BOSTON -- In the past, Bill Belichick has had some very real opportunities to publicly embrace a quarterback competition. He stiff-armed them with full vigor every single time.
After an embarrassing Week 4 blowout loss on Monday Night Football in Kansas City in 2014, Belichick laughed at a reporter who asked if the quarterback situation would be evaluated. The 37-year-old Tom Brady had been worse than average through four games, and the young gun second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo was in the fold. Yet later that week, when pressed on the quarterback situation, Belichick went on his now-famous "On to Cincinnati" monologue.