Bill Belichick Fights Back Against Criticism Of Patriots’ O-Line Moves

There really is no denying the Patriots failed to properly address their clear offensive tackle need during the offseason.

And yet, Bill Belichick tried to do just that during his Monday morning appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show".

New England's situation at tackle -- outside of Trent Brown -- is so bad that on Sunday it traded Pierre Strong (fourth-round pick last year) and a sixth-round pick in 2024 for a pair of inexperienced depth tackles. Whether either player will be ready to go for Week 1 remains to be seen.

The Patriots entered the offseason with an obvious hole at right tackle and a need for quality depth at left tackle behind Trent Brown, whose reliability can be questioned. They responded by signing Calvin Anderson, a career swing tackle, and Riley Reiff, an aging veteran near the end of his career. The Patriots also drafted three interior linemen with plans to move one -- fourth-round pick Sidy Sow -- to right tackle, and re-signed middling veteran Conor McDermott.

As of Monday morning, Anderson hadn't practiced all summer due to a mysterious illness, Reiff was so bad at tackle that he was moved to guard, Sow was predictably inconsistent and McDermott, who got demoted for Sow, hadn't practiced in over a week due to an injury. Thus, the trades for Tyrone Wheatley Jr. and Vederian Lowe.

Belichick pushed back against such criticisms Monday morning during a tense back-and-forth with WEEI personality Chris Curtis. We've shared the entire transcript, as it illustrates Belichick's attempts to move the goal post and avoid taking responsibility.

Curtis: "Looking at the offensive line, it appears that there are a bunch of late adds ... where there was holes that weren't addressed in free agency or maybe through the draft. What was the thought process this offseason in maybe not creating more depth earlier in the offseason, then trying to do it and cram it before the start of the year?"

Belichick: "Well, we drafted three players on the offensive line. I'm not really sure what you're referring to. We signed Rileyy Reiff, we drafted three players on the offensive line. (David) Andrews, Trent Brown, (Mike) Onwenu and (Cole) Strange are all returning. They're returning starters for us. And we drafted three players and signed one. So, I'm not really following you."

Curtis: "I would just say the premium position of tackle was one that was a significant place of need. Riley Reiff is a guy that was not a top-end talent last year in the NFL. You look at Orlando Brown Jr. who signs elsewhere. It appears that there was significant need for dramatic improvement and it wasn't quite established this offseason."

Belichick: "Right. Well, we'll see how it all plays out. Not sure about that. Again, we drafted three players on the offensive line and signed another pretty experienced veteran."

Curtis: "Well, late picks, right? They were fourth, fifth, sixth rounds?"

Belichick: "Yeah, no, first three picks are on defense. That's right. I mean, you only have so many first-round picks."

Bill Belichick talks about the Patriots offensive line depth and what the Patriots did to address the position! pic.twitter.com/hNUiiwSuam

— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) August 28, 2023

It's interesting that Belichick didn't mention Anderson, who's been on the non-football illness (NFI) list since the start of training camp. If he stays on NFI after Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET roster cutdown deadline, he must miss at least the first four games of the regular season.

In Belichick's defense, Anderson might've been a capable option at right tackle in the event Reiff didn't work out and/or Sow needed more time. The Patriots couldn't have predicted his health issues.

But Anderson is a career backup for a reason. The reality is New England's offseason O-line strategy was risky from the start and eventually necessitated a pair of 11th-hour trades.

With all that said, the Patriots have the bones of not just a good offensive line, but perhaps the best line in the AFC East. If Brown, Strange, Andrews and Onwneu all are healthy, the Patriots can work around any issues at right tackle.

But the entire thing is a house of cards, and Belichick only has himself to blame for that.