From A L E X (@AlexLeeSays):
Alex, do I think the Krafts are worried about the direction of the franchise? Yeah, I do, and I think a lot of that is because they got used to being seen as a model franchise, and a marquee draw, for so long that the feeling of being off that stage has created a decent amount of discomfort in Foxborough. And obviously, Bill Belichick’s decision to move on from Tom Brady, someone I don’t believe Robert Kraft ever wanted to see go, makes that feeling only more complicated.
But as messy as things looked last year, and during the Cam Newton year, it’s not like this has been some sort of trainwreck. The Patriots have been a .500 team since Brady left, missing the playoffs in two out of three years as Belichick has rebuilt the roster. It’s not ideal, of course. And up against where the team was in the Brady era, it’s a significant step back.
That said, as someone who’s been hard on Belichick at times over the past three years, he does have some collateral here. The bar for this year, to me, is in the trajectory of the program, maybe even more so than the win-loss record. Do the Patriots come out of the season with an ascending young core that got better over the course of the fall? Are they using some of the deep well of cap space they have in the coming years to sign their own players? Is the coaching staff humming after all the changes?
Most of all, is Belichick building something that can be sustained after he leaves?
These are the questions I think the Krafts will be asking. I’m not sure Robert would ever have the stomach to outright fire Belichick. So if we’re talking about the greatest coach of all time being on the hot seat, I don’t think that’s where we’re at. But if things look like they did a year ago, I could see the Krafts directing change around Belichick. And if that happens, I’m not sure what Belichick’s appetite for sticking around would be.
Which, of course, means this is a pretty important year in Foxborough, regardless of how you might characterize Belichick’s situation.
