Bill Belichick’s uncertain future looms over the NFL

[reflexblue]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/10/14/bill-belichick-patriots-future/

This could be the end of the line for Bill Belichick in New England.
Nothing lasts forever in the NFL, but Belichick’s run with the Patriots is as close to everlasting as it gets. It has been unprecedented and legendary by any standard, let alone during the rampant parity of the salary-cap era. We will never again see anything like the Belichick-Tom Brady tandem, with a ridiculous nine Super Bowl appearances, six rings, 17 AFC East titles and, somehow, 13 AFC championship game appearances in 19 years, including eight in a row from 2011-2018.

 

[archstanton543]

I wouldn't be writing BB's professional obituary yet. Kraft may be upset at the lack of success but he also has loyalty built up with BB (six rings, etc). I don't think he'll be gone after this year (although given the cap and likely high draft pick, it would be the perfect time to do so).

 

[Triumph]

He will have a new job within days.

The Giants would can Daboll and hire BB.

 

[RIpats88]

The question has to be, do you trust Bill the GM to rebuild this roster.

2019 and 2020 were horrid rosters (largely due to Bill whiffing in the draft on replacements for our older players) and we were sold.by Bill that was all because he loaded up in 2014-2018.

It is 3-4 years later and the roster is maybe worse or at best equal to the 2019 team. There are minimal young players you can see building with on offense.

Not saying Mac would ever be the guy. But I do not want Bill in charge of a new QB prospect. How he handled having a QB on a rookie deal was stuff we laugh at other teams for.

 

[ScottishPatriots]

It would be much easier for Bill to accept a coaching job without GM duties if he was fired and went somewhere else, i just don't see a scenario in this franchise where Bill is just a coach and someone else is picking his players, even if it somehow happened it feels like it could become toxic fast.

 

[p8ryts]

It would be much easier for Bill to accept a coaching job without GM duties if he was fired and went somewhere else, i just don't see a scenario in this franchise where Bill is just a coach and someone else is picking his players, even if it somehow happened it feels like it could become toxic fast.

I don't want him gone but if he does I hope he gets hired by the Chargers and look out.

 

[StrawHatPatriot]

I don't want him gone but if he does I hope he gets hired by the Chargers and look out.

If he goes to the Chargers I wonder how much control they'll let him have

 

[Rob0729]

I wouldn't be writing BB's professional obituary yet. Kraft may be upset at the lack of success but he also has loyalty built up with BB (six rings, etc). I don't think he'll be gone after this year (although given the cap and likely high draft pick, it would be the perfect time to do so).

Kraft has a sense of loyalty to Belichick, but this is still a business and this is his brand. Kraft can't let Belichick limp this team along for the next 3-6 years while he chases a record that will be meaningless if he has to have multiple years of sub .500 records or even some of the worst records in the league just to hold onto get it. It quickly turns from an impressive achievement to an achievement of longevity.

Kraft has been talking tough the last few years about expectations for this team. He has been saying not having a playoff win is unacceptable. He either has to follow through with his threats of either get him a playoff win or drastic changes must be had or he will look like a fool.

My guess is the Patricia/Judge debacle used up all of Belichick's good will with Kraft. He was clearly upset about the whole situation last year and was pretty vocal about it. I think Kraft probably wants to move on from Belichick and try a new direction. He will never fire Belichick in season. And he will likely try to allow Belichick to step down on his own rather than fire him. But I think there is a good chance if the team continues in this direction that Belichick will be gone after this year.

 

[Rob0729]

I don't want him gone but if he does I hope he gets hired by the Chargers and look out.

I think Belichick will only go where there is a team close to being a contender and might be a head coach away. So the Chargers are a good fit. But I am not sure he will make the difference for the Chargers at this point.

Belichick's issues in recent years go beyond his failures as a GM. He isn't the smartest guy in the room anymore and has been outcoached by younger coaches. He isn't as innovative anymore. He has become very risk averse. He has made some really bad mistakes. And his coaching staff has been questionable in a lot of areas (beyond Judge and Patricia from last year). Maybe Justin Herbert fixes a lot of that.

 

[Ring 6]

Kraft has a sense of loyalty to Belichick, but this is still a business and this is his brand. Kraft can't let Belichick limp this team along for the next 3-6 years while he chases a record that will be meaningless if he has to have multiple years of sub .500 records or even some of the worst records in the league just to hold onto get it. It quickly turns from an impressive achievement to an achievement of longevity.

Kraft has been talking tough the last few years about expectations for this team. He has been saying not having a playoff win is unacceptable. He either has to follow through with his threats of either get him a playoff win or drastic changes must be had or he will look like a fool.

My guess is the Patricia/Judge debacle used up all of Belichick's good will with Kraft. He was clearly upset about the whole situation last year and was pretty vocal about it. I think Kraft probably wants to move on from Belichick and try a new direction. He will never fire Belichick in season. And he will likely try to allow Belichick to step down on his own rather than fire him. But I think there is a good chance if the team continues in this direction that Belichick will be gone after this year.

Belichick isn’t going to stay to sprinkle enough wins in between losses to get a largely meaningless record. He will stay because Kraft recognizes he employs the best football mind in America and in a challenging sport like NFL football, success is far from guaranteed and having the best people in place doesn’t mean you win every year. But having the best people in place means you win a hell of a lot more often.
Kraft understands when you have the best organization in the history of the sport and after 20 years, fall on hard times, many many years later than natural, you don’t throw out the best organization in the history of the sport because you want to act like an entitled fan and find someone to punish for your unhappiness. You only end up in the sane situation with less talented people in charge.
Of course the other side of the equation is how long belichick wants to keep working. People have created this persona that he cares about a meaningless record when no one ever has shared a single comment from him that it matters to him.

 

[denverpatsfan]

Needs to hire a GM and younger offensive coordinator. Then he can stay. Will that happen?

 

[Thelonious]

No team with it head screwed on straight will permit Bill to take on GM responsibilities for their team. This does not mean some team might do so: there are certainly teams out there (us, for example, of late) who do not have their heads screwed on straight.

I do not think Bill would consider staying on as HC only, with a genuinely independent GM in place, but that is the only option I would offer him at this point. If he declines the offer, given growing concerns about his remaining expertise as HC, I will not be that upset. This team is starting over, from scratch, from its present status as a crap team. Why would one be upset over losing the services of the man most responsible for creating the situation?

I actually assume at this point that BIll will likely not be around in any capacity next year. My immediate concern is that he play no role in any plans or actions - trades, cuts, etc. - with implications for the team next year and in years following. I wish, frankly, there were a way of firing Bill the GM right now, or at least of undercutting his prerogatives in such decisions, starting right now.

This is not a "team with issues." It is a team which has been incompetently run into the ground. In important respects, it is the worst team in the league. It is, in a way not characteristic of most teams, a team run by one man. Any analysis of the way forward must begin there.

 

[Thelonious]

Ring6 refers to this as "the best organization in the history of the sport."

This is a purely historical observation, surely, or the fruit of delusion.

The idea that firing the worst GM in the league - certainly presently, arguably for some time now - is foolish. We can indeed do better than this. Statistically, in fact, in critical areas, under Bill's "leadership" as GM, we literally could not do worse.

 

[TheRainMaker]

I don't want him gone but if he does I hope he gets hired by the Chargers and look out.

If he goes to the Chargers I wonder how much control they'll let him have

So the Chargers are a good fit. But I am not sure he will make the difference for the Chargers at this point.

It's not his personality to go to a place like LA. He'd be a horrible fit. Especially at this stage, the media wouldn't tolerate the mumbling or disrespect.

He'd also have zero control with them already having a GM in Tom Telesco.

I think Bill caves and gives up GM duties if Kraft asks for it to stay.

 

[p8ryts]

Maybe we would be okay as long as he would have the QB.

 

[p8ryts]

If he goes to the Chargers I wonder how much control they'll let him have

Just leave him alone on game day.

 

[ralmat55]

Ring6 refers to this as "the best organization in the history of the sport."

This is a purely historical observation, surely, or the fruit of delusion.

The idea that firing the worst GM in the league - certainly presently, arguably for some time now - is foolish. We can indeed do better than this. Statistically, in fact, in critical areas, under Bill's "leadership" as GM, we literally could not do worse.

Let Percy Sledge explain Ring 6’s undying, delusional devotion to Belichick. Just substitute “football coach of his favorite team” for “woman” as Percy sings.

 

[Thelonious]

Let Percy Sledge explain Ring 6’s undying, delusional devotion to Belichick. Just substitute “football coach of his favorite team” for “woman” as Percy sings.

That's a great song.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Ring6 refers to this as "the best organization in the history of the sport."

This is a purely historical observation, surely, or the fruit of delusion.

The idea that firing the worst GM in the league - certainly presently, arguably for some time now - is foolish. We can indeed do better than this. Statistically, in fact, in critical areas, under Bill's "leadership" as GM, we literally could not do worse.

Bill has Groh now as an assistant, do we know if Bill still has final say? There's no way Kraft announces, even if it happened that Bill is not GM anymore. That's something that would happen behind the scene and for all we know could have already happened.

 

[Rob0729]

Belichick isn’t going to stay to sprinkle enough wins in Braden losses to get a largely meaningless record. He will stay because Kraft recognizes he employs the best football mind in America and in a challenging sport like NFL football, success is far from guaranteed and having the best people in place doesn’t mean you win every year. But having the best people in place means you win a hell of a lot more often.
Kraft understands when you have the best organization in the history of the sport and after 20 years, fall on hard times, many many years later than natural, you don’t throw out the best organization in the history of the sport because you want to act like an entitled fan and find someone to punish for your unhappiness. You only end up in the sand situation with less talented people in charge.
Of course the other side of the equation is how long belichick wants to keep working. People have created this persona that he cares about a meaningless record when no one ever has shared a single comment from him that it matters to him.

We are going to be five years post Brady and we are trending towards being the worst team in the league and not a legitimate contender. We are five weeks into the season and the season is pretty much over.

The “best football mind in America” decided to go into this season with next to no offensive talent and wanted to rely on the defense to win games where they constantly hold teams under 20 points in an offensive focused league. Belichick is the greatest coach of all time IMHO, but he seems to committed to run the team the way he always has even if it means years of mediocrity.

The Patriots were a playoff team in 2020. Missed the playoffs last year. And are now in contention for Caleb Williams this year. Kraft is over 80. He isn’t going to stick with a head coach stuck in 2003 no matter what he did in the past