Is this really how the greatest coach in the modern era goes out? With the Patriots final game of the season a mere two days away, it’s really starting to click for a lot of Patriots fans that this might very well be the last time Bill Belichick walks the Pats’ sidelines.
It will be strange to not see the Emperor on the sidelines anymore, but I think this is going to be his final game.
Despite being the most successful coach football has seen since the 1970 merger and perhaps the greatest coach of all-time, the near quarter century reign of Bill Belichick over the New England Patriots might very well be coming to an end. And, to be honest, I really don’t know if that’s the best move.
Generally, when a legendary head coach’s time over their franchise is coming to an end, you’d see the classic signs of team decay, leadership falling on deaf ears, and/or a fall from grace as being one of the best coaches in the league. I mean, just look at Tom Landry’s final year in charge of the Cowboys as he went 3-13, finished dead last in the NFL, and was unceremoniously kicked out the back door by then new owner Jerry Jones (See how time flies?).
Or you can look at Don Shula’s final season in charge of the Dolphins. Now, he his Dolphins team didn’t fall off nearly as bad as Landry’s final Cowboys roster given the fact that Shula still had Dan Marino (who was a beat-up shell of his former MVP and Hall of Fame self, but that’s beside the point as he could still sling the football), yet Shula still only won 9 games (finished 9-7) and was hammered 37-22 by the Buffalo Bills in their Wild Card matchup.
And, for one last example, you can look no further than Bill Belichick’s closest comparison in the modern NFL: Andy Reid. Before the Big Red took over Kansas City and built the mini dynasty (2 SB, at least 3 appearances for a mini dynasty IMO) with future HOFers like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Chris Jones, Andy Reid was booted out of his beloved Philadelphia after 14 years when he went 4-12 in his final season.
There’s many more examples I have of these great coaches going out poorly for one reason or another (and I’d argue that Don Shula had the most graceful of the exits of all the legendary coaches), and it really does seem like this is what’s happening with Bill Belichick and the Patriots.
I mean, just putting aside the fact that NE is currently 4-12 and has already had its worst season in 31 years, the Patriots don’t look like ANYTHING a Bill Belichick Patriots team used to look like.
Back in the glory days of the Pats, New England was ALWAYS one of the most fearsome defensive teams, had a unvaulted yet complex offense (apart from that 18-1 season in 2007) lead by the great Tom Brady, and there wasn’t a single player who wasn’t the most discipline athlete in his, respective, position. Hell, the whole “Do Your Job” saying comes from the fact that everyone on the Patriots would never turn the football over and never committed mindless penalties.
But that’s just not been the case these last three seasons, and especially this year.
Not only do the Patriots have the NFL’s joint-3rd worst turnover differential (-10), the 2nd highest interceptions given away (21), and the joint-5th most total giveaways (27) just this season alone, but they’ve also amassed more than 289 total penalties (which is 96 penalties/season)! Of course, there are worst stats for lesser teams over these last few years, but this is the Patriots we are talking about!
So, all of this leads me back to my original point: this very well might be Bill Belichick’s final game in charge of the New England Patriots. And, if Robert Kraft does end up letting Bill Belichick walking after this game, I’m really struggling on whether or not that would be a good idea.
Obviously, on the one hand, I just gave you all of the negative indicators and factors backing the decision to fire Belichick, but it’s impossible not to look at the Patriots defensive stats, which has always been Belichick’s wheelhouse of coaching focus, and see how great the Pats defense really has been.
Despite being 4-12, the Patriots defense is the 4th best total yards against (310.8 yards/game) unit in the NFL, the 2nd best passing yards against (187.1 yards/game), the 2nd best points against (17.8 points against/game), the 2nd best unit at creating interceptions (23), and the joint-3rd highest total takeaway defense (30) in the NFL too! That’s unbelievable for a 4-12 team and shows that Belichick still has the ability to coach shutdown defenses in the NFL!
But, again, the reason why the Pats offense is so garbage is because Bill Belichick couldn’t draft or trade for a talented offensive player if his life depended on it. Seriously, the last All-Pro offensive player Belichick drafted was guard Joe Thuney…who was drafted all the way back in 2016, while he’s NEVER DRAFTED an All-Pro skill position player aside from the one and only Tom Brady…who was a 6th round, once-in-a-million-year pick…in his first draft in 2000.
I think the case for firing or keeping Belichick is far grayer than it is for most coaches of his stature in the midst of a poor season, but I know one thing is for certain. Belichick will not go out with a loss to his name against the New York Jets.
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