I come back to you since my last blog post in a much more somber mood. If you do not readily follow the NFL, you may be wondering what could have happened in the short span of two weeks. Where do I start? Here are just a few of the problems:
- The Patriots lost to both the Cowboys and the Saints
- The Patriots were outscored 72-3 in those contests
- The Patriots have not scored points in 7 quarters of play
- The Patriots have a -8 turnover differential (they have turned the ball over 8 more times than they have taken the ball from opposing offenses)
- The Patriots lost their two best defensive players, Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez, to significant injuries
Usually, I have good things to take away from these games and report on. Often it’s moral victories. But as for right now, I have plenty of terrible, god-awful things to report on.
Belichick on the Chopping Block
The man who was credited with all of the Patriots’ success over the last 20+ years is seeing his reputation crumble around him. It seems as if the Belichick vs Brady debate that I have spoken about on this blog before is finally being settled. Including the seasons before and after Tom Brady played for the Patriots, Bill Belichick has a combined 80-92 record–not exactly GOAT or even Hall of Fame status–and has had double-digit wins in just three of those seasons.
It’s easy to say that the lack of success is due to the lack of talent on the roster, but who do you think makes roster decisions and signs players? Saying Belichick is not responsible for the roster issues is like saying a quarterback is not responsible for throwing an interception. Belichick is the one who decides who he wants on his team just like a quarterback decides who to throw the ball to. Both involve risks. Even if an interception seems to be the receiver’s fault (maybe the ball went through his hands) it goes down in the stat sheet as the quarterback’s fault. The same can be said for a head coach who is incapable of making decisions that will field a competent team.
Furthermore, Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft has said that Belichick’s job is not guaranteed and that he is open to firing the coach. After the last two weeks, we may see the end of the Belichick era in New England sooner than we thought. I can’t say I would be sad to see him go after the last two weeks. Watching this team play is like vacuuming the whole house… You don’t want to do it.
Preview for Week 6
I’m not even going to sit here and say I think we have a chance of winning. Week 6 sees the Patriots take on the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that frankly is not very good. However, the Patriots are even worse. With Christian Gonzalez out it’s hard to be optimistic about the matchup the defense has with star wide-out, Devante Adams and Matthew Judon’s absence will be sorely missed while trying to stop RB, Josh Jacobs from running all over the Patriots. Additionally, this game will be Jakobi Meyer’s (former Patriots WR who was actually good) first game against his former team. He will be playing with an extra chip on his shoulder. The Patriots did not resign Jakobi Meyers and instead chose to pay JuJu Smith-Schuester, an awful decision in my opinion.
As for the offense, I don’t think much needs to be said. They are averaging 11 points per game this season and haven’t scored a touchdown in well over two weeks. Mac Jones has looked terrible the last two weeks. I doubt any defense in the league would have trouble stopping the Patriot game plan.
Hopefully, all my pessimism proves to be misplaced, but I won’t hold my breath. There are no more moral victories at this stage of the season. A major turnaround is needed right now if there is any hope for this team.
I liked reading this blog a lot, especially because I am a sports and Patriots fan. The points that you bring up are all very valid, and I share the exact same feelings. I really liked a lot of the wording that you used in the blog, and it made it a very good read. Overall, I enjoyed this blog and I think even non-sports fans would be able to enjoy this blog as well.
As a Giants fan I cannot even pass judgement onto you guys because we’re terrible, but after the Saints game it is safe to say where the Pat’s season is heading. The Raiders can be a toss-up, the Steelers came back against them, but that’s because Kenny finally got something going. Think Bill is gone by the end of the year either way.
I agree, I think Bill will be gone either way. I think it will be interesting to see if he lasts the entire season. In my opinion, the biggest problem with Bill is his inability to adapt to the new NFL. What worked 5 or 10 years ago does not work anymore. It’s like your grandparents refusing to get a new phone after using a flip phone for the past 15 years. The Patriots need a new, younger coach who is willing to adapt to change and shows that he cares about what is happening. Bill’s responses to the media when asked questions were funny when the Patriots were winning a few years ago, but now they just seem like he doesn’t have anything to say. It’s almost like he doesn’t care or has no plan on how to salvage anything from this season.
Great work on this post, and I’m sorry about the losses. Honestly, this isn’t a situation I’ve seen much in recent Patriots history. Even if they lost a game, you could be sure that Belichick would strike back the very next week. Unfortunately, I don’t see the same spark this year. I don’t appreciate your Juju Smith-Schuster slander (I’ve met him and he’s an awesome guy), but you’re right in saying that it’ll be a tough matchup for next week. In any case, good luck to your team.
As someone who isn’t involved or paying attention to what’s going on in sports, this was a great way to summarize everything that has been going on with the Patriots. I could imagine the horrible feeling of loss, as I used to keep with the NJ Devils hockey team with my dad. Nonetheless, I’m sorry about the losses, and I hope to see the turnaround you are hoping for!
It’s a sad feeling when you start looking to next year so early on in the season. You need a certain amount of lows to make the highs count. To compare to basketball, Cleveland fans definitely were more ecstatic about their 2016 comeback championship than Chicago fans were in 1998 about their 6th ring in 8 years. Hopefully this is a case where either mid-season or between seasons a big change can happen that make wins really count. I think more than any other sport, coaches are extremely important in football, and maybe Belichick leaving will mean needed change.
Being an Eagles fan, I must say I really enjoyed your blog, maybe even a little too much. I especially enjoyed this “What’s going on” page. On a more serious not, I actually did enjoy your blog. As an avid sports fan, I always find anything about sports interesting. Reading the updates every week or so is truly an entertaining piece, and I am happy you selected this topic to blog about.