Bill Belichick is done with newfangled technology.
The notoriously curt New England Patriots head coach expounded on his distaste for Surface Tablets on Tuesday.
The NFL supplies teams with Microsoft tablet computers as part of a long-term partnership that began in 2013.
But new grandpa Belichick will be using paper, thank you very much. He said he’s ditched the NFL-supplied hardware in favor of old school techniques.
During a press conference Tuesday, Belichick talked for more than five minutes about his frustration and why he’s “done with the tablets.”
“I’ve given them as much time as I can,” Belichick said. “They’re just too undependable for me. I’m going to stick with pictures, as several of our other coaches do, because there just isn’t enough consistency in the performance of the tablets. I just can’t take it anymore.”
To his credit, Belichick’s rejection of the NFL’s tech is understandable. The Patriots experienced technical failures during Sunday’s 35-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In January, the team’s Surface tablets malfunctioned during the AFC Championship loss against the Denver Broncos.
Consumers appear to be more amenable to the Surface tablets — earlier this year, Microsoft said Surface-related revenue is up 61% from last year.
Microsoft responded to Belichick’s comments in a statement sent to CNNMoney.
“We respect Coach Belichick’s decision, but stand behind the reliability of Surface,” a Microsoft spokesman said. “We continue to receive positive feedback on having Surface devices on the sidelines from coaches, players and team personnel across the league. In the instances where sideline issues are reported in NFL games, we work closely with the NFL to quickly address and resolve.”
