Patriots

Bill Belichick on Stephon Gilmore, Odell Beckham Jr., and Mac Jones’s tackle on Brian Burns

Belichick said he was "surprised" by Gilmore's comments about the Patriots' handling of his injury.

By Hayden Bird

November 8, 2021

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A day after the Patriots’ latest win, Bill Belichick called into WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” for his weekly interview.

Belichick addressed a range of topics, including a few players who aren’t on the Patriots’ roster.

Here are a few takeaways from the interview:

He was asked about the accusations of “dirty” play against Mac Jones.

During the first quarter of Sunday’s 24-6 win, Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones was sacked by Panthers defensive end Brian Burns. Burns’s hit caused a fumble, which Carolina recovered for an early turnover.

What created controversy was after the fumble had been caused, Jones grabbed Burns’s ankle and wouldn’t let go. Following the play, Burns appeared to be in pain.

Panthers players and head coach Matt Rhule weren’t happy with Jones after the game, with Carolina linebacker Haason Reddick labeling it a “dirty play.”

“I think he thought Burns had the ball,” Belichick said of the incident when asked what he saw.

Asked a follow-up question, Belichick simply replied, “I think he thought he had the ball.”

A response to Stephon Gilmore’s assessment of the Patriots.

During the buildup to the Patriots-Panthers matchup, former New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore (who was traded to Carolina in October) lobbed some criticism at the way his former team had handled his injury rehab earlier in the year.

“I just didn’t like how they handled my situation, my injury,” Gilmore told reporters prior to Sunday’s game. “A lot went on with that I didn’t agree with.”

When asked if he had any insight into what Gilmore was implying, Belichick responded, “No, not really.”

“Surprised to hear him say that because we had several meetings and laid out a plan on how he would rehab once he came back to training camp,” added the Patriots’ coach. “Of course he wasn’t here all spring so we really didn’t have any idea where he was, but when he came back we had several meetings and talked about that. You’d have to ask him.”

Belichick’s thoughts on Odell Beckham Jr.

One of the more intriguing off-the-field subplots in the NFL currently is the potential landing spot for Odell Beckham Jr. The 29-year-old wide receiver recently agreed to a restructured deal with the Browns so that he could be placed on waivers Monday.

Should Beckham clear waivers—which ESPN insider Adam Schefter, citing multiple NFL executives, characterized as “likely“—he would be free to sign where he wants.

Belichick was posed a question about Beckham: What would an NFL team be getting by signing him?

“What would they get? I don’t know,” Belichick initially replied. “Depends on the team and what their situation was.”

“He’s a very talented player,” the Patriots’ coach added after a follow-up question. “Obviously never coached him so I don’t have any first-hand experience with that.”