Our perception of how an NFL team should go through its internal checklist after a bad season is, at the same time, probably too optimistic and not optimistic enough. There are some owners who plunge their organizations into complacency. Some who are more comfortable with what is familiar. Some who blow everything up because some former ESPN center back sent it. Perpetually good teams usually don’t have this problem because they are good at self-analysis. Of course, some teams are good for a while and lose the ability to do that too.
That’s why we’re here. With each team that comes out of the playoff contest, we will answer a 10-part questionnaire about where they are, where they are going and how to fix the holes along the way. Some projects will be bigger than others.
Which brings us to Patriots, a team that lost the playoffs only three times in the Bill Belichick era. This is the first time that the Patriots have been out of contention since the year 2000 – a time when the device you’re reading this on was just a fever dream in the head of some futurist somewhere.
More out of season prospects: Bengals, Broncos, Chargers, Falcons, 49ers, Jaguars, jets, Lions, Panthers, Texans
Vincent Carchietta / USA TODAY Sports
1. What went well this year?
If the Patriots somehow managed to defeat the Dolphins last week, I was planning to explain why this was Bill Belichick’s best season. It seems likely that the team lost any quarterback perspective they wanted in the 2020 draft and decided to put Cam Newton directly on the team after a non-existent off season prevented them from developing Jarrett Stidham the way they wanted to. That said, New England was relevant for most of the season, despite a ton of high-profile opt-outs. My colleague, Jenny Vrentas, stated on the Weak-Side Podcast that, the second we heard business rumors involving the corner from around the world, Stephon Gilmore, we should have interpreted this as an indication of what Belichick saw ahead in 2020. Yet thus, four of his six wins were against teams with record wins and three of those wins against teams currently in the playoff contest.
2. What went wrong this year?
Cam Newton, while still an explosive talent, is not 100% back and the wide receiver core around him was either not healthy or talented enough to make a difference. The Patriots tried to lean in for a quick return attack that could crush opponents, change possession and deliver games to their still-strong defense and in many ways that were successful – no team has been beaten less times than New England this year. However, there was not enough of an offensive counterattack to lift them over the edge in games played or keep them afloat against McVay-Shanahan systems.
3. The big question in this off season
Will the Patriots reinvest in Cam Newton? I don’t hate the idea. There are far worse long-term solutions out there, especially with the direction the league is headed. Newton can certainly develop into the kind of player who can run the scheme effectively if he has the right complementary talent around him, and his dominance as an internal defender only serves to make Belichick and Josh McDaniels more attractive. As we mentioned before, there is a really important part of that offense that job. Imagine if you had a full off-season and a free agency period to make the appropriate adjustments.
4. Coach / GM perspective
When you have the greatest coach in NFL history, who is also your GM, life is good in that department. The only interesting thing here: Matt Patricia, Bill O’Brien and a number of other auxiliary assistants to the Patriots will be back on the market this season. What does this mean for a technical committee that was a little unhappy after the defections of Patricia and Brian Flores? Could Belichick recharge his arsenal with some familiar faces from the golden years? Also of note: the quarterback coach, Jedd Fisch, is now the head coach of the University of Arizona, so the very important role of QB coach needs to be fulfilled.
5. Top free agents
• Joe Thuney, guard
• JC Jackson, cornerback
• Cam Newton, defender
• James White, running back
• Deatrich Wise Jr., defensive side
• Brian Hoyer, defender
• Jermaine Eluemunor, tackle / guard
• Damiere Byrd, wide receiver
• Jason McCourty, defensive defense
• David Andrews, center
• Lawrence Guy, defensive tackle
• Adam Butler, defensive tackle
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6. Top priority
I would say the quarterback, but there is a reason why Belichick has a choice between the top 15 in the draft and a treasure trove of space for the first time in a long time. This list has needs that must be addressed at all levels of the depth chart. On the one hand, he gets back a large number of trusted veterans who can boost his defense. On the other hand, Belichick has some big decisions to make in the offensive line. And yes, there is a question of the two best defenders in the squad, both attacking the free agency.
7. Positions of need
Quarterback, wide receiver, tackle, cornerback, offensive line.
8. A sensible plan to correct them
Hire Ryan Fitzpatrick during this off-season and choose Alabama’s Mac Jones, allowing one of the greatest bridge quarterbacks of all time to lead his attack for a year while developing a novice beginner. There is a good chance that Belichick has better information about Jones, who plays for one of his best friends and contemporaries (Nick Saban), than anyone else in the draft. If the report card comes back clean, it would be wise to see the coach recreate some of what he had in 2000 – an established veteran who can win games now and a young project pinching his heels.
9. Innovative idea to correct them
Sign Dak Prescott.
If there is a trainer who could lure a rehabilitating Prescott away from the Cowboys, wouldn’t it be Bill Belichick? Prescott seems to fit everything Belichick wants in a dowel and was in rhythm for his best season before getting hurt. It will cost a lot of money, which is totally anti-bellichick. But, with the lid space in hand, would it be worth the investment to arrest Prescott or urge him to request a subscription and negotiate after he is attacked with the franchise tag again?
10. Next time, we’ll see you realistically in the playoffs
2021. Come on.