Bill Belichick’s bye week is way cuter than you imagined
By Jerry Trotta
The New England Patriots hadn’t had a break from football since the end of training camp, so the roster is extremely banged up.
In other words, their bye week came at a perfect time…even though the NFL’s recent schedule changed deprived them of two extra off days.
If you remember, the Patriots last played Monday night against the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago, and the league has since moved their Week 15 showdown against the Indianapolis Colts to this Saturday night at 8:20 p.m. ET.
We know Bill Belichick’s players are taking advantage of the bye by resting up, but how is the head coach coping without football?
Studying ways to contain NFL rushing leader Jonathan Taylor? Devising defensive traps for the turnover-prone Carson Wentz?
Probably. However, Belichick also reserved some quality time for his longtime girlfriend, Linda Holiday, and their beloved dog, Nike.
I am here for all the Belichick bye week content. pic.twitter.com/VEnXdZNDRZ
— Lucy Burdge (@LucilleBurdge) December 12, 2021
Patriots HC Bill Belichick’s bye week was surprisingly adorable.
A cuteness overload? From Belichick? What the heck’s going on here? As it turns out, the six-time champion actually has a soft side when he’s not busy leading the Patriots to the playoffs year after year.
Getting back to Nike, it’s about time the Alaskan Klee Kai, who was adopted by Belichick and Holiday back in 2018, made a return to the spotlight.
During the 2020 NFL Draft, cameras showed Belichick’s supposed drafting headquarters at his Nantucket home with the hope of catching the coaching legend in the act of examining options for the team’s next pick.
The only problem? Nike was spotted on Belichick’s chair behind a pair of computer screens and looked poised to submit the selection himself.
Nike became an internet sensation that night, but fans have seen very little of the canine in the nearly two years since.
https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1253837939391565826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1253837939391565826%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patriots.com%2Fnews%2Fmeet-nike-bill-belichick-s-show-stealing-dog
Suffice to say this was worth the wait.
Getting to see Belichick smile is one thing, but to see him do so while in the loving company of Holiday and Nike? You can’t put a price on that.
Since Belichick would never dream of making a social media account, we’re going to need Holiday to keep sharing photos of them (and Nike!!) from time to time.
With New England coming out of their bye and looking to maintain the AFC’s No. 1 seed over the remaining four games, however, fans might have to wait a while for Holiday to post the next family photo.
That’s okay, though. These pictures were enough to last until the offseason.
