For Belichick, Mangini Has Become the Jets? No-Name Coach By DAVID PICKER Published: November 9, 2006 HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Nov. 8 ? The question was begging to be asked: What?s going on with you and Eric Mangini? But Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots? coach, responded as if it were a brain teaser. Seven seconds of silence elapsed without an answer. After the question was rephrased, Belichick begrudgingly addressed his relationship ? or lack thereof ? with Mangini. ?We?re two head coaches in the same division playing a big division game this week,? Belichick said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters who cover the Jets. ?That?s how I would characterize it.? The relationship between Belichick and Mangini, the Jets? first-year coach, apparently has not improved. In fact, the tension between them appears to be heating up as the Jets (4-4) prepare for their game against the Patriots (6-2) in Foxborough, Mass., on Sunday. Belichick and Mangini have not talked to each other in months. But their audio and visual cues speak volumes about their true feelings. When addressing members of the news media, Mangini refers to the Patriots as ?the other place.? A handshake between coaches seemed unavoidable after the Patriots beat the Jets, 24-17, in the second week of the season. Belichick, however, made a U-turn before pleasantries could be exchanged. On Wednesday, Belichick?s efforts to avoid acknowledging Mangini reached comic heights. The Jets have exceeded expectations, equaling last season?s victory total. But when Belichick was asked to evaluate Mangini?s performance, he complimented the Jets? ?players, coaches, front office, scouts ? all the people that are involved down there.? He did not mention Mangini by name. When asked about the positive changes Mangini has made this season ? some of which reflect Belichick?s coaching style ? Belichick spoke for two and a half minutes, praising 17 players on the Jets, but not their coach. He rambled so much that it almost seemed as if he were burning time during the conference call, which was scheduled for 10 minutes, to avoid facing more questions about Mangini. It was not always this way between the coaches, who won three Super Bowls together in New England with Belichick at the helm and Mangini as defensive backs coach. The relationship soured in January when Mangini, who became the Patriots? defensive coordinator in 2005, accepted an offer to be the Jets? coach. Belichick turned down the same offer seven years ago. The nature of the rift remains a mystery. Belichick remains friendly with many of his former assistants who have moved on to bigger roles, including Nick Saban, the Miami Dolphins? coach. So why is he so reluctant to talk about Mangini? The question was posed to Belichick, who responded with a compliment that lacked authenticity. ?I think he?s done a good job with them,? Belichick said of Mangini. ?We have a lot of respect for him. What do you want me to say?? Matt Chatham, a linebacker who played for the Patriots during the previous six seasons before signing with the Jets, said it was strange to see Belichick and Mangini at odds. But he speculated that their relationship was not entirely fractured. ?They both have a ton of respect for each other, regardless of what who?s saying,? Chatham said. ?They wouldn?t have spent as many years together as they would if they didn?t respect each other.? Mangini was not asked specifically about Belichick on Wednesday. But he said that, at least from a professional standpoint, preparing for the Patriots was easier this time around than it was earlier in the season. When asked what type of reception he expected from the fans in his first trip back to New England, Mangini made a roomful of reporters laugh. ?Probably balloons, parades, a lot of signs that say, ?Welcome home,? ? Mangini said. ?That sort of typical thing. It?ll be magical.? He probably is not expecting anything more than a postgame handshake from Belichick. EXTRA POINTS The Patriots will be without safety Rodney Harrison, who sustained an arm injury Sunday night in New England?s game against Indianapolis. ?Every team in the league has to deal with something somewhere, so we?ll just try to manage it,? said Bill Belichick, who did not specify the nature of the injury or how long Harrison would be out. Harrison, who injured his left knee last season and played only three games, fractured his left shoulder in 1999 and played in only six games.
So Belichick avoids talking about Mangini, making it about the teams... good, that's how it should be. I bet Bill will reach out when he feels their football rivalry is done - whether that's off season or post-retirement, I don't know, but frankly, I don't care.
Doubtful, I don't think he's said the same things when asked about Saban, or Romeo. I personally don't care at all about if they are friends or not, but I really doubt this is just them focusing on football.
I think this might be the funniest thing I've heard Mangini say this year. I kind of like that Mangini pisses Bellichick off. The student shall become the master.
Why is the New York Media so desperate for them to hear Belichick praise Mangini? I mean it's becoming so pathetic is sickening. It's like the can't get over it unless Mangini is given the blessings of Belichick. It's as if they want him to say, " Yes Eric is going to be one of the best coaches of all time and he gets more respect from me then anyone in the entire universe". The New York media needs to get of Bill's b@ll sack. Obviously he and Mangini were not that close.
Because of the hate between the two, first thing Belichick does when Mangini is rumored to leave is try to prevent him from going, then when he does accept the job Belichick acts like nothing happened, then after the game he refuses to give Mangini a handshake, and now this. Something tells me Mangini was suppose to replace Belichick or at least Belichick thought that and now Mangini some how betrayed him by coming to the Jets and Belichick is pissed at him for doing so.
This was a huge deal before our first game, and I never really understood why. I hate to see Rodney Harrison get hurt as he is one of the best safeties of all time, but him being out is going to help us big time.
I prefer Belishit articles such as this one: ?Other man? Bill blitzed in nasty divorce By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa Wednesday, November 1, 2006 - Updated: 01:05 PM EST Busted for weed last weekend, Stephen Belichick isn?t the only member of the Belichick brood tackling legal headaches. Stephen?s dad, Bill Belichick, is still waiting to give his deposition in a nasty New Jersey divorce case where an irate hubby claims the New England Patriots head coach busted up his marriage. Attorneys for Belichick and Vincent and Sharon Shenocca of Morristown, N.J., are still wrangling over when and how to take the coach?s sworn testimony in the case. ?It hasn?t been done yet,? snitched a courtroom source. ?(Belichick) is probably trying to delay it as long as possible.? In August, a Morristown family court judge ordered the gridiron genius to make himself available for questioning by attorneys for Vincent Shenocca, a Jersey construction worker who wants to know if Belichick is financing his estranged wife?s ?extravagant lifestyle.? The judge ordered Belichick to submit to questioning as ?a material witness? in the Shenocca divorce and to produce any financial records, credit card receipts or bank transactions that reflect payments to Sharon. Shenocca says the pigskin powerhouse, who met Shenocca?s wife in the 1980s when she was a receptionist for the New York Giants and he was the team?s defensive coordinator, has plied the blond, fortysomething mother of two with cash and gifts. Shenocca says Belichick telephones Sharon constantly and flew her and her sister to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston. And word is, Sharon was Belichick?s date to the Mets-Cardinals National League Championship game earlier this month at Shea Stadium. Shenocca also wants to question Sharon?s sister and brother-in-law about what they know about Belichick?s financial largesse. ?These individuals know how (Sharon) has been able to afford an extravagant lifestyle with such accoutrements as membership in an upscale health club, the constant attention of a personal trainer, a vacation in Jamaica, a beach house rental on the Jersey Shore for the entire summer, purchases of furniture and new clothes and travel by chartered jet, all without employment or visible means of support,? says his court papers. Sharon contends that she ?has borrowed from family and friends,? according to Vincent?s filings. But she hasn?t provided any documents to substantiate the claim. Shenocca also believes that Belichick has purchased or leased a condo for Sharon in Brooklyn, N.Y., and she is currently attempting to get the court to give her the go-ahead to move the children there from New Jersey. Shenocca has objected to the relocation. Belichick has declined to comment on the divorce proceedings and attorneys for the Shenoccas didn?t return our calls. But one legal pundit says that it is unlikely that Belichick will be questioned directly about whether or not he and the soon-to-be-ex-Mrs. Shenocca are having an affair. ?New Jersey is a no-fault state,? said our legal eagle. ?So adultery doesn?t matter.? Belichick and his wife, Debby, separated in 2004. However, Shenocca?s attorneys can - and have - asked to see how much money Belichick is forking over because that could have an impact on what Vincent may be ordered to pay his ex for alimony or child support. Ergo, his attorneys want to know if the coach has coughed up dough for Sharon?s ?shelter, food, rent, clothing, credit or charge card purchases, telephone . . . restaurants, transportation, travel, fitness, plane fare, lodging, automotive or gasoline and insurance, and uncovered medical or dental expenses, entertainment, moving expenses, storage fees, improvements or maintenance to her residence and legal fees.? Sharon is represented by Laurence Cutler, a high-powered New Jersey divorce attorney who signed onto the case just weeks after Belichick?s name first surfaced in court papers. Cutler unsuccessfully attempted to stiff-arm the motion to depose Belichick because of the ?significant costs and inconvenience? of deposing ?a public figure.? And Sharon contends her ex is just out to embarrass the three-time Super Bowl-winning coach - and should be whacked for unnecessary roughness. ?The truth is (Vincent) has always been extremely jealous of my employment and interaction with various individuals whom I met during my employment by the New York Giants,? she said in a deposition. ?I in no way should be required to answer (his) scurrilous and intentionally hurtful statements.? She claims the Belichick revelations have caused a ?circus environment? with press camped out on her street and she unsuccessfully sought to have the case sealed because the publicity has caused her 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter ?great distress and anxiety.? ?This court should not allow our two small children to be negatively impacted on the schoolyard . . . because their father wishes to attack their mother in the media,? she said. Meanwhile, Belichick?s son - who was often seen on the sidelines with his dad this season - was sentenced to six months? probation earlier this week in Waltham District Court. Stephen B. was arrested over the weekend after Weston cops caught him with a pocketful of pot in the car of an alleged dealer that reeked of marijuana smoke. In the midst of all that personal turmoil Belichick is gearing up for the biggest game of the season to date - the Pats-Indianapolis Colts showdown on Sunday Night Football. File Under: Legal Bill. http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=165151&format=text
I can just imagine Belichimp's responses to attorney questions: "Ms. Shenocca is a woman and I am a man, we're two adults engaging in consensual behavior. That's how I would characterize it."
Belichik feels betrayed by Mangini in the same way Parcells felt betrayed by Belichik. It's tough to handle when the guy you've groomed to be your successor says no thanks and goes over to the enemy. And that's the story.
Jeezus, so now we're supposed to give a shit whether or not Beliprick is playing hide the salami with the receptionist? Who gives a fuck. Lets just beat his sorry sweatshirted ass on the field for once. And shut those smug, irritating fans the fuck up.
Better yet, imagine his "sexy talk" "You will refer to my penis as the other man. And, no I will not take off my sweatshirt."
No wonder he wanted off the Jets...he had a little something to hide. I know this is kinda old news but it makes sense.
