This is now: BB and the direction of the Patriots

Jimbodandy said:

It was a shit QB draft. This one is not.

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In retrospect it was a shit QB draft. At the time, it was hailed as an epic QB class. We have no idea how this one will play out. Literally zero. We thought the Winston/Mariota draft would be great. It produced two meh QBs. The Wentz/Goff draft was not thought of highly. Turns out, the drafniks were mostly right, although Wentz was playing at MVP level in 2017 before he got hurt, and Goff has had a pretty good career. The point is no one knows anything.

Ed Hillel said:

BB is not going to San Diego in his 70s to lose twice a year to Andy Reid the next 5 seasons.
Why? You miss on a QB and have horrible injuries for most of the season and this is what happens. There's always a certain element of luck in drafting QBs, especially when you get the 5th taken in a given draft. It doesn't take much for this to happen in the NFL, there's not much room for error.

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I think the vast majority of Pats fans figured the absolute bottom for a BB-coached team was like 7-10. But the mind-boggling stupid plays and penalties this year have proven this wrong. It is really hard for me to understand how Cam Achord still has a job. If a coach is only as good as his talent, then why do we even care if BB sticks around?

astrozombie said:

I mean... "just asking questions" is certainly a defense some people use when they want to get a point across without saying it. How long a leash should the next guy get? Depends! I don't know who the next guy is. Does he go 3-whatever? Does he have no solution at QB? Does he make 1 playofff appearance since losing the GOAT and in that meeting he is thoroughly outclassed? What if BB sticks around and limps to 4 more 3-win seasons? Is that okay because the Krafts did not fire him and ipso facto he is the best option because they have the vision?
Let me be more direct - what do you want to see with the coaching situation next season?

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Ok so I think I get it. Anyone is preferable to BB for next year.

To answer your question, my view is if the Krafts think they have an opportunity to hire a good young replacement who might not be there if they wait longer, then moving on makes some sense. For example if they thought they could get Johnson or another highly respected young coordinator, that's worth blowing everything up. It may not work but it makes sense.

On the other hand, if they are going to replace BB with another known entity - for example let's say Vrabel becomes available or they can get one of the other seasoned assistants/former HCs around the league - that doesn't move the needle for me. In that instance, I would lean towards running it back one more time. BB may not be a great GM but he isn't the worst. Furthermore, plenty of other highly respected NFL personnel people have big misses too. Its silly to think that whomever comes in on the follow will be necessarily better at it than the current guy.

Of course the next guy isn’t guaranteed to be better than BB. But if the Krafts have made the decision to move on from BB then you do it, even though the next guy might not be as good or even good at all.

Bring afraid to move on from under performing people in key roles because there’s no guarantee the next person will be better is an asinine way to run any organization.

Whether Bill can’t do it anymore is the harder question and I’m glad I’m not the Krafts having to make that decision about a living legend who contributed so much to the Pats organization.

NomarsFool said:

Some of the the things that contributed to BB being the greatest football coach of all time just no longer apply:

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Another item no longer applying is being allowed sufficient practice time in pads to wring almost flawless execution out of so-so talent.

Deathofthebambino said:

Again, I can't push back on this enough. Jonathan Kraft has had as much to do with this organizations success as Bob Kraft himself, IMO. And frankly, there's a lot of folks close to the organization that feel the same way, both publicly and privately.

Jonathan is the chairman of the board of Massachusetts General Hospital, and has been since like 2019. He's been on their board since 2010, and replaced Cathy Minehan as President, who was the President and Chairman of the Boston Federal Reserve Bank.

I've shit on members of boards before, particularly in private industry, but hospital boards, especially non-profit teaching hospitals like MGH are a different animal. He's on a number of other boards as well, but MGH is a beast and if there was any controversy about his stewardship, it would be national news. What's happened with the Patriots as an organization (forget on the field) since the Krafts took over is unquestionable.

To even put him in the same breath as a failson like DJT Jr. is complete and total insanity and undersells him to a degree that's impossible to overstate. Could he fail as he "takes over" for Robert (I put that in quotes, because IMO, he already has in every way, except as the public face of the franchise)? Absolutely, but it isn't because he hasn't earned the role on his own merits, IMO.

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My grandmother was on the board for Brockton Hospital for many years, so, that lends credence to the idea that Jon Kraft is awesome.

I think some of my decision would come down to how much longer Belichick wants to do it. If he is committed to another 5+ years, I'd be more inclined to roll with him as the GOAT since I believe he's still one of the best head coaches and executives in the league. If he's only going to be around for a few more years, I'd be more inclined to see if I can get some assets from the team he'd like to coach or let him go and start the new regime sooner than later.

I am certainly not ready to see him go.

Harry Hooper said:

Another item no longer applying is being allowed sufficient practice time in pads to wring almost flawless execution out of so-so talent.

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I also think BB had a great talent for identifying players who were potentially miscast in their roles, and finding a different way to utilize their talents in his system. Taking some 7th round OT and turning them into a world class long snapper. That special skill seems to have gone away - maybe that's related to the overall nerfing of special teams in the NFL, I don't know. But, one can certainly imagine that ST would be an area where that sort of skill could be particularly useful.

DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:

And then what? Hire a hot young coach like Staley but not him of course. Maybe Flores...but no that didn't work out for him. Oh, I know what about Eberflus - he should be available. Or maybe they can get Bieniemy. Or Ben Johnson but nobody really knows if he is HC material. So go with a retread?

The reality is that you can easily get BB gone for a price but what are you expecting on the follow? My guess is that whomever they might bring in will struggle more than the BB-has-to-go crowd thinks and it will take a few seasons for their vision to be implemented. Are those wanting a change onboard for a two to four year rebuild? Or are you giving the next person a season and then maybe its time to move on?

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Which is why I suggested above that the big off-season decision be that the Krafts publicly announce that they are going to work with Belichick to begin the transition process to a post-Bill world.

Or just make a godfather offer to Harbaugh and be done with it.

Van Everyman said:

Which is why I suggested above that the big off-season decision be that the Krafts publicly announce that they are going to work with Belichick to begin the transition process to a post-Bill world.

Or just make a godfather offer to Harbaugh and be done with it.

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Please anybody but a Harbaugh.

Jimbodandy said:

Please anybody but a Harbaugh.

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Yeah, Harbaugh (either) would be a disaster here.

Would the Chargers trade a top 7 pick for a coach? Even one as great as Belichick? Thats an awfully steep price and if they would be willing to do that, I think the Krafts would have to accept

tbb345 said:

Would the Chargers trade a top 7 pick for a coach? Even one as great as Belichick? Thats an awfully steep price and if they would be willing to do that, I think the Krafts would have to accept

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The Chargers are desperate and almost need Belichick. They have Herbert but are getting worse and worse. They risk being irrelevant in their own city, and non-competitive in their division or with the Rams.They've never won the whole thing and nobody takes them seriously. Hire BB and get instant attention and credibility more than you would with any FA signing or high draft pick.

That being said, giving up a top 10 or any #1 pick should never happen. Maybe can squeeze out the 2. So to speak.

Kenny F'ing Powers said:

Someone explain the Mike Vrabel love to me. He may run an even more antiquated style offense than what we've seen in New England, and hes always been very defensive focused. If people are complaining about the job BB has done on the offense, I'd love to know how Vrabel is the solution.

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I don't get it either.

He rode Henry to the AFCCG and lost and .........................

snowmanny said:

The Chargers are desperate and almost need Belichick. They have Herbert but are getting worse and worse. They risk being irrelevant in their own city, and non-competitive in their division or with the Rams.They've never won the whole thing and nobody takes them seriously. Hire BB and get instant attention and credibility more than you would with any FA signing or high draft pick.

That being said, giving up a top 10 or any #1 pick should never happen. Maybe can squeeze out the 2. So to speak.

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I think a 2nd and a 3rd would be appropriate here. That’s two valuable picks and the Chargers can still add a premium player

tbb345 said:

I think a 2nd and a 3rd would be appropriate here. That’s two valuable picks and the Chargers can still add a premium player

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Could they do some kind of salary offset too for the year BB has left on his deal? Spanos has the cheapo reputation. Maybe that moves the needle a little and you can ask for the R1 pick. Two top ten picks could really jumpstart the rebuild here.

snowmanny said:

The Chargers are desperate and almost need Belichick. They have Herbert but are getting worse and worse. They risk being irrelevant in their own city, and non-competitive in their division or with the Rams.They've never won the whole thing and nobody takes them seriously. Hire BB and get instant attention and credibility more than you would with any FA signing or high draft pick.

That being said, giving up a top 10 or any #1 pick should never happen. Maybe can squeeze out the 2. So to speak.

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tbb345 said:

I think a 2nd and a 3rd would be appropriate here. That’s two valuable picks and the Chargers can still add a premium player

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Parcells cost a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Belichick cost a 1st, 4th, and 5th.

Gruden cost TWO 1sts and $8M.

Sean Payton cost a 1st and 3rd.

If you're inclined to trade away the best coach in the history of the game, you should squeeze out a whole lot more than a 2nd and 3rd.

lexrageorge said:

Yeah, Harbaugh (either) would be a disaster here.

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Perhaps. But any coach following BB is going to immediately walk into an insane pressure cooker. The guy put together an unprecedented 20 year run and that bought him about a 2 year leash before the fans and media began to turn on him (last year). The expectations in New England are unrealistic due to the almost impossibly high standard set by BB.

on top of that, Bill would likely only be leaving because of a desire to win immediately. The new guys (coach and GM) aren’t going to have much of a grace period and they’re going to have to likely rebuild the entire football operation from the ground up in an environment where the GOAT was kicked to the curb after 3 years of missing the playoffs.

That’s a very difficult situation, turning the entire ship around with enormous expectations and pressure in 2 (3?) years for anyone let alone first time HC/GM. Someone with Harbaugh’s ego and track record might be more likely to succeed than whatever this year’s version of Brandon Staley, Ben McAdoo or Marty Mornhigweg is (probably Ben Johnson)

seems to me that most Pats fans are calling for some hotshot coordinator to replace BB as most retreads are known entities almost certainly worse than BB (say Jim Caldwell or Lovie Smith). But the vast majority of great coordinators fail miserably especially in their first HC gig - Pats fans should know this well as evidenced by Crennel, Weis, Mangini, McDaniels and O’Brien.

Kenny F'ing Powers said:

Parcells cost a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Belichick cost a 1st, 4th, and 5th.

Gruden cost TWO 1sts and $8M.

Sean Payton cost a 1st and 3rd.

If you're inclined to trade away the best coach in the history of the game, you should squeeze out a whole lot more than a 2nd and 3rd.

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Payton cost a 1st and a 3rd but the 1st was the 30th overall pick.

2nd and a 3rd is probably light but a top 6 or 7 pick feels really heavy. Maybe they do a future 1st or something but I just can’t see this years 1st

Justthetippett said:

Could they do some kind of salary offset too for the year BB has left on his deal? Spanos has the cheapo reputation. Maybe that moves the needle a little and you can ask for the R1 pick. Two top ten picks could really jumpstart the rebuild here.

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I think fans are kidding themselves if they think BB will bring back any meaningful compensation

71 year old coach who is going to want full control of the entire operation being kicked out of his current job because he’s perceived to be behind the times or bad at his job. Likely to retire within a few years and will likely only go to a specific location of his choosing.

what bad team is going to give Bill the GM (as bad as people seem to think he is) the keys to a full rebuild? What “almost contender” team has both a coach and GM vacancy?

What leverage is Kraft going to have here? I don’t see Bill as being amenable to getting traded to some dumpster fire organization. If he’s being kicked out after everything he has done for the Pats, he’s going to likely be incredibly selective about where he goes. And if the Pats decide to move on, they need to get Bb out the door quickly so they can hire an entire new operation. Kraft isn’t going to be able to wait out any negotiation with another owner or try to extract maximum value. he also is almost certainly not going to pay Bill to sit at home while Ben Johnson or Jerod Mayo coach the team.

Lastly, as much as I like Bob Kraft and am grateful for everything he’s done for the Pats since buying the team, he is still part of the “boys club” of owners. I simply can’t imagine he’s going to play hardball or risk his personal relationships with another owner over compensation. If he moves on from Bill, he will take whatever deal facilitates things as quickly and safely (from a PR and NFL inner circle perspective) as possible. I think it’s more likely Bill is outright let go with no compensation or minimal compensation (4th-7th round pick) than it is they will get a day 1 or 2 pick for him.

how is Bob Kraft going to spin “we’re getting rid of our hall of fame GOAT coach because of job performance, also give us a top 50 pick for him because actually he’s still really good. We don’t think he’s up to the job of fixing the Patriots but I’m sure he can turn around your crap franchise”? I just don’t see it. If the perception in NFL circles is that Bill isn’t any good, then why would any team give up meaningful compensation? And if the perception is he needs a fresh start and Kraft is just sick of Bill, you (the Chargers or whomever) have all the power with Kraft having to move quickly and with basically no competition for Bills services.

Kenny F'ing Powers said:

Parcells cost a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Belichick cost a 1st, 4th, and 5th.

Gruden cost TWO 1sts and $8M.

Sean Payton cost a 1st and 3rd.

If you're inclined to trade away the best coach in the history of the game, you should squeeze out a whole lot more than a 2nd and 3rd.

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the only reason Bill would be available is because the perception is that he’s too old and bad at his job. That was not the case with those other guys who were all younger and viewed to be at the top of their game or (in BB’s case) projected to be elite.

NextBigThing8184 said:

the only reason Bill would be available is because the perception is that he’s too old and bad at his job. That was not the case with those other guys who were all younger and viewed to be at the top of their game or (in BB’s case) projected to be elite.

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Bad at his job? This is fucking hyperbole, right?

The only way the Pats get any kind of compensation for BB is if he wants to leave and the Krafts don’t want to let him out of his deal. That seems incredibly unlikely but who knows?

54thMA said:

I don't get it either.

He rode Henry to the AFCCG and lost and .........................

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Won a playoff game more recently than the Patriots.

Kenny F'ing Powers said:

Bad at his job? This is fucking hyperbole, right?

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GM is part of his job, no? The post Brady record is what it is. If there are teams dangling oodles and oodles of picks to hire away a septuagenarian coach / GM, the Pats should take it, no? Even if the next guy could be worse than…the .444 winning percentage of the past four years.

What’s the fear here, that the Pats let Bill go and he pulls a Brady somewhere else?

Nothing lasts forever.

Ralphwiggum said:

The only way the Pats get any kind of compensation for BB is if he wants to leave and the Krafts don’t want to let him out of his deal. That seems incredibly unlikely but who knows?

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I don’t think Kraft would play hardball for every last bit of compensation he could manage to get if it prolongs the process/attracts a media circus because I don’t think he’s interested in that kind of attention and I doubt he wants to alienate Bill. I expect he and Jonathan will want Bill to remain connected to/on good terms with the Pats’ brand for years to come.

But the Payton deal got worked out pretty expeditiously, and neither the Saints nor Payton was interested in a reunion after Payton sat out a year, so why couldn’t a deal be struck in this case? It would be reasonable for Kraft to expect some kind of compensation from a team that wanted to hire Bill since the Pats have the rights to Bill’s services for another year and there is ample precedent for compensation in similar situations.

tims4wins said:

I think the vast majority of Pats fans figured the absolute bottom for a BB-coached team was like 7-10. But the mind-boggling stupid plays and penalties this year have proven this wrong. It is really hard for me to understand how Cam Achord still has a job. If a coach is only as good as his talent, then why do we even care if BB sticks around?

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They're losing largely because Mac Jones and the offense couldn't score points. It's not because of "mind-boggling stupid plays and penalties," they are 12th out of 32 in penalties. Special Teams has been fine, as well, at least as far as Cam Achord is concerned. It's largely because Mac Jones fucking sucked and their 2 best players on defense got hurt for the season Week 4, but even then the defense has held up well. So we're back to the offense, which largely falls on Mac Jones.

Bedard is pushing the line that BB holds all the cards here, similar to what was posted a few posts above. What is stopping Kraft from working out a deal with another team and simply trading BB? Obviously BB doesn’t have to go, but at that point he doesn’t get to come back to NE as if nothing happened…a player sure wouldn’t be able to do that…are the rules different for coaches under contract than players? I would assume in that case he’d have to retire and then Kraft holds his rights, similar to New Orleans and Payton, or even Gronk a few years back? That’s why it seems the only solution is for both Kraft and BB to work out something together, as neither Kraft, nor BB, hold all the cards.

Petagine in a Bottle said:

GM is part of his job, no? The post Brady record is what it is. If there are teams dangling oodles and oodles of picks to hire away a septuagenarian coach / GM, the Pats should take it, no? Even if the next guy could be worse than…the .444 winning percentage of the past four years.

What’s the fear here, that the Pats let Bill go and he pulls a Brady somewhere else?

Nothing lasts forever.

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Who are you arguing with? I've already said if they can get solid draft picks for him, they should.

And, yes, GM is part of his job. And, for the millionth time, so is the defense.

I can't have this fucking conversation again. If you're just going to continue to ignore people and scream about how BB sucks and hasn't done anything good since Brady, then have at it. You're right. Bill Belichick is HORRIBLE at his job.

There are going to be a bunch of openings, there are already 3. The 3 coaches that don’t win the NFC South could all be in trouble. Rivera is likely done. If the Bills miss the postseason could see McDermott shown the door, that team’s window is closing fast. Eberflus and Gannon also probably feeling some heat. All to say it only takes 2 teams interested that Bill is willing to coach to create a bidding war, and if that is how it goes the Pats should ask for a lot if they truly want to move on.

EvilEmpire said:

What is Belichick's incentive to cooperate with such a process if the Patriots truly want to move on? Especially when that process involves losing draft capital from the team he ends up coaching?

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Avoid the staring contest? Make it happen quickly? Part on better terms? I think you're right that his incentives are limited, and that there will be some effect on any compensation for releasing him. But it's not out of the question that he'd go along and facilitate a reasonable deal. For all we know, he wants to move on as much as RKK wants to make a change.

Justthetippett said:

Avoid the staring contest? Make it happen quickly? Part on better terms? I think you're right that his incentives are limited, and that there will be some effect on any compensation for releasing him. But it's not out of the question that he'd go along and facilitate a reasonable deal. For all we know, he wants to move on as much as RKK wants to make a change.

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Why does Belichick want to move on? Do you have any evidence to support that he may want to? "For all we know" can be applied to every coach every year. It also intimates how precious little we do know, so what is the point of this post?

riboflav said:

Why does Belichick want to move on?

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To coach Aaron Rodgers?

luckiestman said:

To coach Aaron Rodgers?

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Lol your wish and my nightmare.

Everything we know of the guy from the outside following his career suggests that when people most count him out he wants to prove himself. I'm not sure he cares much about proving others wrong. Though it's possible that may factor in a bit given his disdain for those who have doubted him over the years like a Tom Jackson as one example.

EvilEmpire said:

What is Belichick's incentive to cooperate with such a process if the Patriots truly want to move on? Especially when that process involves losing draft capital from the team he ends up coaching?

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His incentive is he wants to coach next year. The Pats can just not fire him until the music stops and there are no jobs left. (And I am in the keep him camp, so to me part of the evaluation is compensation, if they are getting a couple of firsts back I would be more convinced it is the right decision to move on.)

dynomite said:

No argument that they have had some awful drafts in recent years. But under his tenure they’ve also made good picks at these positions (albeit not for a few years). I’m just still wary of the unknown when so few regimes in the NFL are successful.

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I’ll take it further and declare that you don’t want to be in the position of needing to draft a quarterback. The odds are just overwhelmingly against you.

Ed Hillel said:

They're losing largely because Mac Jones and the offense couldn't score points. It's not because of "mind-boggling stupid plays and penalties," they are 12th out of 32 in penalties. Special Teams has been fine, as well, at least as far as Cam Achord is concerned. It's largely because Mac Jones fucking sucked and their 2 best players on defense got hurt for the season Week 4, but even then the defense has held up well. So we're back to the offense, which largely falls on Mac Jones.

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On what planet are special teams ok? They are last in the league in EPA and had yet another punt blocked against the Steelers. This on the heels of a dreadful 2022 in which need I remind you they gave up TWO kick return TDs in week 18 with a playoff berth on the line.

And maybe you can’t blame Achord for Ryland’s performance, but you can sure as hell blame BB. It was his choice to move on from Folk.

tims4wins said:

On what planet are special teams ok? They are last in the league in EPA and had yet another punt blocked against the Steelers. This on the heels of a dreadful 2022 in which need I remind you they gave up TWO kick return TDs in week 18 with a playoff berth on the line.

And maybe you can’t blame Achord for Ryland’s performance, but you can sure as hell blame BB. It was his choice to move on from Folk.

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I know I've been a staunch BB defender on here, but this is the place that concerns me. BB has always given a shit about special teams. It's in his DNA to care about long snappers and gunners. Special teams can be pretty volatile from year to year, but we've seen some consistent poor play for multiple years now. It's something that, when BB comes back next season (and he will), will be one of the barometers for me to gauge if I'm cool with him moving along, or if he still has the vested interest to keep chugging.

Edit: and, as a note, it's clear he still highly values special teams - high draft picks on kickers and punters, continuing to bring back Slater, definitely one of the reasons he drafted Marcus Jones, etc. The question is if he's still spending the time emphasizing all the little things that make special teams successful (which we know he used to enjoy coaching).

Kenny F'ing Powers said:

Parcells cost a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

Belichick cost a 1st, 4th, and 5th.

Gruden cost TWO 1sts and $8M.

Sean Payton cost a 1st and 3rd.

If you're inclined to trade away the best coach in the history of the game, you should squeeze out a whole lot more than a 2nd and 3rd.

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Good examples but I think those examples show a maximum Belichik could cost. And because of performance and age, I’d expect him to cost less. A 2nd seems right; perhaps a very late 1st.

All those coaches, especially Parcells and Gruden were good prior to those trades. Below are records in their last season prior to being traded including prior season in parentheses.

Belichik is 3-10 (8-9)

Others-
Parcells was 11-5 (6-10)
Payton was 9-8 (12-4)
Gruden was 10-6 (12-4)

Dianna Russini’s latest in The Athletic this morning.

“There are no surprises arriving in Washington at the end of the regular season. At this point it’s understood around the building based on multiple people I have spoken with that Ron Rivera and some front office members will be fired. Since acquiring the team, new owner Josh Harris has had the vision to keep Rivera in place through the end of the season, then move on. It’s really not a secret anymore.

A similar picture is taking shape in New England, where most believe at the end of this season there will be a mutual parting of ways.

(“Oh, and the Patriots aren’t trading for Vrabel if they and Belichick part ways. Nothing has changed there. )”

https://theathletic.com/5141675/2023/12/16/nfl-week-15-news-brandon-staley-coaching-carousel/

Trading for Vrabel? That would be beyond asinine. I’d probably be out on the Krafts permanently if they did something that dumb.

Kenny F'ing Powers said:

I know I've been a staunch BB defender on here, but this is the place that concerns me. BB has always given a shit about special teams. It's in his DNA to care about long snappers and gunners. Special teams can be pretty volatile from year to year, but we've seen some consistent poor play for multiple years now. It's something that, when BB comes back next season (and he will), will be one of the barometers for me to gauge if I'm cool with him moving along, or if he still has the vested interest to keep chugging.

Edit: and, as a note, it's clear he still highly values special teams - high draft picks on kickers and punters, continuing to bring back Slater, definitely one of the reasons he drafted Marcus Jones, etc. The question is if he's still spending the time emphasizing all the little things that make special teams successful (which we know he used to enjoy coaching).

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The poor play on special teams is likely due to the lack of overall roster depth. And Ryland’s struggles. Kick coverage has been mostly OK, and the punter is fine.

tims4wins said:

Trading for Vrabel? That would be beyond asinine. I’d probably be out on the Krafts permanently if they did something that dumb.

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Well, I doubt they are trading # 2 for Vrabel. I would think # 33 is a possibility. Vrabel has a better HC resume in Tennessee than BB did in Cleveland and Kraft was willing to trade for BB in 2000.

shawnrbu said:

Well, I doubt they are trading # 2 for Vrabel. I would think # 33 is a possibility. Vrabel has a better HC resume in Tennessee than BB did in Cleveland and Kraft was willing to trade for BB in 2000.

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It would be horribly dumb to give up any asset for Vrabel. Full stop. They’ve only made 8 picks higher than 33 in the last 10 seasons. They need talent.

The more I think about it, the more I think a BB trade to the Bolts could work for all parties. BB gets a more proven QB, which would help him chase Shula. The bolts are cheap, but a move like that would give them some much needed buzz in a market where they have almost no home field advantage. Pats get a couple picks and hopefully a less ugly exit with a coach who contributed to an unbelievable 20 year dynasty.

As tension permeates through Patriots, could win streak still save Bill Belichick’s job?

Signs have pointed toward this being the final four games of Belichick’s unprecedented tenure with the Patriots, according to sources close to the situation.

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However, there are still some in the building who wonder if an unlikely winning streak — or even three wins in their final four games against rivalry opponents — could change the narrative surrounding Belichick’s future. While it surely appears owner Robert Kraft is prepared for a split after the season, a continued string of strong defensive showings, signs of life from quarterback Bailey Zappe’s offense and an eradication of game-swinging mistakes could conceivably swing Kraft’s thinking in the other direction. Games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets still carry weight with the Patriots’ old guard.

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And while last Thursday’s victory against the Steelers yielded a brief spark, the good vibes largely dissipated this week once it was time to get back to work to prepare for Kansas City — a sign the team recognized it was still mired in a lost season with the probability of widespread change looming.

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It just feels like too strong of an if with too much to overcome — a roster with too many holes, an offense without an identity and a building that seems more focused on the future than the present.

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twibnotes said:

The more I think about it, the more I think a BB trade to the Bolts could work for all parties. BB gets a more proven QB, which would help him chase Shula. The bolts are cheap, but a move like that would give them some much needed buzz in a market where they have almost no home field advantage. Pats get a couple picks and hopefully a less ugly exit with a coach who contributed to an unbelievable 20 year dynasty.

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FWIW, Edelman was on The Herd talking about how Belichick would be the perfect hire for Herbert and the Chargers.

It makes a ton of sense but the owner being a cheapskate is probably the biggest hang up