The New England Patriots trailed 24-0 in Sunday’s crushing loss to the New Orleans Saints and were in dire need of a spark. In a season-long fog, that rare moment of clarity came in the third quarter when Bill Belichick’s offense crawled from his 25-yard line to the Saints’ 40-yard line.
But facing a fourth-and-3 play in a game with New England desperate to seize some momentum, Belichick elected to punt.
So, there is no answer.
Everyone saw it, especially Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Robert Kraft ‘sounded defeated’ after Patriots game
We know this because after this game, someone near Kraft overheard him making comments about his team.
“He didn’t sound angry,” the person told OutKick on Wednesday. “The man was a gentleman, always has been. I won’t tell you exactly what he said because people know who he was around, but the general context seems unanswered.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve heard him disappointed. But frankly, it’s probably the first time he’s been beaten.”
That’s where the Patriots are now. Failed. And there is no answer.
Belichick didn’t admit there was no answer. His answer to the Patriots after they trailed 72-3 over the past two games and fell to 1-4 was “start over.”
What he means is that the entire team, including the coaching staff, is going to go back to the beginning of the season and get the fundamentals right. Executed correctly.
This sounds logical, but it’s a tacit admission that everything isn’t done right the first time. Other teams and other coaches have gotten off to a good start and don’t need a do-over. But Belichick was basically saying he needed a mulligan to try and get it right the second time.
Patriots’ struggles come down to Tom Brady
Experts, analysts and anyone with a platform are trying to figure out whether a “fresh start” is possible. If that’s not the case, they’ll be trying to understand what went terribly wrong with the NFL’s most dominant team this century.
The answer ends up being pretty simple: Friends, they don’t have Tom Brady.
The Patriots’ past performance has been patchy. They’ve ruined draft picks and free agent signings in the past. Past coaches have failed them. But it always used to be Brady to tie up the wounds. The Patriots are now sadly weakened by mistakes. Brady hasn’t stopped the bleeding in four seasons.
This is not a revelation.
Many have come to realize that the Patriot Way is not an equal partnership between Brady, Belichick and other great players who know their jobs.
We now fully understand that this was a skewed understanding between one of the great men of history and the many others who shared his platform of greatness.
Bill Belichick and Patriots under .500 without Brady
This fact, while it may seem oversimplified, is undeniable with every loss Belichick takes. It could continue to shine an unsettling light on the Patriots as they prepare to take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
It’s on display because as time passes, Belichick’s production looks less and less great without Brady.
Since Brady left after the 2019 season, Belichick’s team is 26-29. Belichick’s overall record as head coach without Brady is 80-92, dating back to his time as head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
As a result, Belichick has a .657 winning percentage in 29 years as a head coach, compared to just .461 without Brady.
Do you know what Bill Belichick accomplished? When Brady was still with the team, he was like all the great New England thinkers and tacticians that bloomed from Belichick’s coaching tree.
Those great New England assistants were promoted and went on to become their own NFL head coaches. They never enjoyed the pinnacle of success they tasted in New England.
Belichick’s coaching tree wilts without Brady
Think of these great New England assistant coaches who eventually became NFL head coaches: Romeo Crennel. Eric Mangini. Matt Patricia. Brian Flores. Joe Judge: Bill O’Brien.
None of those great Belichick assistant coaches had championship success as a head coach. The narrative so far has been that they simply aren’t Belichick.
But that narrative now needs to change. That may have more to do with them not having Brady.
You can also add Josh McDaniels to that list. He’s the Raiders’ coach, leading a team comprised of former New Englanders.
“Vegas is a team that everyone is very familiar with,” Belichick said Wednesday. “They have eight guys on their coaching staff, five scouts, nine players, whatever it is, a lot of guys that I’ve worked with here or that we’ve worked with.
“And, you know, Josh does a great job of molding the team.”
McDaniels was pushed out after two seasons as Denver’s head coach in 2009-10, and the Raiders are 8-14 so far as his team prepares for New England. In the glory days, these matchups were often mismatches because Belichick’s ace in the hole was always Brady.
This Sunday’s game is more like a meeting between two sub-.500 head coaches.
Follow X: @ArmandoSalguero