That was, ironically, me, back when I believed in Mac Jones.
Patricia is a pox on any team he is on.
I don't. If you're getting arguably outplayed by Bailey Zappe in a system because you don't like/trust the coach, you're not an NFL starter.
Really? Is that his crowning achievement? It wasn't being the DC when they won 2 super bowls in the 3 seasons prior?
His crowning achievement as a coach was being the DC of the SB Champion Pats in 2016-17, with his defense allowing the fewest points in the league and allowing the 8th fewest yards.
I don't think he's capable of processing at NFL speed. Perhaps he was when he first came into the league. But he isn't now. We may never know the precise reason why. Honestly it doesn't really matter.
I don't think anyone has ever called BB a bad GM on the defensive side of the ball.
I know, I know. I shouldn't have gone so far. Patricia once had success.
I'm not saying you're wrong to notice this, but, what were the Krafts supposed to do in this situation absent from moving on from BB sooner?
Assuming they are the main leak. How about not trash the best coach in franchise history who brought you 6 Superbowls.
Overrule Bill when it came to keeping Brady. Spend more on payroll. Not let the coaching staff and locker room turn into an episode of Game of Thrones.
Because the offense was extremely simplified for him and it worked for half the season before defenses started to realize he sucked and adjusted accordingly. He was smoke and mirrors the first half of 2021 and he's been trash ever since the curtain was pulled.
Yeah, it's been pretty clear all year that one or both of the Krafts have been very aggressively leaking to the press to burnish themselves and knock Belichick. Very much feels like they thought that forcing Belichick to go to Bill O'Brien was going to fix Mac (who Kraft loves, because he's the QB and Kraft is a starfucker of the highest order), and then when it didn't work they threw a tantrum.
Seems more like disgruntled players and coaches.
Those first two are really good ones, but ultimately they played their last card last year and brought in the only possible offensive coach that could conceivably work.
Probably true.
Some of this might be (though who is the source that Bill had to be convinced to switch OCs, or that Klemm got into it with Groh, those are both obviously execs). But all year there have been lots of leaks that were ownership adjacent. As to wanting to look like keystone cops.... they're about to move on from the greatest HC/GM ever to hold the posiiton in the sport, he's had 1 BAD year, it's a huge step, and they want to soften the ground to justify it. Imagine if you didn't have all the leaks.... what is the case... "he missed on a couple draft picks?" "The QB, who is about to be replaced sucks"... firing Belichick isn't CRAZY, but you're talking about a resume that nobody else has and even the "bad" years include a playoff appearance, a year they missed by 1 game and another where they were in it until the last 2 weeks.... that doesn't always get you fired even if you didn't have oh... the 20 or so best years in history before it.
It's amazing the hoops people have jumped through to not recognize how much havoc Mac has caused on this franchise. There is no cure for a shitty QB.
Sure, and I’ve got no insight and yes it could be coming from anywhere
And they will get what they deserve if they let him leave.
Mac busting as a QB has definitely set the franchise back but I think the nkeal harry pick, and what followed with Brady leaving, actually did more damage.
It was going to end in tragedy regardless. The Patriots went all in during the last couple years for Brady, they needed a reset anyway.
Unfortunately, there's (legitimately) way too much blame to hand out all around. I thought failure was supposed to be an orphan?
The above is what you originally said.
Now you're echoing the idea that doing something the same way that most NFL organizations have done for decades is the optimal way to adapt to changes to the game and get new ideas in house.
Except for the fact that Mac was better in the last 8 games of the season in 2021 (66.97 comp%, 12tds, 6ints, 5-3 record, 96.8 rating, team averaged 29ppg), than he was in the first 9 games (68.0comp%, 10tds, 7ints, 5-4 record, 89.8 rating and the team averaged 25.5ppg), this is exactly right.
No, I’m not back tracking or goal post moving. I can hold two ideas in my head at the same time. You want BB gone, and that’s a reasonable, defensible position. I’ve come around to wanting back, and don’t think it’s impossible that he can make and/or except some changes that will get things back on track. We’ll see how it plays out.
My recollection is that in 21, down the stretch against good teams, Mac had lousy first halves, the Pats got down bit, and then he’d put up some #s in garbage time. The team also had a few monster games against awful teams which skew their overall offensive stats.
Define garbage time, I guess. He did have lousy first halves against Indy and Miami, and brought the team to within a field goal in both. You can parse his numbers any which way. He had a 9 game stretch mid-season:
I mean they could be sources but Bill gets carte blance with the Patriots. Why would the Krafts get blamed for anything?
Ok, so now Joe Flacco is elite?
QB rating in the last five games, apart from the Jags game, pretty meh.
The JAX game was after they had fired Urban Meyer too, that team was just going through the motions.
I'm just trying to understand how in one post you're asking for new ideas AND personnel in the coaching staff and front office, and then in the next you're affirming that the way BB currently operates (i.e. hiring the way NFL teams have hired for decades). How could favoring his own ex-players, ex-coaches, and kids in the hiring process lead to the things you ask for in your first post?
They only lost 3 games in the 2nd half of the season. They went down early against Indy, Mac had a huge fourth quarter, making the score 20-17, then on 2nd and 8 before the 2 minute warning, the defense gave up a 67 yard td to Jonathan Taylor. I guess it was another example of Mac turtling.
Right, he was meh (aside from the Bills game, he sucked that game). He wasn't "OMG he's gonna suck next year" bad.
So we're ignoring the prior 3 games before that stretch (even though the post i responded to was talking about the 2nd half of the season), in which his ratings were 142.1, 96.6, and 123.2 and then also eliminating the game against Jacksonville (128.1)? I mean, this is Eric Van level stuff.
Semantics aside, there was a clear dropoff in his play during the second half of the season. Admittedly, I didn't offer an exact date.
When did I say he was elite?
But your solution is part of the problem. The Pats just kept rolling out Mac. Over and over. Even after he was benched. They didn't try anything but Mac until the season was way past lost.
I am not quite sure this is making the point that you want it to make...
