Ian Rapoport: Bill Belichick's fate not yet decided, how rest of season goes will determine direction

[sb1]

Yes the entire organization boils down to 1 game. Pure genius.

When the defense is embarrassed in a historical fashion like it was... that's not on the QB at all, that's on the HC who is supposed to be a defensive genius and the GM who picked the groceries for him.

Bills rolled the Pats at home a few weeks prior so what makes you think playing that WC game at home would go any differently?

 

[Ring 6]

The HC has held back the team the last couple of seasons far more.

If you paid attention, watched film, had an open mind, and understood what you were looking at, you wouldn’t have that opinion.

 

[sb1]

If you paid attention, watched film, had an open mind, and understood what you were looking at, you wouldn’t have that opinion.

My mind is not open to the idea that hiring two failed head coaches who were in over their head to run their offense was not a blunder made out of pure arrogance that ended up wasting an entire year of the rebuild and a young QB's career at best and more likely derailed his career.

At all.

 

[lancerman]

I think this is kind of simple. Whether the team actually wins a lot of games in these next 4 is not the point, it’s how they look. If they are competitive and the offense looks halfway decent and they’re not making baffling errors then it shows the problem was probably just Mac Jones, and that Bill hasn’t lost it as bad as it seemed. If Zappe continues to play decently then it also allows the other skill players to be evaluated better, which then shows that maybe Bill didn’t draft or sign free agents quite as poorly as we thought earlier in the year. If all of this is the case then it tells Kraft that Bill is not as bad as it seemed earlier in the year and it makes sense to keep him. Conversely, if the team is not competitive and still making mistakes or if they revert to form where the defense is keeping them in the game but the offense can’t do anything at all, it may keep Kraft hovering closer to idea of making a change.

Long story short, the last four games are more about seeing if this team was just being held down by absolutely horrific QB play and is actually not quite so bad, or if it is still a bottom dweller team. And wherever on the spectrum the answer to that question lands will factor into Kraft’s decision.

Tbh who really cares. They've had close games all season, they've just been losing them. Like that wouldn't really change much. Believe it or not, there are plenty of metrics talent evaluators in the NFL use to evaluate players regardless of who is around them. The Pats receivers routinely score extremely low in seperation. That has nothing to do with who the QB is. Same with the offensive line loss rate.

People have to realize that there's already several other teams that fired their coach that are talking to potentials right now and those potentials are considering it and putting feelers out there for their staff. There are several more teams that already made the decision and are doing the same thing. A lot of these teams are straight up going to be announcing coaches in the first two weeks post regular season.

It is an organizational liability to not be able to make a decision after 13 games. If Kraft waits until the end of the year, he's not getting one of the top coaches or GM's looking for a job.

 

[lancerman]

I stand firm with this thought:

You let Bill not only stay as coach, but GM next year as well, it will set back the franchise another 3-5 years.

Your move, Bob.

I'll double down on this. Bill Belichick has reached the point that every single coach who stays around long enough ends up getting to. He's passed his prime and is clearly in decline.

This team probably can't be worse next year, but this team will wallow in the same mediocrity it has been for as long as he is around. They will look good against some of the mediocre teams and then run into the true contenders and look completely outclassed. It's been the same **** since 2019 when Brady was here. I know everyone wants to forget about how they all blamed a Tom Brady decline for that year. But we saw the same problems with skill players and the line back then to. And it clearly was proven that wasn't the QB's fault. This is just the team he built and how he coaches.

 

[Ring 6]

When the defense is embarrassed in a historical fashion like it was... that's not on the QB at all, that's on the HC who is supposed to be a defensive genius and the GM who picked the groceries for him.

Bills rolled the Pats at home a few weeks prior so what makes you think playing that WC game at home would go any differently?

In those 2 games, the qb threw 4 picks. In the foxboro game the qb was 14/32/145 with 2 picks and 1/10 on 3rd down and they were still within 5 points in the middle if the 4th quarter. With a competant qb they win that game

 

[Ring 6]

Tbh who really cares. They've had close games all season, they've just been losing them. Like that wouldn't really change much. Believe it or not, there are plenty of metrics talent evaluators in the NFL use to evaluate players regardless of who is around them. The Pats receivers routinely score extremely low in seperation. That has nothing to do with who the QB is. Same with the offensive line loss rate.

People have to realize that there's already several other teams that fired their coach that are talking to potentials right now and those potentials are considering it and putting feelers out there for their staff. There are several more teams that already made the decision and are doing the same thing. A lot of these teams are straight up going to be announcing coaches in the first two weeks post regular season.

It is an organizational liability to not be able to make a decision after 13 games. If Kraft waits until the end of the year, he's not getting one of the top coaches or GM's looking for a job.

Separation is measured only on targets. Qb has a huge impact on separation stats. 10 not allowing the play to develop and coming off primary receivers before the route is mature and checking down destroys separation stats.

 

[UrbanCowboy]

I suspect that any evaluating of the last few games would be to see whether the players quit on him or not. So far, they haven't and have played really hard... which I think says something. The Charger players last week also said something, and Staley was gone hours later.

 

[FCB02062]

love it, this is going to be a massive pissing match between the Curran camp and the rappaport camp. they're both media, so they are both loathsome. media is the lowest profession as they do nothing but dabble in speculation and lies.

 

[Ring 6]

My mind is not open to the idea that hiring two failed head coaches who were in over their head to run their offense was not a blunder made out of pure arrogance that ended up wasting an entire year of the rebuild and a young QB's career at best and more likely derailed his career.

At all.

Your mind is not open to anything but trashing things you don’t understand.

He needed an OC and QB coach and gad a top choice. That top choice was under contract for 1 year. He had 2 excellent football coaches who were great coordinators for him and worked for him for many years. To fill in the year he had them fill those roles, implementing the same offense they ran the year before. In retrospect they were set up to fail because they were stuck with playing an incompetent QB. 10 has held back 3 consecutive OCs.
It’s funny that Patricia’s the problem while his offense with 10 scores less than 20 a game, but when he doesn’t have to play 10, and instead plays a green rookie, they score 33.5.

 

[sb1]

In those 2 games, the qb threw 4 picks. In the foxboro game the qb was 14/32/145 with 2 picks and 1/10 on 3rd down and they were still within 5 points in the middle if the 4th quarter. With a competant qb they win that game

Bills were 6-12 on 3rd down, 428 yards of offense and 35 minutes TOP. The defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. They still lose that game convincingly. And we all know what happened in the wild card game. QB gets 0 blame for that one. Nice defense coach!

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

I don’t agree. The team is in a rebuild and progress in a rebuild is not linear.
2021 certainly wasn’t a decline and the team, aside from the QB was drastically better than the 2019 team. They carried a rookie qb who just can’t/won’t execute pass plays properly to bring in the 1 seed in week 14 before he choked away the season.
The last 2 years have been a solid team held back by awful qb play as the team tried to develop the qb they invested the #15 pick in.
With barely competent QB play this team would be positioned for its 3rd straight post season. The QB problem has been THAT DRAMATIC.

Unfortunately 2021 is an outlier and the results have not built off that season. 2 losing seasons with one netting 4 or 5 wins at best is more than just non linear, its a nosedive. 2021 provided some hope, i was part of the trust in bill group with you after that year,but since then it’s been one terrible move after another from Bill starting with that 2022 draft and letting patricia run the offense. Special teams has been an issue since 21 and he hasn’t done anything to fix the problem(at least not the most important thing hence the continued struggle). The team still loses most of its close games and its not just the qb screwing up in big spots. We are currently ranked 31 in turnover differential. Its the complete structure of a loser and thats all on Bill.

 

[FCB02062]

looks like pregame live with Curran is must see tv now.... can't to see how he gets his back up at the rappaport report

 

[sb1]

Your mind is not open to anything but trashing things you don’t understand.

I understand it well.

He needed an OC and QB coach and gad a top choice. That top choice was under contract for 1 year. He had 2 excellent football coaches who were great coordinators for him and worked for him for many years. To fill in the year he had them fill those roles, implementing the same offense they ran the year before.

"Excellent football coaches" who were complete failures as head coaches. Cool. No point overthinking it or to grasp straws at why Bill made those hires. The simplest explanation is Bill chose those guys out of hubris and nothing more. Wanted to show that he can turn anyone into a great offensive coach. HIs arrogance backfired just like nearly everyone said it would.

In retrospect they were set up to fail because they were stuck with playing an incompetent QB. 10 has held back 3 consecutive OCs.
It’s funny that Patricia’s the problem while his offense with 10 scores less than 20 a game, but when he doesn’t have to play 10, and instead plays a green rookie, they score 33.5.

The defense and run game won those games, the green rookie QB and those two incompetent offensive coaches were just along for the ride. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

[Uptown]

Keep BB. Just relieve him of GM duties; particularly at WR.

 

[Ring 6]

Bills were 6-12 on 3rd down, 428 yards of offense and 35 minutes TOP. The defense couldn't stop a nosebleed. They still lose that game convincingly. And we all know what happened in the wild card game. QB gets 0 blame for that one. Nice defense coach!

5 point game half way through 4th quarter with blatant incompetence at the qb position= won with competent Qb.

Win that game they would have beaten the bills twice and won the division. Competant Qb they are probably the 1 seed. That wc game in buffalo does t happen.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

This is why I don't buy Rapp tbh. Nothing about the next 4 games changes what a collosal **** up this season was and the terrible product Bill built up to over 4 years. Which makes me think this is more just another Rapp "I'm going to smooth things over for the team" piece.

Would like to agree but the report meshes with their previous brainless feet dragging regarding other potential trades, free agents, succession plans, etc. They stood there in 2020 acting completely shocked, holding a bucket of piss, with zero idea on what to do, while the Brady’s potential move had been discussed for a year by the national media. This has been the modus operandi for quite some time. No planning, no plan B, despite everyone else in the world seeing it coming from a mile away. That product you see on the field is a reflection of all their arrogance and dysfunction. Kraft needs to hand the team’s operations over to someone else.

 

[sb1]

5 point game half way through 4th quarter with blatant incompetence at the qb position= won with competent Qb.

35 minute TOP and 428 yards total because the defensive genius didn't have a clue how to stop them. As illustrated in the wild card game. 7 for 7 on TD drives. Oh and no punts in the Foxboro game either as well as the WC game. QB gets zero blame, the defense + the defensive genius coach gets all of it.

Win that game they would have beaten the bills twice and won the division. Competant Qb they are probably the 1 seed. That wc game in buffalo does t happen.

Is this where the narrator goes "But something else happened...."

 

[lancerman]

Would like to agree but the report meshes with their previous brainless feet dragging regarding other potential trades, free agents, succession plans, etc. They stood there in 2020 acting completely shocked, holding a bucket of piss, with zero idea on what to do, while the Brady’s potential move had been discussed for a year by the national media. This has been the modus operandi for quite some time. No planning, no plan B, despite everyone else in the world seeing it coming from a mile away. That product you see on the field is a reflection of all their arrogance and dysfunction. Kraft needs to hand the team’s operations over to someone else.

I hate to say you are right, but you are on this. This franchise has been paralyzed from doing anything proactive for awhile. I could see Kraft being passive and just waiting for excuse to keep Bill on and then complain that he didn't win a playoff game next year

 

[ralmat55]

If you paid attention, watched film, had an open mind, and understood what you were looking at, you wouldn’t have that opinion.

You lecturing anyone about having an open mind is pure comedic gold.