You know that feeling when you have that favorite shirt from your high school days, and it fits a little tighter, is a bit faded and has a hole in the arm pit? You probably should get rid of it, but doing so signifies the end of an era and you getting older.
Bill Belichick is the faded t-shirt for the New England Patriots, and it’s time to get rid of it.
The Patriots were routed 38-3 by the Dallas Cowboys, and it was the worst defeat of the Belichick era. Although it may feel like an overreaction, the morning after was designed to sleep on these thoughts, and after thinking about it, I still feel that it is time to move on.
The Patriots offense, going back to 2019 when they still had Tom Brady, has struggled to be in the top half of the NFL. The common denominator in all of those seasons is Belichick, who consistently refuses to add any talent to the offensive side of the ball and utilizes conservative play-calling to not lose games.
That philosophy might have worked with Brady, who covered up offensive deficiencies, but in the modern NFL, teams are constantly loading up on offense and giving the best of the best new weapons every single year.
Mac Jones is the only first-round pick quarterback from his class that hasn’t seen his team add an elite weapon or elite lineman to protect him.
Zach Wilson saw the New York Jets draft Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall in Year 2. Justin Fields saw the Chicago Bears trade for DJ Moore this offseason. Trey Lance was handed the keys to the world with an electric 49ers offense. Trevor Lawrence was given Travis Etienne, Zay Jones, Evan Engram, Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk.
Mac Jones has actually only seen the Patriots LOSE weapons. His favorite target, Jakobi Meyers, walked in free agency and was replaced with a slower JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has yet to truly make an impact.
The Patriots also passed on tackle help all season long, despite it being the No. 1 glaring need after 2022’s disappointing season.
All of these decisions lead to Belichick. There is a clear change needed if this team ever wants to get back into yearly contention, and it starts with the coach and general manager.
There is a clear difference in how Belichick operates and the rest of the league operates: Belichick’s teams since 2019 are sub .500 with only one playoff appearance.
Changes need to happen, and they need to happen soon. Why keep bashing our heads against the wall and expecting different results. This team needs a fresh start with a new age coach, new age general manager and overall more excitement and operational prowess of the modern day NFL franchises.
The Patriots will have a decision to make on Jones after this season, and they have done nothing to prop him up to make that decision more clear. One thing is for sure: Robert Kraft will not stand for mediocracy much longer, and he shouldn’t.
What more do we need to see before we realize that Belichick is one of the main reasons for the roster construction, development of young players and stagnancy of the offense? It’s time to finally get rid of that ripped shirt, and order a new one before everyone else realizes how crappy that shirt really is.
The only way this team can see improvement is to get rid of Belichick, who is seemingly stuck in the old ways of power football and defense winning championships. Belichick has evolved defensively but has failed to address any of the offensive problems over the past five years.
That should ultimately lead to his time as a Patriot coming to an end.
