England in 1996, and they brought the patriots to the Super Bowl, which New England lost to Green Bay Packers. From 1997 to 1999, Belichick worked for Parcells as a defensive coordinator in a jets team that played in 1998 in the 1998 AFC championship game, but lost to Denver Broncos.

“The jets were rebuilt after three years [January] 1999, “said Belichick to Espn.” In the meantime, the Patriots organization had dismantled its 1996 AFC championship team and became the worst in the AFC. It didn't help that in 2000 as head coach in my first season as head coach, they were $ 10 million. “

Belichick, who will start his first season as a college coach in North Carolina this autumn, has the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time this winter.

In the spring, Kraft announced that Parcells would be included in the Patriots Hall of Fame as a participant. Last year Brady joined the Patriots Hall of Fame.

The 73 -year -old Belichick is still not a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame.