Bill Belichick (EPA)
HE WUZ ROB-BED: Rob Gronkowski (87, above) celebrates a touchdown with teammates Visanthe Shiancoe and Julian Edelman during Sunday’s 59-24 Patriots win over the Colts, a game in which the big tight end fractured his forearm on an extra-point attempt late in the fourth quarter — a move for which The Post’s Steve Serby says coach Bill Belichick (inset) is to blame. (
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Bill Belichick would run over his grandmother if she stood in his way. He is the ruthless, merciless, cutthroat coach who takes no prisoners, who adheres to the old Billy Tubbs Oklahoma basketball philosophy of: “If they don’t like it, they should get better.”
The Belichick Way has delivered three Super Bowl championships to Bob Kraft’s Patriots, and few would argue he is not the best coach of his generation, no matter how much of a luxury it has been for him sending Tom Brady out to play quarterback for the last dozen years.
But sometimes, when you live by the sword, you die by the sword.
Sometimes, common sense takes a holiday, even for great coaches.
Belichick has lost All-World tight end Rob Gronkowski for 4-6 weeks, and for that, Rex Ryan and the Jets will be forever grateful on Thanksgiving night.
The Patriots lost Gronkowski, who underwent surgery on his broken left forearm yesterday, because Belichick left him in to block for the extra point that concluded the 59-24 New England Massacre of the Colts.
Belichick defenders, such as Tedy Bruschi and Tony Dungy, will give you the “that’s football” argument.
I will give you the “that’s stupid” argument.
Belichick was asked yesterday: Given that Gronkowski has been listed as questionable for seven straight games, what was the wisdom in having him out there on the field-goal team since he plays such a high number of snaps?
Out there with four minutes left to play, with the hated Jets four days away?
“Just one of his roles and jobs in the game,” Belichick said.
The follow-up: “Was there any thought given to taking him off some of the special teams units since he’s been banged up?
“I don’t think there are any quicker ways to lose a game than getting a kick blocked and run back for a touchdown,” Belichick said. “That’s probably one of the quickest ways to put it up in the loss column. It’s an important job whoever does it. It’s a very important job in the game.”
Last time I checked, you can’t return a blocked extra point for a touchdown. And how often are they blocked, by the way?
On Boston’s WEEI radio, Belichick said: “Football players play football. You tell me which guys are going to get hurt and I’ll get them out of there.”
I get that. And I recognize that this was a fluke accident. I also know that the chances of Gronkowski suffering a broken forearm would have been considerably less high-fiving with Brady on the sideline.
“It sucks that he gets hurt, but it’s part of the game,” Brady said.
Belichick was lucky back in 2007 when he kept running up the score on everyone in front of him in the weeks and months following Spygate. You may recall Belichick going for a pair of fourth-and shorts with a 38-0 lead and Brady still in the game, and also waxing Joe Gibbs and the Redskins 52-7 as he chased perfection that season.
His players would have understood if he had pulled Gronkowski, every one of them. Now Belichick gets Visanthe Shiancoe ready, and hopes that the injured Aaron Hernandez (ankle) can make it back for the Jets.
Turkey move right before Thanksgiving.