The deeds and triumphs of Bill Belichick will be spoken of for a century, if not longer. In 24 years as Head Coach of the New England Patriots, he guided them to an astonishing six Super Bowls, 17 AFC East Division titles, and maintained a winning percentage of 68.7%. Too bad the entire NFL world had been calling for his head throughout the entire season. What?
To say that this season was an unmitigated disaster for the Patriots would be the understatement of an eon. Mac Jones, once hailed as the next Tom Brady, played like the starting quarterback from Albertville High School. After ten games of such misery, Jones was relegated to the bench and Bailey Zappe took his place. Zappe didn’t fare any better. Ezekiel Elliott had an eye-burning yards per carry of 3.5. Their receivers (none of them worth naming) played like they had cement blocks for shoes and polished granite for fingers. Their offensive line impersonated traffic cones for most of the season, and Chad Ryland would’ve failed a class at Bob Jones with his kicking percentage. Despite all this, their defense managed to be an above-average unit as a whole, with being the 7th best defense in terms of yards allowed being their best statistic. However, their defense could not bail out their crime scene of an offense as they slunk to a 4-13 record.
That team was projected to contend for a spot in the playoffs. But why was that tire fire of a team projected to be any good, and just why were they sooo bad?
The reason that people deluded themselves into believing that the Patriots were good was because of two factors: the public’s faith in Mac Jones, and the stout Patriots defense. One of those factors delivered this season. You already know which one did. The reason why people believed that they would be good is easy to determine, however, less so for the reason why they were bad. I believe that reason is much more nuanced.
“But what about all those awful statistics you mentioned, aren’t they the reason why the Patriots were so bad this season?” You may ask, but I assure you, the problems of the Patriots run deeper. Much deeper.
Bill Belichick, the subject of this article, is not only the coach but also the General Manager of the New England Patriots. He is responsible for negotiating player contracts, drafting players into the team, trading players, etc. And of those responsibilities, drafting is seen as the most important. It is this responsibility that Belichick seems to have lost his touch.
After all the great players of the dynasty retired or left in free agency, the Patriots desperately needed to find production through the draft, and it’s safe to say they haven’t. Over the past five years, the Patriots have had some awful draft classes, highlighted by a lack of production from their first-round selections.
- N’Keal Harry, wide receiver from Arizona State: In only 2.5 seasons with the Patriots, he compiled 598 yards and four touchdowns. Extremely underwhelming at best.
- Mac Jones, quarterback from Alabama: After a promising first season which saw Jones finishing second for the Offensive Rookie of the Year, his play has regressed massively. He will almost certainly be replaced following this season.
- Cole Strange, offensive lineman from Chattanooga: After an atrocious first year, he has improved marginally to be a below-average lineman on a bad team. Not enough value from a first-round pick.
In addition to whiffing on many first-rounders, his picks in the 2nd round haven’t been great either. The most notable mistake made in this round was Tyquan Thornton. Drafted 50th overall, he was not expected to get picked for at least another 100 spots. He scored three total touchdowns with the Patriots and was cut in the middle of this season.
The inability of Belichick to replace his former greats through the draft has been the main reason the Patriots have fallen from their perch. In addition to many poor draft selections, Belichick’s free agents haven’t made a great impact either. Of his free agency signings over recent years, the only one that has had a successful time in New England has been tight end Hunter Henry. Arguably, he’s been the most dangerous receiving threat in New England over the past three years. Too bad his best season only saw him accruing 603 yards and nine touchdowns. Very good numbers for a tight end, but when a player like Henry is your most dangerous threat, you’re not very threatening to other teams.
Following a miserable 17-3 loss to the lowly New York Jets, the Patriots suffered their 13th loss on the season. 4 Days after the game, Bill Belichick was fired. All those Super Bowls, all those division titles, all those miraculous comebacks orchestrated by Tom Brady, all those outstanding catches by Julian Edelman, and all those outstanding tackles by Dont’a Hightower, are now merely distant memories. Jarrod Mayo has already been tabbed as Belichick’s successor. Time will tell if he can live up to his predecessor.
Despite the calamity that was this season, Belichick has still received interest at the NFL level. The Atlanta Falcons have been heavily linked with Belichick over the past few weeks, and he has already interviewed for the head coaching position twice. He may get a chance to prove his doubters wrong, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope he does. The Patriots have caused me a lot of pain over the years. Being a Steelers fan isn’t easy these days.
