Cattles: Belichick's Last Stand?

Sunday seems like it’s the end. The end of an era. The end of nearly a quarter century of stability. The end of Bill Belichick as a New England Patriot. Even though a lot has been written and even more has been said, it seems surreal. The Hoodie, possibly no longer being employed by Robert Kraft. And, I think that’s why most media still include the “if” in most of their sentences about the ultimate decision. It’s still hard to believe this is likely to happen. (“likely!”) 

But, in reality, it shouldn’t be.

Belichick deserves his flowers and I’m not one to say that Belichick’s success was all Tom Brady or vice versa. Belichick game planned to shut down Peyton Manning, brutalized the greatest show on turf, and authored a complete shutdown of Sean McVay’s much-heralded offense to win his most recent and seemingly final Super Bowl as the Patriots head honcho. He drafted Brady, helped nurture the eventual great one, made countless shrewd free agency moves and found different ways to befuddle his opposition. The TWO dynasties we saw over a 20-year period was due to both Brady and Belichick. I’ll never believe otherwise. 

However, the way this writer sees it, Belichick has been given more than enough time to get this train back on the tracks post-TB12. His history and illustrious resume in New England, frankly, likely bought him an extra year. Who would have survived the Matt Patricia/Joe Judge decision? Who would have survived that decision after failing to have a legitimate plan to replace the GOAT? Belichick. That’s it. That’s the list. And rightly so…He earned that extra time.

But, that time has now run out. 

The Patriots are 29-36 since Brady left for Tampa. They’ve had losing seasons in three of the last four years. The offense is a disaster, the QB room is a mess, the WR room’s only hope is a 6th-round pick who thankfully has proven to be a diamond in that rough, while the offensive line has been atrocious and doesn’t have a starting OT signed for 2024. Oh, and there’s not a single TE signed for next year. Sweet. 

But, to say that this team’s struggles are just offensive, is…offensive. Belichick has long told us that there are three phases to the game. Unfortunately for the coach, offense isn’t the only phase that’s cratered, as special teams has also been embarrassing. A special teams that devotes more roster spots to it than any other team in the league. It’s inexcusable. 

You know what’s helped create most of the above problems? Almost a decade of terrible drafts. In all three phases. If you don’t believe that sentence, feast your eyes on this story from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell back in mid-November and have fun revisiting the non-stop swings and misses.

But, this is also not just Bill the GM ruining Bill the Head Coach. Bill the Head Coach seems married to an offensive scheme that is antiquated. He has been the most conservative 4th down decision maker in the league this season. Don’t believe that sentence, check out this post on ‘X’ from Ben Baldwin:

And, no, that’s not just because the QB position has been bad this year. Belichick has been one of the most conservative coaches in the league since 2012. He coaches like utopia is a 13-10 final, while the rest of the league is finding ways to continue to push the offensive pace and pedal. All the while, he fields a roster that didn’t have a single Pro Bowler for the first time since 2000. 

Hey, maybe Belichick could change his tune and finally fall in love with offense. Maybe he’d be willing to break the bank for a legit WR1. Maybe he’ll wake up tomorrow and realize that carrying 5-7 guys devoted to special teams makes no sense in 2024. Maybe he’ll no longer treat picking a coaching staff like he was picking his wedding party. But, would you count on any of that actually happening? Would you bet the next 4-5 years of this organization on it? Didn’t Kraft already do that by trusting Belichick to right the ship in 2021? How’d that end up working? Off. The. Rails.

So, here’s my humble suggestion: Appreciate Belichick for all of his accomplishments. It was a hell of a run. But, also appreciate the idea of a fresh start, with some new blood, that embraces this era of the NFL. Be excited for an opportunity to build things right and get back to a team all of us can enjoy watching on Sundays. 

Feels Like It’s Celtics or Bust

All this Belichick talk got me thinking about success and titles. It got me thinking about the team that’s the closest to a championship here in New England. 

Hopefully, we can look back at this section of the column months from now and laugh. But, here’s how the Boston sports scene looks at the moment: The Patriots aren’t close to winning a title. The Red Sox seem determined to battle for the Wild Card, if that, hoping lightning strikes during a playoff run. The Bruins, meanwhile, look ready to cruise to the postseason, only to fall short due to lack of secondary scoring and defensive mishaps (shocker!). 

That leaves us with the Celtics. As long as they’re healthy, the expectation is that this team should finish with the 1-seed in the East. They, at worst, should find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then, all bets are off. And, that’s when it gets truly interesting. 

Brad Stevens is all-in. Wyc Grousbeck is all-in. The players seem willing to sacrifice. Joe Mazzulla? Well, there are still some questions there. But, there are lots of hang-a-banner vibes to the 2023-2024 season. That might make you wonder, what if no banner is hung? The only true title hopeful disappointing the region after so many close calls in recent years? What kind of dramatic change could happen with so much money on the books? Would it be to trade one or two of the money makers and again change the team dynamic? Would it be a “fire the coach, because you can’t fire the players” type of scenario? 

Let’s hope we don’t have to answer any of those questions and we’re all looking towards the rafters next Fall.