The New England Patriots fired Bill Belichick, hoping to propel the team into a new era.
That may have been the right decision; it’s still too early to tell.
However, what is a fact is that the team isn’t better now than it was during Belichick’s tutelage, even in the last couple of years.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to see the legendary head coach take a slight shot at his former team.
In a recent interview, Belichick pointed out that the Patriots are no longer a good defensive team (via Doug Kyed).
“Yeah, they’re in the bottom half of almost every defensive category. So that’s it’s own issue. And the kicking’s been inconsistent, as well, both kicking and punting. So, where (Drake) Maye is or isn’t — certainly a good guy to work with but he’s got a lot of work to do too,” Belichick said.
Bill Belichick on the state of the Patriots from his "Coach" podcast:
"Yeah, they're in the bottom half of almost every defensive category. So that's it's own issue. And the kicking's been inconsistent, as well, both kicking and punting. So, where (Drake) Maye is or isn't –…
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) December 19, 2024
He also stated that the kicking has been inconsistent, and as good as Drake Maye has been, he still has a long way to go.
Belichick closed his statement by wondering what GM Eliot Wolf and HC Jerod Mayo would do to turn things around and whether someone else was involved in their decision-making process.
Granted, Belichick made his fair share of mistakes, especially in the latter years.
He deserved to be held accountable.
If the team lacked talent in most positions, he was the only one to blame and the only one responsible for all the decisions.
Still, he also set a high standard for this organization, which hasn’t been met this time.
There have been major rumblings about Jerod Mayo and his future with the team, and judging by the early results of this partnership, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see him pack his bags at the end of the season.
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