Brady's Blame: Does New England Patriots Legend Tom Brady Fault Bill Belichick or Mac Jones?
The "hot seat" talk surrounding coach Bill Belichick is at an all-time high as the New England Patriots are sitting at 2-8.
Judging by how the Patriots' season has unfolded, it looks increasingly likely that Belichick will not be on the sidelines the next time New England is in the postseason. That idea of a Patriots' team taking the field without Belichick is something legendary quarterback Tom Brady cannot fathom.
“He’s an incredible coach,” Brady said this week on the Stephen A. Smith Show podcast. "The thought of him not being in New England is hard for me to think about. He prepares the team really well. Ultimately, you have to have a lot of people around you to succeed. You’ve got to have a lot of things in place for the organization to be successful.”
Jan 20, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrate the win over the Kansas City Chiefs during overtime in the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
While it is hard to imagine something that hasn't happened in 24 years, the conversation then shifted toward whether the Patriots should fire Belichick.
“I don’t think he’s coaching much different now than when we were undefeated in 2007,” Brady said. “I’m sure he’s preparing the team the same way. The results are different. That’s what makes the sport so challenging. There’s a lot of reasons why teams win or lose.”
Brady said Belichick isn't deserving of all the blame for the Patriots downfall.
“The head coach is a very small part on game day,” Brady said. “The quarterback plays a really big part on game day, not the entire thing, but because you touch the ball, you have a big opportunity to impact the game. So if you get good quarterback play, I’m just talking in general about football, you’ve got an advantage.”
While Brady noted that he wasn't speaking of Mac Jones specifically, it would be hard to argue against him if he did say that the former first-round pick has failed to live up to expectations.
However, it'd be unfair to put the failure on Jones because it can be argued that even if he didn't live up to expectations, there was more that Belichick could've done. A big criticism of the Patriots has been their lack of weapons on offense.
During an offseason where team owner Robert Kraft made it clear that he expected to be in the playoffs, the Patriots had a glaring need at receiver, among other positions like the offensive line. After New England decided to let last season's leading receiver Jakobi Meyers walk in free agency, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and tight end Mike Gesicki were all they signed in return.
Even then, many were calling for more from the Patriots, and it seemed they even acknowledged that their need for playmakers wasn't fixed as they pursued DeAndre Hopkins. Yet, in the end, Hopkins went elsewhere as reports emerged that the Patriots weren't "aggressive" enough.
That same lack of aggression has helped the Patriots to be where they are now: in the race for a top-5 NFL Draft pick instead of the postseason.
