To paraphrase Tom Brady’s bull’s eye-accurate words from his recent Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Gillette Stadium, for years the Patriots reached unprecedented heights not because of the GOAT quarterback or due to his GOAT coach, but rather the mostly-cohesive cocksure combination of the two.
“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t you, it was us,” Brady definitively declared earlier this month, trying to end the endless bar room and talk radio debate.
But even beyond that it was also the overall talent that Brady was surrounded by for two decades of dynasty dominance. Hall of Famers like Richard Seymour, Ty Law, Randy Moss and soon to be Rob Gronkowski, just to name a few.
And it was the coaches that Belichick led and oversaw, guys like Dante Scarnecchia, Charlie Weis, Josh McDaniels, Romeo Crennel, Bill O’Brien and other more than capable lieutenants even if they didn’t necessarily make great head coaches themselves.
New England had the talent. Which was oh so key.
It also had the coaching.
It was a combo that was practically unbeatable, better than any surf and turf meal this summer.
Now, though, things are…different?
Jerod Mayo is in his first few months running the Patriots, his first few months of lead-voice work at any level.
Alex Van Pelt is in his infancy as the architect of his own offense.
DeMarcus Covington is getting ready to call plays for the first time in the NFL, for the first time since a stint as co-defensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois almost a decade ago.
And the talent, well it’s debatable. ESPN recently ranked the Patriots as having the 27 th -best roster in the NFL, a league with 32 teams. Not great, Bob.
There is no sure-fire Hall of Famer on the roster, although some fans are probably and hopefully bullish on second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez or rookie QB Drake Maye.
With Matthew Judon coming off injury, there may not even be a sure-fire Pro Bowl candidate on the roster, although Kyle Dugger, Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson and Mike Onwenu – all fresh off offseason contract extensions – have to be hopefuls.
Do the Patriots have the best or most confidence-instilling coach in the NFL? Nope. Not even close.
Does New England have one of the better, more talented rosters in football? Not even close.
So, as the 2024 season fast approaches and the glory days of Brady and Belichick settle even further into the history books, the biggest question in Foxborough is whether fans should be more worried about their favorite team’s coaching or talent?
Or, sadly, the inverse of the Brady/Belichick dynamic, if there should be equal uncertainty regarding both coaching and talent!
The correct answer is indeed probably both. The players have plenty to prove, even if there is optimism in terms of the competition level and youthful upside at some key spots like cornerback, wide receiver and quarterback.
A recent informal sampling of mostly Patriots fans on social media via X, actually resulted in a pretty lopsided return as more than 62-percent are more worried about the talent of a roster now overseen by Executive Vice President Eliot Wolf than what Mayo and his staff will be able to do with that talent.
The reality is that the Patriots are a team in transition. New coaches. New players. New schemes. New culture. New era. New worries.
Worried about the Patriots’ talent? You probably should be.
Worried about New England’s coaching? You probably should be.
At least until either gives us all reason to believe otherwise.
It is what it is.
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