Bill Belichick has forgotten more football than more of us will ever know.
We’re just getting that statement out of the way because it’s true and perhaps doesn’t speak to him mixing up two starting quarterbacks in the NFL. There’s a lot of information filed away in those filing cabinets upstairs. And as a football savant, Belichick should be looked to as an authority on just about anything NFL-related.
That’s especially true when looking at his current Rolodex of gigs in sports media as he tries to rehab his image to become an NFL head coach yet again. Mistakes happen; this isn’t intended as a “gotcha” moment. Still, confusing two quarterbacks for one another is a notable error, especially when he was trying to take yet another swipe at the Jets after all these years.
The former head coach of the NYJ (for all of three days) was on The Pat McAfee Show Monday talking about the prowess of Sam Darnold.
Darnold stepped in for the injured JJ McCarthy as the Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback and has gone on a Josh Dobbs-like run under the tutelage of Kevin O’Connell. Darnold was a first-round pick; Dobbs was not. So, perhaps this was always in the former first-round bust, who has yet to find a permanent home since his abject failure of an experiment in New York.
Over the first three games in Minnesota, Darnold has played MVP-like, leading the Vikings to a 34-0 record while completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 657 yards with eight touchdowns against two interceptions and a 117.3 quarterback rating.
Belichick rightfully showered him with praise while also taking a swipe at his former AFC East foes, saying, “You know, I’ll say this, everybody has liked Darnold, except the Jets. The people in Carolina that I talked to, they really liked him. He was with the Rams, but not for very long; they liked him, I think they wanted to re-sign him. He was looking for more an opportunity than to play behind Stafford.”
Bill Belichick talking about Sam Darnold:
“Everybody has liked Darnold, expect the Jets.”
(🎥 @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/Ty0aR2BxUL
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 23, 2024
A couple of things here.
Perhaps the Jets didn’t like Darnold because of how he performed against Belichick-coached teams. In four career starts against the Patriots (three coming with the Jets), Darnold has passed for 691 yards, one touchdown against nine interceptions, and a dismal 41.2 passer rating. And, oh yeah, he saw some ghosts, too.
The more important thing here is that Belichick seemingly confused Darnold for Baker Mayfield. You could wonder if he had just mixed up the Los Angeles Rams with the San Francisco 49ers, but he pointed to Darnold having a short stint with the NFC West team when he spent the entire 2023 season under Kyle Shanahan. And Mayfield played just five games for Sean McVay and Co. in relief of an injured Matthew Stafford.
In any event, it’s not like Darnold and Mayfield aren’t tied together by their Carolina connection. Once failed top picks, they are now finding their footing with a new organization. It’s not the biggest of deals, but the Southern California native has never played for the Rams unless Belichick is trying to tell us something.
“I know that Kevin (O’Connell) and some of the coaches in Minnesota, they really liked this guy, too,” Belichick continued. “It seems like the only people that didn’t like Darnold were the Jets.”
It should be noted that after signing Darnold to a one-year deal, the Vikings drafted McCarthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After an impressive preseason, the expectation was that the former Michigan Wolverines quarterback would win the starting job in Minnesota. But a season-ending injury that McCarthy suffered while battling for the No. 1 quarterback position seemingly opened the door for Darnold to start, which he has done quite well in the first three games of the season.
While Belichick’s confusion between Darnold and Mayfield could be chalked up to a simple slip, it’s a reminder that even football’s most remarkable minds can miss a detail or two. A mix-up like this is forgivable when you’ve seen and coached as much football as he has, especially considering his rĂ©sumĂ©.
But perhaps what stands out most is Belichick’s inability to resist taking yet another swipe at the Jets.
