Shot Across the Bow?

[lancerman]

"Make the playoffs" is the floor when your QB is Marino. Shula was achieving the floor for Marino's whole career. I'm glad they let him do that as long as they did.

The league was not the same when Shula coached Marino. It was a league where you either got a bunch of studs and road them out with the lack of free agency and a cap or you were a have not. Just hitting on QB didn't guarantee you years of success. See Fouts or Tarkenton

 

[VrabelJr]

I was sad Brady broke the record elsewhere but was still happy he got it since 95% of it came here. I would feel the same with Bill when he gets the win record with the Chargers in 2025.

You ok? That’s crazy talk.

 

[TheRainMaker]

Win Sunday and the chatter dies down. Lose Sunday and I think the nail will be in the coffin for Bill with Buffalo and Miami coming up.

I also don't see him going to coach in LA. If he does, he will have stop the mumbling as it won't be tolerated out here. The media would eat him alive.

 

[farn]

It was a double dynasty.

I’ve always seen it as two :

2001-2004 + 2014-2018. Three SBs each. Only Brady and BB as the constants.

I really liked both, but I can’t help but wonder what would’ve been in 2015. Long felt that team was very very special and they almost made it back to the SB despite a slew of injuries that eventually were too much to overcome.

 

[Ross12]

You ok? That’s crazy talk.

What’s crazy about it?

 

[raduray]

Biggest mistake of Krafts ownership.

BB needed a QB in a lousy QB draft. Lawrence looks like Mac with long hair some games. BB got duped by his pal Saban who is starting to be a nut. Saban sided with Mac over Hurts who is 10 times the player. Already went to a Super Bowl and is on course to go back.

BB deserves 1 more shot in a QB rich draft.

First you criticize him for his bad choice of Mac and then propose giving him another shot?

 

[Froob]

Nobody enjoys speculation quite like Jeff Howe

It really isn’t given what Kraft has said numerous times

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I was sad Brady broke the record elsewhere but was still happy he got it since 95% of it came here. I would feel the same with Bill when he gets the win record with the Chargers in 2025.

As I've said before, there's a really important question Belichick may have to answer: which is more important to him—calling the shots on the roster or breaking Shula's record?

At this point, I can't see any team—even one as desperate to get over the hump as the Chargers—agreeing to give him the GM position after what's happened this year.

 

[venecol]

I wonder how much if any off the record input Kraft had on this article.

"There’s a school of thought that suggests Bill Belichick has earned the right to go out on his own accord, that the architect of the greatest dynasty in NFLhistory can coach in New England as long as he chooses.

Kraft doesn’t subscribe to it."

Howe: If you think Patriots owner Robert Kraft wouldn't fire Bill Belichick, you're wrong

Kraft has grown frustrated, if not downright angry, over the Patriots' recent shortage of success. But what is he willing to do about it?

theathletic.com

I read that article but couldn't find any direct link or back-up to the bolded statement above.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

It really isn’t given what Kraft has said numerous times

He's said things that aren't quite compatible—about winning and about Belichick's future—but no one has actually asked. Also, no one's asked about Belichick's contract, which is suddenly a very relevant question.

 

[PatsWSB47]

I was sad Brady broke the record elsewhere but was still happy he got it since 95% of it came here. I would feel the same with Bill when he gets the win record with the Chargers in 2025.

Just to even things up how ironic would it be if he went to the Bucs and did it?

 

[Kontradiction]

Bill needs 29 more wins. He'll need roughly 3 even if he does his usual pace of around 10 wins.

That’s not his usual pace anymore.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Biggest mistake of Krafts ownership.

BB needed a QB in a lousy QB draft. Lawrence looks like Mac with long hair some games. BB got duped by his pal Saban who is starting to be a nut. Saban sided with Mac over Hurts who is 10 times the player. Already went to a Super Bowl and is on course to go back.

BB deserves 1 more shot in a QB rich draft.

Now it’s considered a lousy draft? Captain Hindsights claim this now although the so called draft experts and media had a lot of hype surrounding those 5 qb’s. Obviously the Pats “ruined” -struck out either way you look at it

Your gonna use Hurts as an example who has 3 first round young talents with D Smith, Aj Brown and D Goedert. Also has a multi probowl offensive line in place pretty much before he got there.

You can also look at it as they just pick better players in the draft and go for the win with big time trades like for Brown. Most of those great picks were made from 20 and under though. A benefit BB has just recently got to experience.

 

[Ross12]

As I've said before, there's a really important question Belichick may have to answer: which is more important to him—calling the shots on the roster or breaking Shula's record?

At this point, I can't see any team—even one as desperate to get over the hump as the Chargers—agreeing to give him the GM position after what's happened this year.

I tend to agree, I think he will be hard pressed to find a team that’s both A) in good shape already and B) willing to dump or demote their current GM to give him roster control. If their current team is already good then it doesn’t make much sense to let Bill override them. If their current team is not good then Bill probably doesn’t want to go to a super crappy team and start a whole rebuild for several years. I wouldn’t be super shocked to see him accept a job elsewhere on a solid team that doesn’t give him roster control but lets him have a say on player acquisition to some extent.

Or maybe I’m wrong and he will go to Chicago or something with full roster control and start a full rebuild with a team with multiple super high picks and rebuild them from the ground up. Maybe he doesn’t go far but he can probably squeeze out some 6 to 8 win seasons as a 4th place team and hit the record in a few years albeit at a slower pace.

 

[mike_usagisan]

It’ll be funny if Bill barely limps across the record and then Andy Reid comes along and quickly outdoes him.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

It’ll be funny if Bill barely limps across the record and then Andy Reid comes along and quickly outdoes him.

That’s every longevity record in the end. Reid will have an 18+ game schedule too.

 

[UrbanCowboy]

It’ll be funny if Bill barely limps across the record and then Andy Reid comes along and quickly outdoes him.

Andy Reid looks like he's five minutes from a coronary, although he has looked that way for a long time.

 

[203Pat]

Looks like Jalen Mills isn’t thrilled with his usage.

 

[denverpatsfan]

It’ll be funny if Bill barely limps across the record and then Andy Reid comes along and quickly outdoes him.

Reid will hold the record before it is over. Easy 10-14 wins every season with Mahomes.
For Bill to limp along for the next 4+ years with a crappy team to just hold Shula's record is absurd. Let him move onto somewhere else to do that.

 

[Lavictoire]

Is the article correct, Bill needs 18 more wins to pass Shula? Howe wrote:

"Belichick is sitting at 330 career victories. For a while, Belichick had been on track to surpass Shula’s 347 wins in 2024, which would sync up with his 50th season in the NFL.
But if the Patriots don’t start beating comparable opponents, let alone the perceived superior foes, that 348th victory may not be within reach in 2024. And if this chase continues at the current pace, how much energy would the fan base realistically expend to celebrate No. 348 — whenever it may come?"