Of course Bill Belichick doesn’t care about fantasy football. That’s what the Patriots head coach told reporters this week at training camp. Then again, he was probably happier to talk about fantasy than about the Dolphins tampering story.
At this point, media members covering the Patriots are either naïve for asking Belichick about fantasy football or strategically fishing for a quote that can go viral.
Clearly, Belichick’s priority is winning real NFL games, not fantasy matchups. And he’s done it better than anyone in a generation. Belichick enters the 2022 season with 321 career wins (regular season and postseason). That’s third on the all-time list – three behind George Halas and 26 behind Don Shula.
Ironically, Belichick has presided over two of the most prolific fantasy campaigns ever. In 2007, Tom Brady passed for 4,806 yards and 50 touchdowns, adding a pair of rushing scores for good measure and finishing with 390 fantasy points. That same season, Randy Moss caught 23 of Brady’s touchdowns, part of a stat line that included 98 receptions and 1,493 yards, good for 385.3 fantasy points.
The 2022 Patriots don’t figure to put up passing numbers anywhere close to that, with Mac Jones entering his second season with a less-than-stellar receiving corps. The biggest fantasy question for the Patriots will be how the running back action is divided between starter Damien Harris and second-year back Rhamondre Stevenson.
But don’t ask Belichick for any fantasy advice. He doesn’t care.
