The inside story of the Patriots’ fall to rock bottom in the Bill Belichick era

[upstater1]

It's funny.. no talk of how it's looked without Brady. People tend to really forget that HUGE thing. I will always appreciate Bill and everything he's been to the organization. But the facts remain. The GOAT HC hasn't looked the part without TB12.

If you have a horrendous QB, it's not going to be good. If you have a great QB, your4 rebuild will look pretty good (like Brady and the team's 10-6 in '10, in the middle of a rebuild). Or like Brady and '02 (9-7) again in the middle of a rebuild ('01 is an anomaly). Just look at the flip of the switch in Cleveland (change from the losing Kosar to the winning Testaverde, go 11-5 and playoffs). When you look at the record of Cassel/Garoppolo/Brissett and compare to Cam Newton/Mac Jones, the difference is glaring. Granted, those weren't rebuild teams for Cassell/Garoppolo/Brissett, but I think it's telling what could be done with a QB who doesn't completely implode.

Until Zappe imploded in the 1st half this Sunday, his record was 4-2

 

[upstater1]

It's quite a bit more complex than that. Mason is younger than Thuney, despite being drafted a year earlier, and even the other OL would admit he was the most athletic among them. I can't fault them for giving him that money. [Plus Thuney wasn't eligible for an extension that season anyways.]

The thing is that they could have matched the contract Thuney got from KC, but, for whatever reason, they didn't. I think that they figured Ted Karras could adequately replace him, and they were more or less correct.

But then, for whatever reason, they lowballed Karras in FA, and that led to him going to the Browns and creating the need at LG.

Karras was really bad at LG for us. They were giving him money because of Andrews' injury. But that was for Center. I'd never want to see Karras as our LG. I watched him closely and he was awful. Not quick enough to move from the guy directly in front of him.

I think they had an overall # that they wanted for their OL, and with the Mason signing they were maxed up and couldn't add $18m more to the allocation.

But a year later they got rid of Mason... so... they could've done it.

I was never a fan of Mason's. He was a better run blocker than Thuney, but not a good pass blocker.

Maybe they thought that the QB position from 2020-2022 was going to force them to become a running team.

 

[SlowGettingUp]

That is placing a strict value on a player or position an having the discipline to stick with that.

That makes sense provided your total budget is comparable to that of other teams. But this year we absolutely went cheap - not just on current cash spend (where we were 31st in the League this year behind only the Rams) but in future commitments as well. We are 4th in cap space in 2024, and second (behind only Arizona) for 2025, 2026 and 2027 and top in 2028. By contrast, the Browns and the Bills have only about half the cap space in 2028 we have ($550m vs $1.2 billion with zero players signed for us). Some of that is because we haven't signed many of our current players, but a lot of it is because we declined to play the void years game that everyone else is using for their expensive contracts. A lot of those teams will be struggling with dead money at some point as no player (except Brady) is forever, but meantime they have the class players and we mostly have the also-rans.

 

[*ChungFu*]

It sounds like there are a lot of slices to this blame pie. The game is still football and that last paragraph oughta tell you who the brightest football mind in the room is. The Kraft's could probably give seminars on corporate structure and that is their expertise. What made this relationship amicable seems to have disappeared. We'll hear all the verbal bouquets soon, but the termites that have eroded this franchise come from multiple parents. BB will probably throw this sack of **** over his shoulder and walk out without giving a sound bite. Jonathan will ensure us a straight course has been set. In my opinion the foreseeable future looks bleak.

 

[upstater1]

I think we’ve gotta separate ourselves out of this whole “media is out to get us!” persecution complex.

What Kyed and Callaghan reported does not diverge one bit from what we’ve gathered from other reports and that which we’ve seen with our own eyes. There is obviously crippling problems with personnel and coaching and this article did an excellent job of digging further into it.

These are superficial critiques, IMO.

It's people *****ing because of the losing.

It's management upset they went with Gonzalez and Keion White instead of Broderick Jones and Cody Mauch.

This kind of thinking is superficial and doesn't get a team to become what a truly needs to be: a super bowl contender.

I have a sense that Kraft in the future is going to be satisfied being Baltimore: 11-6 with nothing to show for it for the next decade.

 

[upstater1]

I'm with you on the contention point. Just be good. Be Pittsburgh. Be San Francisco. Even be Baltimore. I was going to say be Dallas, but eff Jerry Jones and eff the Cowboys.

I think you need to swing for the fences.

You need to make the decisions that will help you win a Super Bowl. It may hurt you in the short run, but in the long run, it's worth it.

Teams that pay $80m guaranteed to shore up tackle positions to players who are wildly overrated, or who reach for a Broderick Jones when they can grab a Gonzalez, those teams will win during the regular season, but they will never get on top.

Take Baltimore, for instance. 1 playoff win in the last 10 years. Steelers, 3 wins in 12 years (their big run was ended with a 36-17 loss to the 2016 Patriots).

These 2 teams have not threatened anyone or anything in a combined 20+ years.

 

[venecol]

With this defense coupled with high draft picks add to that a **** load of money … you would think an avg coach should get us to the promised land again. That’s why some of us Belichick guys would rather just keep him around… ya see cause he ain’t average !!!

You Belichick guys refuse to acknowledge that his record has been below average though. Back-to-back losing seasons, 3 out of 4 losing seasons, no playoff wins in 5 years, etc.

 

[FCB02062]

anyone left on in bill we trust island?

 

[Steve102]

I think you need to swing for the fences.

You need to make the decisions that will help you win a Super Bowl. It may hurt you in the short run, but in the long run, it's worth it.

Teams that pay $80m guaranteed to shore up tackle positions to players who are wildly overrated, or who reach for a Broderick Jones when they can grab a Gonzalez, those teams will win during the regular season, but they will never get on top.

Take Baltimore, for instance. 1 playoff win in the last 10 years. Steelers, 3 wins in 12 years (their big run was ended with a 36-17 loss to the 2016 Patriots).

These 2 teams have not threatened anyone or anything in a combined 20+ years.

That’s because the pats owned them

 

[RIpats88]

Basically the same issues as last year. Only difference is bill sulked about getting BoB so hamstrung him not allowing him to have his own staff and actually implement changes.

Then ignored offense and gave them trash to work with.

 

[RIpats88]

anyone left on in bill we trust island?

The usual three stooges are. This is all smoke and mirrors!

Only been this way since Bill decided to kick Brady to the curb with no backup plan

 

[cmasspatsfan]

I feel that Same way. The reason I want Mayo is because as you perfectly stated need someone innovative on offense I believe mayo would have those guys. Mayo is 37 from what I hear he has alot of friends in the NFL and people he would consider on offense. At DC I believe Demarcus covington could be the guy. Barmore and so many other past patriots have lauded him for helping them evolve as a player. The other factor here is... when Bill is gone the organization will automatically operate in 2020s NFL standards because it will be a HC, GM not the jekyll and hyde we've seen the last 3 seasons.

WE need someone younger, I'm all for Mayo, I don't put much into this BB tree, so he coached under him and played for him, he'll have his own ideas of the NFL today.

 

[VJCPatriot]

Interesting Boston Herald article by ANDREW CALLAHAN & DOUG KYED

The inside story of the Patriots’ fall to rock bottom in the Bill Belichick era

A year ago, the Patriots changed their coaching staff to rescue the end of the Bill Belichick era. Still, dysfunction remains. Go inside the team’s season-long fall to rock bottom under the greatest coach of all time.

www.bostonherald.com

BB actually wanted to keep Patricia at OC another year? How delusional is this man?!

 

[cmasspatsfan]

You Belichick guys refuse to acknowledge that his record has been below average though. Back-to-back losing seasons, 3 out of 4 losing seasons, no playoff wins in 5 years, etc.

I don't think they don't acknowledge that; they just think he's still a good coach, it's putting together a team of players and coaches that he hasn't been very good at doing the last few years. The article even states he's still on top of his game at coach but the way the structure is set up has to change.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

BB actually wanted to keep Patricia at OC another year? How delusional is this man?!

Would it have been worse? They hired Obie but didn't let him pick his staff, what would have been worse.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

You don't like how coached and developed Brady?

That was 23 years ago.

 

[Ross12]

Kind of wondering if Bill went defense-heavy in the top of the draft specifically hoping to make his already good defense look even better, so that future employers would say “well, he sure can coach a defense, wow!!” Which is what they’re saying anyway even though his top pick missed most of the season and his other top defensive player was also lost early, because he did legitimately do a good job. I just question the motivations. Like, was he seeking to strengthen his strengths to do himself a favor for his own resume?

 

[TheRainMaker]

We'll find out in a week what Bill's fate is.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

Bill has become the guy he is trying to surpass. In just about every report I have read about both men, his decline repeats what happened to Shula. Shula, too, wanted to be unchallenged. He hired his kids. The defense got ignored (as Bill has ignored offense).

It's not nice to say, but they both got....old. Not in their ability to process the game, but in their desire to 'deal with' anything.

 

[VectorPrime]

The Eagles going in the tank the moment Patricia became the defensive playcaller is just too funny.