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Morning Coffee: Belichick, Patriots set to part ways
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This is one morning coffee that I will never forget.
It’s the end of an era in the NFL.
As I sat down at my desk to begin breaking down the latest FanDuel Best Bet in this column, I got the breaking news notification.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are expected to part ways.
Less than 24 hours after learning that Nick Saban would step down at Alabama and Pete Carroll was done with the Seattle Seahawks, Schefter posted this to X.
After winning six Super Bowl titles over an epic 24-season run in New England, Belichick will become a free agent.
Now we wait to find out which organization is willing to go all-in to recruit the most decorated head coach in the history of professional football.
As for the Patriots, an eventual split was inevitable.
In the short term, things could get a lot worse before they get better.
As a long-time fan, I’ve been prepared for Belichick’s exit for a while now.
That doesn’t make this moment any less surreal.
This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday January 11th, 2024.
Belichick, Patriots Reportedly Set To Part Ways
Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are expected to address the world with a press conference at noon.
There will be plenty of discussion about Belichick’s accomplishments in New England in the coming days.
If anybody deserves it, it’s Belichick.
In addition to six Super Bowl rings, Belichick’s nine Super Bowl appearances as a head coach are the most in NFL history.
His 31 playoffs wins are nine more than Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (22) for the most ever.
Belichick is 14 wins away from tying Don Shula’s record for the most regular season and playoff wins all-time.
Patriots fans expected Belichick to break that record as their head coach.
That will not be the case.
Instead, Belichick will become a free agent.
Belichick has made it clear that he wants to continue coaching and he should have his choice of some intriguing situations to resume his career.
Meanwhile, the Krafts will hit the reset button in Foxborough.
We might never again see a run that even comes close to what Belichick has accomplished in New England.
As a Patriots fan, I couldn’t let the moment pass.
Now it’s time to do my job with another FanDuel Best Bet for the NFL Super Wild Card Weekend.
A FanDuel Best Bet For The NFL Super Wild Card Weekend
If you read Wednesday’s column, then you know that I’ve already locked in a Same Game Parlay with the Chiefs to win and Isaiah Pacheco to rush for 25+ yards as a FanDuel Best Bet.
This morning, I’m adding my second recommendation of the week with another FanDuel Best Bet in this column.
Here are the three legs of my Same Game Parlay+:
1)Dak Prescott 225+ Passing Yards
2)Dallas Cowboys moneyline
3)Buffalo Bills moneyline
Prescott 250+ passing yards was 8-for-8 in Cowboys home games this season.
He threw for at least 299 yards in five of his final six home games.
In last yard’s NFC Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Prescott threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns on 33 attempts.
While I considered Prescott 250+ passing yards and Cowboys moneyline as an alternate SGP option, I decided to go with 225+ passing yards and add Buffalo to this ticket instead to get it to -120 odds.
The Bills won five straight down the stretch to clinch the AFC East title and the No. 2 seed, including wins over the Cowboys, Chiefs and Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo is a 10-point favourite at home.
All I need is for them to win the game outright.
An SGP+ with Prescott 225+ passing yards, Cowboys ML and Bills ML nets me -120 odds at FanDuel.
I’ll lock that in as the second FanDuel Best Bet for NFL Super Wild Card Weekend.