All That Remains of Patriot Way Bill Belichick
All That Remains of Patriot Way Bill Belichick.
The Patriots coach Bill Belichick demonstrated on Sunday night that he is still a creative genius, albeit working with a depleted roster and diminishing hopes.
If you were browsing on your phone during the Dolphins-Patriots game on Sunday night and weren’t paying attention, you could have felt a touch of nostalgia — or fear, if you’re not a Pats fan.
New England executed a wild, successful man-in-motion field goal block that was so inventive that high school and college teams are currently practicing it.
The Patriots shut down Miami’s top offensive threat. The quarterback pulled one of those game-changing plays from his helmet and ran the fastest play of his career to set up a touchdown.
And then there was Bill Belichick, grumpy as ever dressed in Santa Claus red, flinging the challenge flag to the ground like a disgruntled dad holding a teenager’s laundry.
It was just like the old days… if you didn’t glance at the scoreboard.
The Dolphins defeated the Patriots 24-17 in Foxborough on Sunday night, a victory that appeared to be much closer than it was. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Patriots found their footing. Even when the Patriots were within a score and in Miami territory, the Dolphins’ win probability never fell below 75%.
The Dolphins have now won five of their previous six meetings against the Patriots, including all five of Tua Tagovailoa’s starts.
For the first time since 2001, the Patriots are 0-2 on the season. They are competing with the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals for Caleb Williams. Belichick retains his cantankerous demeanor and galaxy-brain football brilliance, but the glory days in New England are long gone.
Mac Jones, for example, is in his third season with the organization and may not be in the top half of all NFL quarterbacks right now. The Patriots won their second Super Bowl in three years in Tom Brady’s third season. Yes, comparing anyone to Tom Brady is a completely unfair comparison, but in New England, it’s the only comparison that matters.
There’s also Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon, All-Pro punt returner Marcus Jones, and old faces in a new place like Ezekiel Elliott and Juju Smith-Schuster… but no Gronk, Moss, or Edelman.
Brady and Belichick built a 19-year road unlike any other in NFL history, reaching and winning six Super Bowls. With the exception of 2008, when Brady was sidelined, and 2002, when they finished 9-7, the Patriots have won at least 10 games and made the playoffs every year.
During that stretch, they dominated the rest of the AFC East. During the Brady-Belichick era, the Patriots were 25-13 against Miami, 31-9 (including playoffs) against the Jets, and a devastating 34-4 against the Bills.
Those are the kinds of figures that create scars, which is why few people outside of the Greater Boston metropolitan area are feeling anything other than schadenfreude at the Patriots’ blunders.
While opposition fans and front offices may desire a few pounds of flesh in exchange for two decades of humiliation at the hands of New England, to players on the field, the Brady-Belichick dynasty is merely a Wikipedia entry.
When Brady last played for the Patriots, a sizable portion of the league’s current players were still in college. Rookies like Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Bijan Robinson were still in high school. The Patriots are now just another uncircled club on their schedule, which may be the most devastating indictment of all.
“Not too much to say after that one, you know,” Belichick remarked in a glum 3-minute, 31-second postgame press conference Sunday evening. “It was a tough loss, but we had to learn from it and just keep working harder and moving forward.” There isn’t much to say.”
Belichick was responsible for all of the ideas, planning, and play-calling that kept New England in the game on Sunday night.
As long as Belichick remains on the sidelines, the Patriots will be capable of surprise opponents by executing a play that he seen an Iowa high school execute in 1979. However, surprise cannot be sustained in the absence of manpower. The Patriots’ aura of invincibility has vanished… at least until New England selects Caleb Williams.
