All good things in life must unfortunately come to an end. Many of us can relate to this in some way, shape, or form. With that being said, the amazing and incredible coaching tenure of Bill Belichick in New England appears to be gone with the wind. The New England dynasty or any hopes of one ended once Tom Brady departed and went to Tampa, leaving Belichick and the Patriots offense in disarray. There’s no denying that both parties (Belichick and Brady) needed one another pertaining to New England’s great Superbowl runs, which captured six Lombardi Trophies and 17 division titles over 20 seasons.
Despite the recent struggles of the Patriots in the last few years, the 2023 season feels much different than before regarding the Belichick coaching regime. New England has a dismal record of 3-11 with a winning percentage of .214. If we would have had water cooler conversations a few years back regarding a Belichick coached team sitting in the basement of the AFC East and not even winning 50% of his games over a 17-game season, you would’ve certainly thought it was impossible to comprehend.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, per sources, it seems like New England owner Robert Kraft has seen enough and is ready to move on from Belichick. If this is indeed his last year with the Patriots, before he’s pushed out the door, let’s make sure we take a moment and appreciate all the great things that he’s done in the past to make New England one of the greatest football dynasties in NFL history.
Belichick has had his moments of balancing in-game adjustments and making sound decisions, (particularly on the defensive side of the football) and he’s undeniably a future Hall of Fame coach. I don’t think will ever see a combination of brilliant coaching and amazing quarterback play on display like we saw in New England over a 20-year stretch. Speaking of coaching, it’s not that aspect that has led to his potential departure from New England. It’s the GM side of Belichick that has sealed his fate and the questionable decisions in the draft over the years.
The one thing that I’ve recognized during his tenure is that Belichick never bought into an ever-changing and evolving NFL. The NFL game is constantly changing regarding personnel, drafting and scouting of players, rules, and most visibly the quarterback position. The days of just having a traditional pocket passer are still here, but in addition to throwing the football, many organizations are seeking a more mobile and athletic QB who can escape the rush and make plays on the fly. The things that Brady and the New England offense were able to accomplish over the years is even more impressive knowing that Tom never really had a true deep-threat receiver who can stretch the field (with the exception of Randy Moss for 4 seasons.)
All of the amazing New England victories were led by an offense that consisted of smaller slot guys like Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, and Danny Amendola. Of course, we can’t forget about the great Rob Gronkowski at TE, who battled the injury bug throughout much of his career.
If we evaluate the last 8 years of draft history of the Patriots, (looking at picks in rounds 1-3), they haven’t been hitting home runs in terms of the draft picks that Belichick has taken. The one bright spot for the Patriots in the draft was the 2nd round pick in 2020 of safety Kyle Dugger, who has 9 picks as an NFL player. There’s been questionable drafting decisions from Belichick especially when it comes to acquiring speed on the outside at the WR position and quality quarterback play under center.
Belichick seems to still have the mindset that we’re playing in the 90’s version of the NFL. Today’s game is different than it was 25-30 years ago. Players are much faster, stronger, and the defensive side of the ball has much more limitations when it comes to physical contact and the way you hit other players. Sometimes moments of brilliance and success can lead to stubbornness, which in turn can lead to poor judgement and improper evaluations.
Bill Belichick may be done in New England, but I don’t quite think he’s ready to hang up his headset just yet. There’s a very attractive coaching vacancy under the sunny skies and palm trees of Los Angeles with the Chargers. Will Bill be headed west? The answer to that question remains to be seen, but I have a feeling he’s got redemption and more desire to lead another team to a potential title.