New England Patriots: Bill Belichick is suddenly public enemy No. 1
In many ways 2022 wasn’t a good year for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
It started with an embarrassing Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills in which Belichick’s team was exposed both offensively and defensively as a team lacking speed and explosiveness. The thought was the Patriots would address those needs. Although they kind of did in the draft, they didn’t upgrade at positions like wide receiver and linebacker like some would’ve thought.
Instead, Belichick the GM made curious personnel decisions like trading one of his best offensive linemen in Shaq Mason, trading back in the first-round of the 2022 NFL Draft to select Cole Strange when the pressing need of a top linebacker prospect was a need and top it all off, he put NFL head coaching rejects Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in charge of the offense.
The decisions of Bill Belichick has the New England Patriots in peril
Fast forward to the end of 2022, that decision didn’t work out too well. In fact, the ineptitude of the offense highlighted by the regression of one Mac Jones has the “In Bill We Trust” mantra a thing of the past, if it didn’t already evaporate when he decided to let Tom Brady take his talents to Tampa Bay.
Even with that, most Patriots fans got it. Most NFL pundits understood it. A coach with the success of Belichick wanted to show it was his way, the Patriot Way, that was the fortitude of victory in Foxborough. Unfortunately, it was more Brady and players like Julian Edelman carried out that way of football life.
While players like Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater are still on the roster, the 2022 New England Patriots haven’t looked like a team well-coached at all. Penalties, mental errors, turnovers at crucial moments, special teams blunders and player meltdowns on and off the field have been the story of a 7-8 season that has seems much worse.
Want your voice heard? Join the Chowder And Champions team!
Then there is that Patricia thing hanging over the team. A decision that could certainly have Belichick on the hot seat if Patriots owner Robert Kraft is watching as closely as most fans and critics.
There’s a good bet he is, and he can’t be happy.
Yet, the Patriots still have an opportunity to make the playoffs with victories against the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.
New England Patriots, Bill Belichick have a chance to right the ship
To win both games, Belichick will have to put on the coaching job of his life. He’ll have to show Kraft and diehard Patriots fans that he can still motivate his football team. He’ll have to show he still has the craft to out-coach a Mike McDaniels and put together a plan to limit the talents of Josh Allen. He’ll have to prove he can still play chess when other teams are playing checkers.
Yes, all eyes will be on Mac Jones the next couple of weeks, and they should be. As the quarterback and potential next guy, he’ll have to prove his leadership on the field and on the sidelines no matter how frustrated he gets at the play calling of Patricia or whoever is in his headset. But, even if he’s good the next couple of weeks and perhaps beyond, he needs that partnership with Belichick.
Next. New England Patriots: Everybody hates Mac Jones. dark
The team must believe their head coach believes in them because from a fan’s perspective, Belichick has yet to adjust to today’s NFL. Like the great coaches of the past like the late Chuck Knoll, Don Shula and Tom Landry, Belichick is riding off his past success. He seems content with mediocrity and thus has turned more into the problem in New England rather than the solution.
Can he end 2022 with a bang? It’s more on the players at this point, but dare we say the great Bill Belichick is coaching for his job. If he isn’t in the next couple of weeks, he will definitely be on the hot seat in 2023.