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The Patriots often resemble a covert, clandestine organization. Nothing ever comes out of Patriot Place, and everyone in the building knows that they don't let information walk out of Foxborough.
Therefore it surprised many that former Patriots player Asante Samuel ripped into head coach Bill Belichick after they slipped to 1-3 as they lost to Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Samuel went for the jugular in his tweets as he lamented the Patriots' free agency period and Belichick's coaching.
The former NFL cornerback didn't hold back. Samuel won two Superbowl titles under Belichick's tutelage, and he became one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL.
Asante Samuel pans the Patriots
Samuel was one of the best players around during his prime years in New England. The cornerback made a habit of picking off quarterbacks, and he was a nightmare for opposing offenses.
Bill Belichick notoriously discards players a year early, and the fallout between him and Samuel wasn't pretty. It's clear that Samuel had an axe to grind, but he may have a point.
The Patriots uncharacteristically spent a lot of money in free agency. That raised New England's expectations that the Patriots would bounce back and compete for the AFC East title.
It started badly. The Pats are 1-3, and they are not playing good football. In reality, the Patriots haven't played good, winning football in a while. Samuel attacking Belichick adds more fuel to a tense situation.
Bill Belichick and his team won't care about Samuel's comments. Expect Belichick to glare at a reporter when the question crops up in this week's press conference. His sole focus is to turn the Patriots round and point them in the right direction.
Losing to Brady will raise questions against Belichick's legacy as a legendary coach. Brady fans and Belichick naysayers will loudly proclaim, 'It was all Brady.' It won't keep Belichick awake at night, but it will anger him that his team lost.
As for Samuel's comment about Belichick devaluing players, the head coach did draft a nobody in the fourth round and helped him carve out a successful NFL career, including two Superbowl titles.
Asante Samuel is entitled to his opinion. However, it was poor to tweet out after a game that everyone framed as Brady vs. Belichick. It was never that simple, and Asante Samuel should know better than most.
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