Not often is a six-time Super Bowl champion head coach on the hot seat. But that is the problem facing the New England Patriots in the midst of their 2-8 start to what can be described as a dumpster fire of an NFL season. Head coach Bill Belichick is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the league. The longtime Patriot took over the squad in 2000 and within a few years, he turned the franchise into a dynasty. He has the most wins among active head coaches with 300, which is second all-time to only Don Shula who sits at 347. However, Belichick’s success is closely tied to longtime quarterback and future first ballot Hall of Famer Tom Brady. The pair can easily be described as the most accomplished head coach/quarterback duo in league history, as they combined for six titles amidst seventeen playoff appearances. Since Brady’s departure to Tampa Bay and subsequent retirement, Belichick and the Patriots have been a complete disaster.
The NFL is an unforgiving league that often dismisses a player or coach’s full body of work in favor of only their recent accomplishments. A string of three bad years can make management forget about the previous twenty years of success. In 2020, Belichick’s first season without Brady as the starter since 2000, the Patriots turned to former MVP Cam Newton to lead them. Unfortunately for New England, Newton was past his prime and had trouble throwing touchdowns. They finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs, a first for Belichick since 2008, a season in which Tom Brady missed due to injury. In 2021, the Patriots looked to the future and drafted Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, fresh off winning the National Championship. Jones looked sharp as a rookie, leading the team to ten wins and a playoff berth only to get routed in the wildcard round by Buffalo. Since then, New England QB play has been shaky, and Belichick has not found a solution. The organization has since begun to decline each game in terms of their product on the field.
Has Belichick lost his edge over the competition? Or was it perhaps Brady who was steering the ship all along? Both can easily be true, especially with how their respective careers have panned out after their separation. Brady won a Super Bowl in his first season in Tampa Bay, while Belichick has only the one playoff game appearance, a thumping at the hands of the rival Buffalo Bills, a team whom Brady had consistently beaten for the last two decades.
This brings up questions concerning what the Patriots should do moving forward. It is clear Belichick is past his prime, but do they part ways with him before season’s end? It should be argued that the legendary coach should have the opportunity to close the year, regardless of how worse the team gets from this point. It’s already a lost season with virtually no chance to right the ship and make a playoff push. Therefore, we must look at the pros and cons of a mid-season coaching change.
Positives to a potential switch include seeing the players react to adversity. Belichick earns the respect of everyone in his locker room, meaning that the players and staff would have great difficulty navigating the situation. Through trials is where character is formed, and leaders are made. Mid-season coaching changes have been proven to be successful in the past. Look no further than this year’s Las Vegas Raiders, who fired head coach Josh McDaniels after a rough start. In the small sample size since, the Raiders are 2-0 under interim Antonio Pierce, and the whole team has been playing with an extra energy and passion that is evident during every play. The example of Pierce leads to another positive, getting the opportunity to audition an interim coach for next season. Seeing a coach work under these circumstances, inheriting a different vision than his own, would be a great test. If done successfully, the hiring process can become much simpler, as a strong candidate is already within the organization.
There is, however, a notable negative aspect when thinking about the possibility of firing Belichick before the season’s end. To cut ties with the legendary coach in this way could easily been viewed as a slap in the face. Through all the winning and success Belichick has brought to the franchise, he has most definitely earned the right to leave on his own terms, something the organization did not afford Tom Brady. While moving on from the coach feels necessary, the team must do it with grace and respect, and therefore wait until after the season’s conclusion.
It remains to be seen what course of action the team will be taking, but the truth of the matter has been evident for the last three years. Belichick’s time is up. He’s 72 years old, and the game is changing. Young coaches are running the league with many recent hires being under the age of 45. However, it is foreseeable for a team desperate for hope to come calling for Belichick, a team such as the Washington Commanders or Los Angeles Chargers, who have the talent necessary to compete, but just not a coach to lead them.
