If one has been schooled in the world of adulthood, at some point in their life whether they were at their highest point or lowest depth, someone has pulled them to the side and said "nothing lasts forever". From a personal standpoint, that phrase carries multiple elements that allows and me constantly re-evaluate my life choices and develop a perspective of resilience. This resilience has given me the ability to remain grounded when things are going well and above water when I experience turbulence. Before you click away thinking that I have deviated from the subject of the New England Patriots, please be patient. Business organizations, whether its a Fortune 500 Company, small business and yes, even a National Football League team fall within the tenets of 'nothing lasts forever'. General Motors was a boon under Lee Iaccoca in the 1980s; Blockbuster was huge in the 1990s and Quiznos was the next big thing in the early 2000s. Heck, even the local sub shop/pizza joint where you bought those $1-2 slices eventually got ran out of business. Organizations such as the New England Patriots and individual multimillionaires, unlike the everyday common Joe or small business owner, have the privilege of overlooking the results of bad decisions or neglect. Within this perspective, it is easy to excuse signs of dysfunction because the bottom line does not get affected in the immediate. However, the same largess that allows them to overlook dysfunction also gives it free reign and air it to grow right under their noses. Sometimes, by the time they notice it, it has become irreversable.
If anybody were to ask me whether the Patriots should fire Bill Belichick as the head coach and czar of football operations, my response would be yes. Absolutely. Unequivocally. Today. Should the team wait until the off-season? Maybe. However, at the time of this writing, I can be flexible enough to reserve my judgement in regard to a mid-season firing contingent upon two conditions: 1) the performance of the team on 10/22; and 2) the performance of the team on 10/29. These games are against division foes and if this team comes into them woefully unprepared, prone to mistakes, exhibit low energy and get blown away, it should be enough proof to ownership, media and the fans that the players don’t believe and they are simply not good enough to compete; coincidentally, the individuals responsible constructing and coaching the roster are one and the same (sidenote: the Patriots split 10/22 and 10/29 games and have looked lifeless in two subsequent losses). Several players have pushed back against the prevailing arrangement and based upon their behavior, they are not 'bought in'; the once heralded first round quarterback is shellshocked and mentally beat down to the point that he can no longer be put on the field because his very presence under center tanks the morale of the team. Additionally, the team has moved off of not one, but two 4th round picks from the 2022 NFL Draft within the last 12 months. A receiver that was drafted in the 2nd round in 2022 is oft-injured and borderline unplayabe. This comes on the heels of the team moving on from two 3rd round picks from the 2020 draft. But wait, the Patriots traded up in the 2023 draft to select a kicker and used a 5th round pick on a punter. Any avid follower of football understads how tenuous the job of kickers and punters are in the NFL, so there is immense risk sitting there. Midround picks like these are the lifeblood of a roster because they provide depth and have the ability to fill a myriad of roles under cost controlled contracts. When they don't pan out, one is forced to rely on mainstays that should be replaced, higher cost free agency acquisitions and even more draft capital.
Why would I suggest an in-season firing? There are several reasons and one of which is culture, as discussed in "The 'Patriots Way' Forward Part II: The Culture Wars". Bill Belichick has been unforgiving in trading, cutting, waiving, reducing players' salaries, 'redhirting', benching and deactiviting personnel; when the team was winning, it was all hunky dory and 'in the best interest of the team'. He's done this to Hall of Fame players, aspiring young players and those who don't fit into his daily operation, which is fair. They were shown no respect as they were shuttled out of the door and many of the departures had hard feelings attached, which is also understood. What cannot be understood or be perceived as fair is the best receiver on the 2022 version of the team who worked tirelessly from an undrafted free agent to the most consistent and trusted player on offense, being unceremoniously replaced by a lesser talent at relatively the same money. If he were respected for his hard work and there was fair play, he'd be a Patriot today. So when I see fans and media claim that the Patriots should put preparations for the next era of football on hold just so Belichick can finish up a dysfunctional, miserable campaign that has all of his fingerprints on it out of 'respect', it comes across as shortsighted. There were players that helped win those championships that did not warrant the respect which people are so freely offering to Belichick. He has not performed up to standard. He's fallen short and presided over a disjointed, talent devoid roster that cannot win games against opponents that are trying to lose. Belichick is not tanking; he really thought he constructed a world beater and is finding out that anybody in the world of pro football can beat his team.
Remember, Belichick is noted for his dismissive attitude toward past accomplishments and his 'its better to get rid of a player a year early than a year too late' approach to personnel management. He was an architect of a 20+ year run of remarkable dominance which culminated in six Super Bowl wins...in the past. He's won over 300 games as a head coach...back in the day. He's overseen teams that performed exceptionally in all three phases of the game...several years ago. When one separates themselves from sentiments and nostalgia, all that is left is 'what is best for the football team' and 'it's better to move on now than wait for things to get so bad, it may take innumerable years to restore it back to functionality'. A firing today would glean several advantages : 1) ownership will show the fanbase that they care about the team, while understanding that a death march finish to the season could do more harm than good and has a high potential of leaking into next season; 2) The team would get a glimpse of what it has in Jerod Mayo while promoting some of the unknowns into prominent front office and coaching positions for the remainder of the season. Here, ownership will have 7 games to evaluate performance, how Mayo runs the team and how players respond to him. Additionally, the offensive coordinator, Bill O'Brien would be given the keys on offense and allowed to be creative with a different quarterback under center; and 3) It would create space for players to step up into leadership positions, which would foster the growth of a newer and more productive culture that can be carried forward. The disadvantages would largley be external; the pearl clutching and 'how could you do this to him' narratives would run rampant in the media and comments sections. However, the proof would be in the pudding based upon how the team responds when it takes the field without him.
If the current dysfunctional trends continue under Mayo, then the team would have the time and a head start to commence its search for a new head coach/GM before any other team. Conversely, if performance improves, then ownership will have the time to proactively pivot toward figuring out what to do in order to support or undergird what has been established. Without Belichik and his yes men in the building applying a singleminded approach to player acquisition, the draft and free agency processes will become wider in scope with more input from multiple perspectives that are not beholded to someone else's vision. Under these circumstances, high level building blocks will be prioritized instead of the speculative, cost controlled assets, which have traditionally been acquired for the remote prospects of them outperforming their compensation and thus, remain below market level/underleveraged when its time to reup.
Today's football player is very different from those in the past; most of today's players come into the league with a perception of their value and it is very damaging to their bottom lines if they are subjected to empty 'redhirt' seasons, unceremonious deactivations on game days, benched for common mistakes or have their snap counts manipulated in order to keep their statistical value suppressed. A team employing such practices on a regular basis will only find its 'buy in' guys in players that are not as talented as those they compete against. For instance, Myles Bryant will always have a 'scrappy underdog' place with Belichick, but he is liabilty against elite receivers. Schemes and good coaching can only get a team so far when applying them to the manner in which football is played today; it is critical that a team meets talent with talent before any concepts from the sideline can be applied toward winning games consistently. Therefore, a linebacker who is built in a manner reminiscent of outdated players at his position and was drafted in the 6th round, will not be able to consistently compete at a high level with an early round running back or tight end that was built in the mold of today's player within the modern offensive schemes being employed.
Unlike many Patriots fans, I am totally unconcerned about putting some top 5, 20 year old 'phenom' quarterback under center at this time because I realize that a green horn at the most important position in sports needs a functional environment around him in order to succeed. Currently, the Patriots do not have that. Belichick believed that Mac Jones could just walk in from a high powered offense in college in which he was blessed with high level talent all over the field, and continue his functional play without high level talent on the professional level. He attempted to employ an old template and it has been proven that Belichick believed that what was done for Brady in 2001 could be effectively employed today: A bunch of holdovers, some decent draft picks, land of misplaced toy guys with mid to low level free agents that somehow coalesces into a hard nosed, disciplined football team that can make a title run. The closest example of what the Patriots did in 2001 would be today's San Francisco 49ers, but look at the elite personnel at all positions that surrounds Brock Purdy (the last pick in the 2022 draft). Unfortunately, the league has changed as well as the athletes. Belichick failed to innovate or stay ahead of the curve.
Conversely, I'm more concerned about the Patriots organization creating an environment in which a young QB will actually have a chance to thrive, which means that a total revamping of the organization must be done sooner than later. Fans must also realize that football players in the NFL are grown men with families, not interchangeable avatars. Madden ratings, hot takes and fantasy football thought processes cannot replace a resilient group of motivated individuals that can play football at a high level in critical moments with a singular goal to win games. Belichick's cold and heartless approach to personnel management has leaked into the fanbase and many have adopted a similar disposition, which leads to unrealistic expectations and grasping onto 'the way things used to be'. Quite simply, players perform well when the environment and culture are oriented toward foward thinking functionality and they perform poorly when the environment and culture are stagnant and dysfunctional; with a record of 2-8, players acting out, a muscial chairs contest between two subpar quarterbacks and a lack of overall talent across the entire roster, there is no realistic path forward under the current arrangement. When this is evident in any work environment, ownership is usually very diligent in addressing the matter. The talent level and morale has been worn so thin that one player, no matter how high they were drafted or how talented they may be, cannot fix it; instead, they will eventually be sacrificed at the alter of dysfunction in short order if it is left unchecked. NFL fans have seen this reality in several markets over the years.
The Patriots organization and its fans must embrace the here and now as well as the future instead of leaning on the past accomplishments of the team or certain personalities in some delusional hope that if things stay the same and just a few tweaks are made along the edges, the former glory will be restored. In any business, when performance falls off of a cliff, it is the result of an unnoticed/miniscule accumulation of small declines (even when goals are achieved). In response, drastic measures must be taken in order to course correct the entire operation before the depths of decline become the norm. It is always optimal for signs of dysfunction and spates of poor quality to be addressed early on, but in the business of winning football games, big money, national television and packed stadiums, it is easy to overlook them. Regardless, the same manner in which Belichick was willing to move on from players who didn't meet his standards, the Kraft family should apply that same energy to him. No long goodbyes, no 'could this be his last season with the Patriots' national television tours and no sychopantic tributes. Cut it clean. Don't place feelings over reality. Nothing lasts forever and Belichick failed at his job as head coach and general manager of the New England Patriots; he should be fired.
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