New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick seems rather surprised by former colleague Jack Easterby’s station in Houston.
Easterby, the Texans’ vice president of football operations and de facto interim GM, knows Belichick well. Easterby was a character coach and eventual team development director for New England, where his responsibilities fell more into one-on-one work and character development as opposed to talent evaluation.
Ahead of the Patriots’ Week 11 matchup with Houston, Belichick had praise for Easterby, calling him very valuable to the Patriots due to his ability to connect with people. When it came to his qualifications for running football operations, however, Belichick did not mince words.
“Jack is not a personnel person, no,” Belichick said, via Brandon Kyle Scott of SportsRadio 610.
Ouch. That said, Belichick isn’t wrong — Easterby had no previous experience even working in football operations before taking on his current role with the Texans. Houston is likely to hire a permanent GM this offseason, and Belichick’s assessment is a key reason why.
Admittedly, Belichick has some previous reason to be a little bit shady when it comes to the Texans.
More must-reads: