How does making the playoffs 18 times in 24 seasons sound to you (assuming there is no postseason this year)? Or being by far the most successful NFL team since 2000? You would take that in a minute, correct?
So, hello, New England Patriots fan! That is exactly what you have received since Bill Belichick became the Patriots’ head coach in 2000.
The key is whether you take what you’ve seen recently and use your thinking to come up with the following conclusion: “It’s time for a change in the head coaching position for my Patriots!” When there is a substantial change in leadership (or quarterback), the question to ask is if the replacement is any better than the current position.
Maybe New England failed in 2023, but is Bill Belichick to blame?
Perhaps you want Josh McDaniels to take over as HC? OK, that was a joke. Nobody wants that. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages to potentially replacing Belichick in 2024.
The only way to achieve meaningful change is to remove Belichick entirely. Leaving him as general manager means he retains a lot of roster power, which looks to be the root of New England’s difficulties. We know that Belichick can coach. He may have had Tom Brady at quarterback for many years, making him seem excellent offensively, but Belichick was continuously coming up with different defensive looks – and for nearly every game – unlike any other coach.
The squad has clearly regressed since Tom Brady left before the 2020 season, but it still made the playoffs in 2021 with rookie quarterback Mac Jones. However, Jones was not the reason the Patriots won football games. Bill Belichick was. Despite having ample money to spend in free agency, Belichick has rarely performed well in NFL drafts.
Even if New England appoints a new head coach, will Belichick delegate control of the team’s on-field operations? Or will the new coach only be a coach in name, with Belichick pulling the strings?
