Bill Belichick Deserves a Shot to Turn the Patriots Around

I'll never forgive Bill Belichick for letting Tom Brady walk away.

The greatest quarterback of all-time leaving New England was inconceivable. And yet, we watched him walk out the door and win yet another championship, this time in Tampa.

Was Bill to blame? Of course. He wanted to move on. Call it stubbornness, hubris, or being just plain stupid. And for it to be Belichick of all people to allow it to happen – the man who continuously says it's the players who win championships – was simply stunning.

I was pissed and still am. But not enough to go blindly into the great abyss with some new head coach.

Belichick should absolutely return (if he wants) to the Patriots next year. There's still no other coach in this league (or any other) that I'd rather have to lead this team.

The man can still coach up a defense with the best of them. Players still line up to want to play for him. The effort level is never an issue. And his miserable curmudgeonly attitude is still some of the most entertaining stuff in the business.

Plus, the dude helped this franchise become one of the greatest in all of sports. Do you really want to see him unceremoniously fired? That's ridiculous.

Are changed needed? No question. It clearly can't keep going in this direction. Progress does need to be made in any business, especially when it comes to the highest level of professional sports.

First thing is that Belichick needs a player-personal director who isn't just a figurehead. Belichick has never been a top judge of talent. I mean, we are talking about the guy who drafted Laurence Maroney in the 1st round. You can look at past drafts and see entire classes of draftees who made little to no impact with the Patriots or anyone else. And his latest miss on Mac Jones should be more than enough for Robert Kraft to tell Belichick he needs to bring in someone with an eye for what this team needs.

Next step is to trade for a veteran quarterback. I know the sexy thing is to draft a kid, but this team could use someone who is already established. Plus, the team has a boatload of cap space, so it's already perfectly set-up for it to happen. Imagine Justin Herbert walking in that door to kick off the 2024 season?

Build back the offensive line. Whether it's the draft, free agency, or trades, the offensive line needs a massive overhaul. I'm sure I don't need to tell Belichick that. That is a major priority for this team, and would be shocked if it's as bad next year.

Could the team use more playmakers? Yes. However, I do think it's a little overblown. They have two good running backs, decent enough tight ends, and a few young wideouts that did show promise this year. An established quarterback will make all of those players better just by being competent. Another deep threat could be added, but the core isn't terrible.

As I mentioned before, the defense is legit. And with two of their best players returning from injury (Christian Gonzalez and Matthew Judon), next season this unit should be very solid. I'd still take Belichick over anyone else to run the defense.

The biggest question in all of this would be if Belichick is willing to move away from GM duties. My initial answer is that it's unlikely. However, the man really wants to beat Don Shula's wins record, and the most likely way to do that is to solely concentrate of X's and O's, while a roster architect comes in to take the personal reigns.

Will Belichick return? My guess is yes. I just don't see Kraft moving on. But another year like this could certainly turn the firing tides.