NFL
By: Steve Atkinson
After the Patriots went 7-9 with Cam Newton in 2020 and Tom Brady won the Super Bowl in Tampa the Krafts wanted a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft. The drafts were going to be more collaborative because Bill Belichick would take what his scouts would say and disregard it and pick a player his friends liked like Michael Lombardi with N’Keal Harry. It’s been reported that the scouts were mad because they would do all the dirty work traveling, scouting a player, and then present it to Belichick. Then he would turn around and draft a player the scouts weren’t high on but his Rutgers buddy or other friend said the player was good so the Patriots would draft that player.
Belichick wanted Davis Mills in 2021 not Mac Jones. But because he had to be more collaborative and that’s what ownership and the front office wanted they picked Mac. Mac had just won a National Championship at Alabama and he did well in his rookie season with Josh McDaniels going 10-7. Things were looking up all he needed was his top wide receiver and Belichick would get him that right?
The Patriots Should’ve Moved On From Mac After 2021
Wrong. After the 2021 season and Josh left to coach the Vegas Raiders Mac Jones’ longtime quarterback coach Joe Dickinson told Mac and his agent to request a trade from the Patriots. Below is what Dickinson told Tom E Curran of NBC Sports Boston
Especially after putting a defensive and special teams coach to coach the offensive side of the ball. The Matt Patricia and Joe Judge decision was horrendous. The only two quarterbacks that can lift average talent around them are Tom Brady and currently Patrick Mahomes. What Mahomes did during the Super Bowl against the 49ers I’ve only seen Brady do. He won that game by himself at the end like Brady used to do countless times.
The Patriots Failed At The Quarterback Position Because Of Belichick In 2022-2023
Mac Jones, Tua, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy. They all need talent around them to be successful. They can’t lift talent and make them great like Brady and Mahomes. When you draft a quarterback the first thing you do is put pieces around him. This is what the Krafts trusted Belichick to do but he failed which is why today he isn’t coaching the Patriots anymore.
Getting Bill O’Brien last offseason then not doing anything in free agency other than getting rid of Jakobi Meyers and replacing it with a washed-up JuJu- Smith Schuster. Then during the draft Belichick drafted defense, defense, defense, and special teams. They didn’t address offense until the later rounds of the draft. They didn’t even have an offensive line! Just a lazy Trent Brown who didn’t want to be there.
O’Brien couldn’t even pick his staff so does it even come as a shock they were 4-11 and Belichick got fired? No.
So, here we are again with Jerod Mayo and Eliot Wolf taking charge of drafting the next quarterback. In my opinion, they will probably draft Drake Maye because I think that’s what the Krafts want. The Patriots should’ve parted ways with Bill after 2020. They should’ve never let him pick the next quarterback. Whether it’s Maye or someone else they’ll have to get pieces around the quarterback which Belichick failed to do time and time again. Look at Mahomes he had Tyreek Hill in the beginning now all he has is Travis Kelce and won back-to-back Super Bowls with average receiver talent. The Patriots this time now that Bill is out of the picture will be able to develop and quarterback the right way and put talent around him in the beginning. Not do what Belichick did.
