Bill Belichick's recent interview raises more questions about stance with Patriots

Among the various complaints that fans and media have expressed in recent years regarding Bill Belichick has revolved around his position as the Patriots' general manager. Although some are calling for him to be removed from the team entirely, it seems the vast majority of those voicing their displeasure with the tenured coach wish to see him stripped of his roster-building title.

For the most part, it is a fair demand considering his highly discussed most recent draft failures and lack of desire to spend much of the team's cap space. All you have to do is look at the 2019 draft class or the signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster over Jakobi Meyers to know the arguments are valid.

But things may not be what they seem, at least according to Belichick himself, who seemingly revealed he does not have as many general manager duties as we all may have thought.

During a recent appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" last week, the head coach was asked how he and other personnel discuss their scouting efforts and if it's a collective effort among them in the decision-making or if it's solely up to his discretion.

The assumption over the years has been that Belichick is the final decision-maker when it comes to who is drafted and who is signed, which has been proven accurate time and time again. But Belichick's answer to the question caught many off guard.

"There’s no way I could possibly do that [have his finger on the pulse of every single player brought to him]. I mean, coaching is a full-time job. Personnel is a full-time job. At some point, definitely [come] together, be on the same page, and figure out what’s best for the team. But you can’t be a full-time personnel person and be a full-time coach. It’s impossible."

Was this a reveal that he's been demoted from his longtime position as the general manager?

Or was this his attempt to pass the buck to Matt Groh because he knows how much scrutiny he has faced for his roster decisions in recent years?

That's what most reactions have concluded because there has been no indication of Robert Kraft stripping Belichick of his title, and it's hard to believe that he's given up his power of having the final say in all roster decisions.

But why would he try to distance himself so much from a role he's knowingly had for so many years?

Perhaps he meant in the more general sense that during the season, he is a full-fledged head coach, putting the GM part of his job on the back burner as it isn't necessarily a part that needs to be dealt with on a daily basis in the same way. That would make more sense.

However, the uncertainty of what he actually meant has gotten people talking even more about Belichick's position on the team, and it's not exactly in a positive manner.

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