Three points in their last two games. Is it time for a change in New England?
(Credit: Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
New England Patriots have ruled the NFL for much of the 21st century so far. The Pats have won six Super Bowls since the turn of the millennium, and the man who has been the constant throughout that period has been head coach Bill Belichick, and, until his departure in 2019, Tom Brady.
Since Brady’s departure though, the Pats have unfortunately transcended into a disappointing outfit, difficult to watch, and now strapped with one of the NFL’s worst rosters.
With just three points scored in their last two games, on the back of a dysfunctional offseason and a poor start to 2023, it feels like big changes are needed to get one of the biggest franchises in the NFL back on track.
Who is to blame? Belichick? Mac Jones?
Is Belichick still the best man for the job? Or is it time for the legend who built them a dynasty to move on? That’s one of the key questions on the lips of all those questioning the prospects of New England at the moment.
The boos inside Gillette Stadium during Sunday’s calamitous 34-0 defeat to the New Orleans Saints had echoed all afternoon. From Mac Jones taking sacks and what felt like constant pressure, on top of a couple of interceptions before being benched, to a lacklustre performance from a defense usually considered tough to beat under Belichick, the Patriots looked, not for the first time, a complete mess.
The fact that it came just days after a 38-3 embarrassment loss against Dallas, the worst loss of Belichick’s career by points differential, makes the result even more shocking. New England were up against a Saints team who are far from Cowboys-caliber, who entered this matchup having lost two in a row and had not scored more than 21 points in 10 straight games.
Belichick has been unable to galvanise large areas of his team, and it starts with the quarterback, Mac Jones. The Patriots look uninspired and Jones is regressing rapidly in his third season and it is no surprise when he was pulled from the game for the second week in a row.
At 1-4, this is Belichick’s worst coaching start since 2000. While Jones has been incredibly poor, ultimately Belichick must be held accountable for what has gone wrong.
What needs to change?
Jones’ poor performances backdate to last year, but the change at offensive coordinator with Bill O’Brien seems to have pushed him, and this offense, even further into reverse.
Do they stick with Jones or turn to another option? Currently, the alternatives don’t look too promising either. Bailey Zappe has been called upon before but doesn’t offer an upgrade on Jones, third-stringer Will Grier only just joined the club in late September, while practice squad rookie Malik Cunningham does not appear to be getting a lot of serious consideration as a QB. Any genuine change feels like it needs to be made via an acquisition through trade or free agency, and that is a far from ideal scenario mid-season.
Quarterback isn’t the only weakness though. The Patriots genuinely have weakest looking set of offensive weapons in the NFL today. Third-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson is a legitimate talent but the large remainder of the side are old, injury-prone or even castoffs.
Belichick chose to extend DeVante Parker and sign JuJu Smith-Schuster instead of keeping Jakobi Meyers, and given the contrasting numbers between those players this season, that is proving to be a huge mistake. A makeshift offensive line, one of the worst and the least consistent we’ve seen in the Belichick-era, too is not helping matters.
Hopes were a bit higher for the Pats defense, who are normally competitive and hard to beat under Belichick, but those hopes have been diminished so far this year. On Sunday, the Saints torched their zone coverage and ran riot against an apathetic-looking defensive unit. There isn’t enough fight, and tactic adjustments have been poor. That goes back to the coaching, and points towards the need for change.
Is this the final season for Belichick in New England?
Every franchise goes through difficult periods in order to get to the glory times. Teams are meant to change and adapt when things don’t work, players, even faces of the franchise, have to move on at some point.
Tom Brady moved on, and maybe it’s time for Belichick to do the same. Of course, for all he’s accomplished, in an ideal world, he deserves to leave on his own terms. He’s the greatest head coach of the modern era. But unless there is a massive turnaround or surprise signing, the post-Brady Era in New England will be remembered as a dud. All the success Belichick has achieved, he’s needed the quarterback to do it. I’m sure he’ll feel he has a point to prove with Jones at the helm.
All great things do have to come to an end at some point. Is this the right time for the Patriots to move on from Belichick? Who knows, but that day certainly feels as close as it has ever been.
