Most readers will see that and go “Oh, you’re just a spoiled New England fan who can’t handle a losing season! You’re what’s wrong with this generation, snowflake” and they’d be right. Bill Belichick has done great things for New England, and became one of the most successful people in sports ever. With that being said, the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately?” business and, for Bill, the answer is “not much.”
Draft Woes
Let’s start with the low hanging fruit here: the draft. Bill has always been able to find diamonds in the rough later in the draft, that is undeniable. And those players turned out to be solid contributors on winnings teams. However, you need a winning team to contribute to, and winning teams are built in the early rounds. Let’s take a look at a decade of early (first two rounds) for Bill:
| Year | Round | Player | Pick | Pos |
| 2022 | 1 | Cole Strange | 29 | OL |
| 2 | Tyquan Thornton | 50 | WR | |
| 2021 | 1 | Mac Jones | 15 | QB |
| 2 | Christian Barmore | 38 | DL | |
| 2020 | 2 | Kyle Dugger | 37 | S |
| 2 | Josh Uche | 60 | LB | |
| 2019 | 1 | N’Keal Harry | 32 | WR |
| 2 | Joejuan Williams | 45 | CB | |
| 2018 | 1 | Isaiah Wynn | 23 | OT |
| 1 | Sony Michel | 31 | RB | |
| 2 | Duke Dawson | 56 | CB | |
| 2016 | 2 | Cyrus Jones | 60 | CB |
| 2015 | 1 | Malcolm Brown | 32 | DT |
| 2 | Jordan Richards | 64 | S | |
| 2014 | 1 | Dominique Easley | 29 | DT |
| 2 | Jimmy Garoppolo | 62 | QB | |
| 2013 | 2 | Jamie Collins | 52 | LB |
| 2 | Aaron Dobson | 59 | WR |
Two things jump out about this list.
A Refusal to Draft Offensive Skill Positions
Three wide receivers, one running back, and two quarterbacks. For six of those drafts, Tom Brady was quarterback, which makes one of the quarterback selections baffling. But, you would think surrounding your Hall of Fame quarterback with pass catchers would be a priority… Defense and offensive line is important, but in the modern NFL, you need offensive firepower. Defense might still win championships, but offense gets you there. However, there is an even more disturbing trend from this list.
Nobody Drafted Before 2020 Stayed
Every single player taken before 2020 left the team. Outside of Jamie Collins, nobody came back. If the Patriots were drafting high end talent, the team would work to retain that talent. If the Patriots were hitting on their non-offensive skill players, it wouldn’t be as bad. An inability to hit first round picks was masked by having the GOAT at quarterback, but Bill Belichick’s inability/refusal to accept that he’s gone and adjust has been New England’s downfall the past few years. However, it is not the only issue in New England.
Baffling Personnel Decisions
We all knew this was coming. Why the fuck was Matt Patricia calling offensive plays last year? A failed head coach and the defensive coordinator who fucked up Super Bowl LI? Yeah, let’s have him running plays. Great idea Bill. Really worked out well. Surely it’s not your poor decisions causing the offense to fall from 15th in 2021 to 26th. These decisions make no sense, and the Patriots potentially wasted another first round pick in Mac Jones due to Bill Belichick’s growing senility.
The Game Has Passed Bill By
Outside of drafting/personnel decisions, Bill Belichick simply has not kept up. Not necessarily in scheme, but in attitude. Obviously coaches need to be a hardass, but the coaches keeping up with the direction of the game have softened up when appropriate. Bill’s college equivalent, Nick Saban, gushed over Bryce Young and Will Anderson after a loss. Do you think he would have done this 15 years ago? Not at all. But Nick knows how to adapt and adjust to how football is going. Players want a coach who can relate to them, but more importantly to feel valued. Bill refuses to publicly back any players. Every job is up for grabs, everyone is replaceable. Yeah Bill, that worked ten years ago with Tom Brady at quarterback winning rings. It doesn’t work when your team, at best, limps into the playoffs to get blown out by Buffalo.
Should Bill Belichick Be Shown the Door?
This is where it gets touch. With his successor, Jerod Mayo, in the building, finding a new coach isn’t the concern. The question becomes how much slack should Bill get? Obviously he’s a legend, and the greatest to ever do it, but that doesn’t seem to matter to ownership. Will Robert Kraft potentially suffer through (potentially) three mediocre seasons so Bill can break Don Shula’s win record? I’m not so sure.
Featured image photo credits: New England Patriots/NFL
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