October 6th: The Patriots Still Lost

Alright, Mr. Belichick. We get it. You're on to Cincinnati.

After a horrible Monday night loss to Kansas City, the New England head coach was anything but warm to the media who asked him about his game plan moving forward. He repeatedly refused to answer questions directly, instead citing his team's desire to look forward.

You would think, then, that when the Patriots beat down the Bengals on Sunday night, Bill would warm up a little. But alas, it was not meant to be. In another grouchy interview, Belichick refused to answer any direct questions once again, rudely shrugging off any attempts by reporters to, ya know, gain information.

I have some bad news for you, Bill. While you may think your job is to win football games, it isn't. You may think a Super Bowl is all you play for, but it's not. You play because you are in the entertainment industry. Fans come to games to see your team, to watch them win, and to listen to you tell them how it happened. Your selfish form of football, where you are too embarrassed to face the media like a man, is a glaring example of a career's worth of inability to understand that access is all that football is really about.

You have also thoroughly abused reporters who are there to do their jobs. The reporters aren't trying to get you fired. They aren't trying to ruin your day. They are simply attempting to get a quote so that they can do their own jobs. By refusing to give them anything to write, you are making their lives more difficult. Imagine if they took away your headset. Or your hoodie.

Football fans want to experience the game through the eyes and minds of the players. Derek Jeter, when he retired, started a website dedicated to allowing sports stars to open up to the fans. He understood the value of transparency in sports, and how important it is to allow the fans to see into the game. Belichick clearly doesn't.

You said in your interview after this week's win that you felt satisfied with the team's performance. Well, I most certainly not satisfied with yours.