Schefter: Bill Belichick & Patriots to Part Ways

[Ras-IR Dowling]

Two things

1) This next draft will be one of the most anticipated in Pats history.

2) Todays news likely means the end of Cam Achord. Which is nice.

 

[Patriot Missile]

We bottomed out in the 4th year of the "rebuild" we were heading in the wrong direction. How much more patience should we have?

Did they though? I saw improvement to the offensive line towards the end of the season, when they put a sub par Qb in there they hung with the Chiefs and Bills. Of course they are going to be even better next year whether BB was here or not, they have Judon and Gonzales coming back. They have the 3rd pick in the draft and a early pick in each of the other rounds which is pretty much gold. The next coach is basically set up for success. BB would of been just fine.

 

[The Gr8est]

4-13 is nowhere near rock bottom. Perennially being 4-13 or worse is rock bottom.


Many coaches that appear to turn around a team in year one happen to be winning with the previous coach's team. For every Sean McVay there are countless Rex Ryans, Dan Quinns, etc. etc. The book is still out on Mike McDaniel.

For the longest time BB had job security and could take the long term view to building a team.

Other teams may gamble and try for the big splash since know they could get fired soon.

Stability has a lot of advantages.

 

[jdlboot14]

I really wonder if Stevie Jr. will be considered independent of Bill? Is there any chance he stays in any capacity?

Or - will Stevie be an automatic assumption for wherever Bill goes?

 

[The Gr8est]

I really wonder if Stevie Jr. will be considered independent of Bill? Is there any chance he stays in any capacity?

Or - will Stevie be an automatic assumption for wherever Bill goes?

This is a good question.

If Steve follows Bill, will he get the reputation of needing daddy to succeed?

 

[TheRainMaker]

Just saw the news. While Bill's performance has been bad since 2020, I'm shocked Bob actually did it and parted with the $25M.

It will be interesting to see what direction the Pats go and what Bill and his sons do. If Bill sits out, this would be a good opportunity for his sons to make a name for themselves. I'm sure Steve could get a DC job somewhere.

My darkhorse is what happens with Dallas this postseason.

 

[Patriot Missile]

This is a good question.

If Steve follows Bill, will he get the reputation of needing daddy to succeed?

I’d have more respect for Steve if he stayed and became his own man.

 

[Rob0729]

4-13 is nowhere near rock bottom. Perennially being 4-13 or worse is rock bottom.


Many coaches that appear to turn around a team in year one happen to be winning with the previous coach's team. For every Sean McVay there are countless Rex Ryans, Dan Quinns, etc. etc. The book is still out on Mike McDaniel.

When you have the second worse record in the league. You hit rock bottom. Doesn't mean you cannot stay at rock bottom for years.

And yes, there are a lot of new coaches that flame out. More than that are successful. But dooming a head coach to failure before we even know who he is is silly.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

Unless Vrabel or Mayo are the coach, expect very bad results for many years. This scheme needs to stay intact because so many of the players are built for it. Guys like Peppers fit hit, did poorly elsewhere. There are many guys like that on the D.

So if you're also going to tear down that D with a new coach, you're going to be chasing your tail forever.

This is why abandoning a rebuild in the middle of it (I'd argue toward the end) is clueless and mindless.

So expect more of what we've already been getting with Bill?

 

[A Defiant Goose]

You totally and absolutely exemplified what I was talking about in the post you responded to!

Nobody else across the league is granted this patience. 4 years is a very long time

 

[upstater1]

Nobody else across the league is granted this patience. 4 years is a very long time

Harbaugh: one playoff win in the last decade. Tomlin: 2.

If it's just getting to the playoffs you want, Patriots did that 2 years ago. They had an old and slow defense that needed to be revamped.

It was.

 

[upstater1]

So expect more of what we've already been getting with Bill?

When you start a rebuild in the middle of a rebuild, you get a very bad result that's worse than that yes. 2 years ago playoffs, 2 bad years since. Then a new rebuild?

Look around the league.

 

[Love The Drake]

That press conference made Kraft look cold and ungrateful.
Bill looked genuine and sad.
I miss Bill already.
We better get this right.

 

[archstanton543]

Robert Kraft sure liked to strut at all of the SBs the Pats won.

Wouldn't you?

 

[Dedhampatsfan]

Could BB already know his future. The way RK talked it sounded as though he might.

 

[upstater1]

First, we are not abandoning a rebuild in the middle of it. Record-wise, this is the second worst team in the NFL. That isn't rebuilding. That is hitting rock bottom.

Second, odds are that it is either Mayo or Vrabel at head coach. And if it is Mayo, there is a decent chance that Steve Belichick stays on as DC. By all accounts, Mayo and Steve are close. And it would give Steve a chance to get out from under his father's shadow.

And even if they go with another coach, they have players who can adapt to a new system. If the Pats wanted to go with smaller, faster LBs, they can move Mapu and Peppers to LB.

And you cannot say that if the Pats try a completely different coach that they will be chasing their tails for years. Belichick isn't the only good coach in the league. And there have been cases where first time head coaches immediately turned around their team. Look at McDaniel in Miami. Or Dan Campbell in Detriot. Sean McVay became head coach in 2017 turned the Rams from a 4-12 team in 2016 to an 11-5 team in 2017 and a Super Bowl participant in 2018. You are dooming the next head coach to failure before you even know who the next head coach is going to be.

Rebuilding is more a matter of collecting talent rather your record.

A lot of teams use a short-term approach to get back to 9-8 to show incremental improvement.

But hiding behind that short-term improvement is the rot beneath it.

Heck, the Patriots took a 6-10 record and showed improvement to 10-7, but all during that time we had 7 starters on D who were very old and very slow.

Belichick immediately turn around the Patriots when he got here. That doesn't mean that team wasn't still rebuilding. Heck, they went 9-7 in his 3rd year which showed they were still getting the players in place.

McDaniels in Miami inherited a much different team, and also Campbell in Detroit. Look at the draft capital of these teams. Many high top 10 draft picks, years of losing. This is the first time we've picked in the top 5 for 20+ years

 

[upstater1]

Are the Steelers good?

Thank you for playing.

Thank you for making my point.

What's so hard to understand about this.

I was using the Steelers as an example of what we don't want to be. Patchwork fixes, forever. 599, and no playoff wins in many years.

 

[Sect140]

Could BB already know his future. The way RK talked it sounded as though he might.

I think he does with what Kraft was saying.

 

[upstater1]

What's the plan that we aren't seeing then?
This isn't about instant gratification I knew once Tom left it was never going to be the same again
I just expected us to be relevant by now not picking in the top 3

Restocking the team. The 2021 defense needed a total overhaul. 7 starters, old guys, slow guys, from the previous era. They're all gone. We need a QB, WR, LT. That's the plan. But if the new guys can't coach and they start taking a short-term approach, or worse -- if they move on from the defensive scheme -- we'll be rebuilding the rebuild and chasing our tails forever.

 

[jdlboot14]

BB must know exactly where he's going. I'm sure these last couple days all the back door negotiations were done to figure out the next place. And maybe from both sides.

Now that it's official, it's going to be sad and weird to not see him twirling his whistle in the summer... especially somewhere else.