Our perception of how an NFL team should go through its internal checklist after a bad season is probably way too optimistic and not optimistic enough at the same time. There are some owners who instill complacency in their organization. Some who are more comfortable with the known. Some blowing it all up because some mediocre former quarterback on ESPN said so. Always good teams usually don’t have that problem because they are good at self-analysis. Of course, some teams get good for a while and lose the ability to do that too.
So that’s why we’re here. With every team coming out of the playoff battle, we’ll answer a 10-part questionnaire about where they are, where they’re going, and how to fix the gaps along the way. Some projects will be bigger than others.
Which brings us to the Patriots, a team that only missed the playoffs three times in the Bill Belichick era. This is the first time the Patriots have been out of action since the year 2000 – a time when the device you’re reading this on was just a fever dream in the mind of some futurist somewhere.
More out of season prospects: Bengals, Wild horses, Chargers, falcons, 49ers, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Panthers, Texans
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1. What went well this year?
If the Patriots had somehow held back last week to beat the Dolphins, I was going to argue why this was the best season yet for Bill Belichick. It seems likely that the team missed the quarterback prospect they wanted in the 2020 draft and decided to put Cam Newton directly into the lineup after a nonexistent off-season prevented them from developing Jarrett Stidham the way they wanted. That said, New England was relevant for most of the season, despite a ton of high-profile opt-outs. My colleague, Jenny Vrentas, made a good point in the Weak-Side Podcast that the second we heard trade rumors about global corner Stephon Gilmore, we should have taken that as an indication of what was in store for Belichick in 2020. his six wins came against teams with winning records, and three of those wins came against teams currently in the playoff race.
2. What went wrong this year?
Cam Newton, while still an explosive talent, isn’t back at 100% and the wide receiver core around him was either not healthy enough or talented enough to make up for the difference. The Patriots tried to lean on a throwback hasty attack that could knock down opponents, change possession and transfer the games to their still solid defense and that was successful in many ways – no team has passed New England less often than this year. However, there wasn’t enough of an offensive counter punch to lift them over the hump in close games or make them float against the McVay-Shanahan systems.
3. The big question is this off season
Will the Patriots reinvest in Cam Newton? I don’t hate the idea. There are much worse long-term fixes, especially with the direction the competition is heading. Newton can certainly develop into the kind of player who can effectively execute the plan if he has the right complementary talent around him, and his dominance as an inside rusher only serves to endear himself even more to Belichick and Josh McDaniels. As we said before, a very important part of this offense is that to work. Imagine if you had a full off-season period and a free period to make the correct adjustments.
4. Coach / GM Outlook
If you have the best head coach in NFL history, who is also your GM, life in that department is good. The only interesting thing here: Matt Patricia, Bill O’Brien and a slew of other supporting Patriots assistants will be back on the market this off-season. What does that mean for a coaching staff who had become a bit barebones after Patricia and Brian Flores’ defections? Could Belichick replenish his arsenal with some familiar faces from the golden years? Also note: Jedd Fisch, coach of the quarterbacks, is now the head coach at the University of Arizona, so the all-important role of QB coach should be filled.
5. Keyless agents
• Joe Thuney, security guard
• JC Jackson, cornerback
• Cam Newton, quarterback
• James White, run back
• Deatrich Wise Jr., defensive ending
• Brian Hoyer, quarterback
• Jermaine Eluemunor, tackle / guard
• Damiere Byrd, wide receiver
• Jason McCourty, defensive back
• David Andrews, center
• Lawrence Guy, defensive equipment
• Adam Butler, defensive equipment
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6. Top priority
I’d say quarterback, but there’s a reason Belichick has a top 15 pick and a wealth of cap space for the first time in a long time. This selection has needs to be addressed up and down the depth map. On the one hand, he is getting back many trusted veterans who can speed up his defense. On the other hand, Belichick has some big decisions to make in the offensive line. And yes, there is a matter of the two best quarterbacks on the roster both hitting free agency.
7. Positions of need
Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Defensive Tackle / Edge, Cornerback, Offensive Line.
8. Wise plan to solve them
Draw off-season Ryan Fitzpatrick and line up Alabama’s Mac Jones so that one of the greatest bridge quarterbacks of all time can perform your offense for a year while developing a rookie starter. Chances are, Belichick has better information about Jones, playing for one of his best friends and contemporaries (Nick Saban), than anyone else in the draft. With that report coming back clean, it would be wise to see the coach recreate a bit of what he had in 2000 – an established veteran who can now win games and a young project chasing him.
9. Outside-the-box idea to solve them
Sign Dak Prescott.
If there’s one coach who could lure a rehabilitating Prescott into the Cowboys, wouldn’t it be Bill Belichick? Prescott seems to fit everything Belichick wants in a passer and was on track for his best season before getting injured. He’s going to cost a boatload of money, which is completely anti-Belichickian. But with the cap space in hand, would it be worth the investment to harass Prescott or induce him to request and trade a plate after hitting the franchise tag again?
10. Next time we will see them realistically in the playoffs
2021. Come on.