New England Patriots: Bill Belichick facing his biggest coaching decision

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s biggest coaching decision ever looms after Tom Brady’s departure.

The 2020 season for the New England Patriots will glean massive coverage from local, national and international media. (I guess the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season will also!)

When an era of excellence ends, the focus will be intense on the next iteration of your team. When the success achieved in that period is unparalleled, then you’ll attract even more attention.

That’s what the 2020 season presents for the New England Patriots.  In fact, the onus is more on the Patriots than it is on the new quarterback of Tampa Bay.

The focal point of that attention is head coach Bill Belichick.

We’ve heard ad nauseum over the years the question, “who is more responsible for New England’s success, the quarterback or the coach?” This year will provide, if not answers, at least some indications of an answer to that now time-old question. And most of those answers, in my opinion, will come from New England.

The New England Patriots coach will be facing his first season in two decades without Tom Brady on the team. He’s had two previously without No. 12 during that 20 year period.

Then first, in 2000, Brady was 4th on the quarterback depth chart. The team was 5-11. The second was in 2008, when No. 12 went down with a knee injury for essentially the entire year. He was replaced by Matt Cassell. The team was 11-5 but missed the playoffs.

Now in 2020, it’s a new dynamic altogether. No 12 is not walking through that door again. To a great extent, it seems that the Patriots’ decided to allow that to happen by their posture.

This fall, the actual football fallout will be seen from the non-move of not resigning their best player ever.