Disaster Details: Patriots Season Littered With Defeats On Field, Dysfunction On Staff
What the New England Patriots have willingly put on display this season has been bad enough. One can only imagine what's transpired behind the scenes.
A new report from the Boston Herald offers a look behind the scenes, detailing that the Patriots were just as much of a disaster off the field as they were on it.
New England (4-12) has already clinched several dubious marks heading into the final week of the 2023 season, including its first dozen-loss season since 1992 and its first-ever last-place finish in the four-team edition of the AFC East. With the wheels having completely fallen off in the thick of the post-Tom Brady era, this seasonal struggle could finally lead to the end of Bill Belichick's quarter-century stranglehold on Foxborough's top headset.
Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY SPORTS
Like many star-crossed projects before it, the 2023 Patriots' season began with optimistic good intentions but was doomed from the start thanks in part to a "completely (bleeped)" coaching staff dynamic, one reportedly exacerbated by Belichick's supposed denial of allowing the returning Bill O'Brien to assemble his own staff as offensive coordinator with the exception of tight ends coach Nick Lawing.
Newly-minted offensive line coach Adrian Klemm (who is said not to be returning next season) also left an impact for all the wrong reasons: the three-time Super Bowl champion reportedly "didn't feel heard" and clashed with director of player personnel Matt Groh "in a loud exchange that reverberated through the organization."
Klemm's proof lingered in the weekly attendance reports: New England dedicated over $7.6 million to Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff this season and both ended up on injured reserve. On draft weekend, the Patriots did not address offensive line depth until the final day, picking up Jake Andrews, Sidy Sow, and Antonio Mafi.
Receivers were no better, with former Kansas City Chief JuJu Smith-Schuster unable to replace the Las Vegas-bound Jakobi Meyers. While New England used late draft picks on Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas, one source told the Herald's writers that using the first three picks on defense (Christian Gonzalez, Keion White, Marte Mapu) was a gross misuse of assets.
“We didn’t invest in the offensive line until the fourth round, didn’t take a receiver until the sixth,” the source said. “How do we spend the first three picks on defense when tackle was the biggest problem on the team last year?”
Of course, the Patriots' most glaring issue is the heir to the Brady throne, one that will look for a new bloodline come this offseason. The year began with Mac Jones embarking upon his third season under New England center and ends with Bailey Zappe overseeing the scorched valley that is the post-Rhaomondre Stevenson offense. Zappe has hardly been much better than Jones in five starts though New England has mustered a pair of meaningless wins over Pittsburgh and Denver.
The Herald's sources shared differing opinions on the last days of the Jones era: one claimed that the team "had no chance to win with Mac at quarterback" while others felt that he got a "raw deal" over his final hours.
The Patriots even appear to have fumbled their backup quarterback situation, as they bestowed Malik Cunningham the most expensive contract an undrafted free agent ever received in New England. But he moved onto Baltimore's system once it became clear that the Patriots had "no plan" for him.
Through it all, the report ends with a "tenured Patriots source" offering a surprising vote of confidence in Belichick, one that hints that the game hasn't sped by him quite yet.
“The guys still respond to him,” the source said. "We have so many squad meetings where he shows them what’s going to happen in the game, and it always (bleeping) happens. Even down to what we can’t do, and then we end up (bleeping) doing it.”
The best thing that can be said about this season is that it's nearly over: the Patriots' season wraps up on Sunday afternoon when they face the New York Jets at home (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
