Bill Belichick, Patriots in the middle of new reality without Tom Brady
The New England Patriots' 27-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday put Bill Belichick in an unusual spot.
It marked the first time the Patriots' head coach has started 1-3-or-worse in back-to-back years since 2000 and 2021, his first two seasons in New England. The Pats finished 5-11 in Belichick's first year at the helm, and then followed that up with a magical Super Bowl run in 2001, despite that dreadful start to the campaign.
That was the beginning of the Patriots' dynasty, which included 17 first-place finishes in the AFC East and six Super Bowl victories in nine appearances. Of course, the other constant on those Patriot teams, outside of Belichick, was the man who many consider to be the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Tom Brady.
Since Brady departed New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, Belichick is just 18-20 and the Patriots haven't made it past the wild-card round of the playoffs. During that span, 15 coaches have more wins than Belichick, including two who are no longer active head coaches in the NFL (Bruce Arians and Brian Flores).
FOX Sports' Craig Carton recognized that while Belichick might be the best coach in NFL history, he has had his fair share of struggles without Brady under center.
"We're learning a little something," Carton said on Tuesday's "The Carton Show." "When he doesn't have the best talent, a.k.a Phil Jackson, when he doesn't have the best quarterback in the league … while no one is questioning his legacy and all of the Super Bowls and first-ballot Hall of Famer, all of that stuff, I agree with all of it. He's the greatest coach that any of us have ever seen and better than anyone else.
"But he doesn't have a quarterback now, and he's under .500 in what amounts to just over two full seasons in the NFL. That story needs to start being told a little bit more."
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Craig Carton says it's time to acknowledge that Bill Belichick is under .500 since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay.
Belichick's head coaching record before Brady entered the league was not great either. In his five seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Belichick went 36-44 (.450), with his only postseason appearance coming in 1994. In games he's coached the Patriots without Brady over his 23 seasons in New England, Belichick has gone 36-38 (.486). In comparison, he sports an impressive 219-64 (.774) mark in games that Brady started.
Former NFL player and FOX Sports analyst Mark Schlereth said that players ultimately determine wins and losses, pointing out that Belichick hasn't had the best talent at the most important position since Brady left.
"When it comes to the NFL, it's about your Jimmys and Joes," Schlereth said. "It's about the guys who play. You've got to have great players, especially in a quarterback-driven league. You've got to have a great quarterback. Now, the majority of that has been with squishy Mac [Jones], so he's got a rookie quarterback [for a lot of that time]."
Carton mentioned that Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Colts coach Frank Reich both have more wins than Belichick in recent seasons. Schlereth was quick to point out that both coaches have something he believes Belichick doesn't have in New England.
"You put up Andy Reid, well Andy Reid has had Patrick Mahomes during that time," Schlereth said. "You look at Frank Reich and even though Frank Reich has 21 wins, he's done it with Phil Rivers. He's done it with Carson Wentz. Now he's got Matt Ryan. Two of those guys in Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers are borderline Hall of Fame guys. They're all veteran quarterbacks there.
"I get it. I understand how important it is and coaching is extremely important. But it really comes down to the players."
Even though Jones is dealing with an injury that could keep him out of action for several weeks, Carton doesn't believe that deters from the reality that Belichick is facing.
"At some point we have to acknowledge that we're not at the beginning of the end, we're at the middle of the end," Carton said. "It's not going to get any better because he's now on his third-string quarterback. They don't have a great defense, though it's good. They don't have a great offense. Nobody wants to play there anymore."