Was Belichick’s grudge against Falcons on display during ManningCast?

Was Belichick’s grudge against Falcons on display during ManningCast? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Call it the Bill Belichick revenge game.

The former New England Patriots head coach made his weekly appearance on ESPN2’s ManningCast on Monday night, joining brothers Peyton and Eli Manning on the alternate broadcast of Philadelphia Eagles vs. Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons, you’ll recall, spurned Belichick for their head coach opening this past January, hiring Raheem Morris despite Belichick reportedly believing he had a good chance to the land the job. Considering that context, it seemed notable that the coaching legend worked in several digs at Atlanta during Monday’s broadcast.

The first admittedly was a setup; Peyton asked Belichick about the Patriots’ epic comeback from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, and Belichick happily obliged — while working in a reference to Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

“I remember Blank down on the sideline in the fourth quarter, celebrating when they were ahead,” Belichick said. “He’s a pretty good dresser. Arthur always looks sharp, but he was down there on the sideline, and we were getting beat, and I was like, Jesus.”

Belichick got more direct in the second quarter, calling out Atlanta’s poor tackling after Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambled for a first down on third-and-11, then chiding a Falcons defender for picking up a personal foul penalty after the whistle.

“Can’t tackle,” Belichick lamented after Hurts’ first down. “… Honestly, it was the same issue last week; they didn’t tackle very well against Pittsburgh.”

Belichick saved his best shot for last, however. Just before the two-minute warning of the first half, the former Patriots coach made an unprompted reference to the Falcons being punished for tampering earlier this year.

“Is this Mooney?” Belichick asked after Atlanta wide receiver Darnell Mooney made a reception. “Mooney is one of the three free agents they signed illegally — Mooney, (tight end Charlie) Woerner and of course (quarterback Kirk) Cousins — that they contacted early, got fined for, lost a draft choice and all that.”

Any criticism Belichick makes of the Falcons will obviously receive heightened attention given how things went down this winter, and he had plenty of coaching points for the Eagles as well on Monday night. But referencing Atlanta’s tampering scandal felt oddly specific and personal, and perhaps a shot at the Falcons’ front office, which reportedly balked at the idea of ceding decision-making control to Belichick if Atlanta hired the coaching legend.

Belichick reportedly wants to continue coaching in 2025, and if his new team has the Falcons on its schedule, be sure to circle that date.