[Cheese]

Originally Posted by Flabbibulin

My guess is this has more to do with tension in the Patriots organization than trying to screw the Colts. I wouldn't be surprised if this newest development was mostly between Kraft and McDaniels.

There is always overreaction in any "fan nation" following a championship loss, but the last few days for the Pats has been very different than past losses and a lot of signs point to that ESPN article having some legitimacy. There is just no way McDaniels turns down the Colts if he hasn't been told by Kraft that Belichick is likely done after 2018 and he is the heir.

Butlergate could be a symptom of the turmoil behind the scenes, and may have escalated things- likely both. Nothing has come out to vindicate Belichick's decision not to play his #2 CB and possibly best tackler, and that decision likely infuriated Kraft.

http://www.patriots.com/news/2018/02...ay-new-england

Ultimately McDaniels didn’t feel comfortable taking his family, which includes his wife Laura and four children, out of New England. That was reportedly the reason for his reluctance to commit to the Colts.
The next logical step in the process obviously involves the future of Bill Belichick. The coach has endured a trying couple of months dealing with reports of a rift among him, his quarterback, Tom Brady, and his boss, Kraft. With McDaniels having a change of heart, the immediate speculation would be that he did so knowing that Belichick is set to call it quits after 18 years at the helm in New England.