When you think New England Patriots the first names that come to mind are head coach Bill Belichick and former quarterback Tom Brady.
With Brady leaving via free agency following the 2019 season it’s been all about Belichick, and despite a lone playoff appearance in 2021, it hasn’t been pretty.
That includes this season, where the Patriots are an AFC-worst 3-10. The 2022 season started with Belichick thinking it would be wide to enter the season without an offensive coordinator and ended with quarterback Mac Jones struggling to an 8-9 losing record.
Per Patriots Insider Tom Curran, Belichick’s run as Patriots head coach will come to an end at the conclusion of the season. Speaking on Monday, Curran had this to say about Belichick’s future in Foxborough, Massachusetts, beyond this season.
“When they came out of Germany, conversations I had that week made it very clear that a decision had been made,” Curran said Monday on NBC Sports Boston’s “Arbella Early Edition.” “They were going to play out the string, and at the end of the year there would be a parting of the ways, for a variety of reasons.
Killer Bs Ruled The NFL
With Brady at the helm Belichick boasts a glistening 249-75 record with nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins. Without the game’s greatest signal-caller, Belichick holds a losing career record (83-99), which includes his time as the Cleveland Browns coach from 1991-95.
That’s what makes many believe Brady was the reason for Belichick’s success, and while he’s easily the biggest piece of that success, Belichick’s greatness isn’t all about Tom Brady.
Belichick’s Career In New England (2000-Present)
Hired in 2000 following a one-day stint as the coach of New York Jets, Belichick arrived in Foxborough hoping to build a consistent winner.
The former architect of the feared New York Giants defenses of the late 1980s and early ’90s that featured the great Lawrence Taylor, you knew Belichick would build a dominant defense in New England.
That’s exactly what he did as the Patriots became one of the best defensive teams in the NFL yearly. Adding the aforementioned Brady to the mix just upped the ante, as the Patriots became a juggernaut capable of winning shootouts or 20-17 games.
It led to immense success that included the aforementioned six Lombardi Trophy wins, nine Super bowl appearances, 13 AFC Championship Game appearances and 17 AFC East division titles in 20 seasons.
During Belichick’s reign five Pro Football Hall of Famers played for him, with two going in as Patriots, (Richard Seymour and Ty Law). Brady will make three when his five-year wait is up.
BBs Legacy Is Not Without Controversy
Many consider Belichick to be the greatest head coach ever, but those that don’t always will refer to “Spygate” and “Deflategate.”
Both scandals involved the Patriots cheating. Spygate (2007) was them videotaping opposing team’s coaches from their sidelines during a game. The team was fined $250,000 and lost future draft picks.
Deflategate occurred in 2015, with Brady being suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, the team was fined $1 million and forfeited two picks in the 2016 NFL draft.
Those things have marred an otherwise stellar run in suburban Boston that likely won’t be rivaled by any franchise in league history.
Patriots Get To Truly Start Over
Moving on from Belichick means the franchise gets a complete reset. With Brady and now BB gone, team owner Bob Kraft and family can find a young replacement to take the reins.
It’s also imperative that they find a real GM, because having Belichick in both roles has never really borne much fruit.
That’s what Brady did, he masked a lot of deficiencies within the team brought on by bad picks and questionable free agency moves at times.
Some pundits believe if Belichick is willing to just coach Kraft would keep him, but it’s time for a complete break and allow the Patriots to begin their rebuild in earnest.
As for Belichick, he may end up on another sideline but as the league’s second-oldest coach (71) only Seattle’s Pete Carroll (72) is older. Maybe it’s time to hang up the headset and do something else.
