The two NFL coaches are forever linked due to the 2007 Spygate scandal in which Mangini, then head coach of the Jets, filed a complaint with the league office that the Patriots were filming the signals of New York coaches during the Pats' 38-14 victory in Week 1. Commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and forced New England to surrender its 2008 first-round draft pick. The relationship between the two coaches has never been the same.
Now an analyst for ESPN, Mangini appeared on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan radio program and discussed how the Spygate scandal created a rift between him and Belichick.
"It's one of those things where the end result wasn't the goal," Mangini said. "I owe so much to Bill, I appreciate what he's done for me and my intention was never to hurt him or the [Patriots] organization, the Kraft family."
Belichick and his protege have been the subject of a lot of media attention since the scandal, with the Jets-Patriots rivalry fueling the fire. Mangini got the better of Belichick last November when New England dropped a 34-14 decision to his former assistant's Browns.
When asked about his current relationship with his former boss, Mangini compared it to the Pats' defense.
"Probably like the New England defense, it's a work in progress," he said.
Mangini also took time to break down New England's impressive 38-24 victory over the Dolphins from Monday night.
"It looks exactly like it always looks from Tom [Brady] and the offense in the sense that its such a well-oiled machine. It doesn't matter who you plug in there, it works and it functions at a high level."
