Getty New England Patriots, Bill Belichick
It seems almost everyone has a gloves-off critique for the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick these days. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin called the Patriots a “transitional group.”
Former Patriot and current Miami Dolphins defensive back trolled his old team for trying to get acclimated to the Florida heat ahead of New England’s 20-7 loss to the Fins in Week 1.
Since Tom Brady left Foxboro to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season, the Patriots have missed the playoffs, barely made it in last season with a 10-7 record, and gotten off to a bad start this year.
Former All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy has noticed and he isn’t shy about slamming Belichick over the head with the blame for the Patriots’ fall back to Earth.
“It’s over for Belichick,” McCoy said in a recent episode of Fox’s Speak. “It’s over. I’ve never seen the Patriots pay so many guys on defense at one time. They’re doing it now that Tom is gone. It’s over. This is the real Bill Belichick. The winning percentage, playing with Brady, is 77%. Without Tom Brady, you wouldn’t even guess — 47%. He don’t win no games without Tom Brady.”
We’ve heard similar takes from former Patriots CB Asante Samuel Sr, but it’s seemingly a bit of an uneven perspective. Without Brady, Belichick helped to guide a rookie quarterback in Mac Jones to the postseason.
The Patriots were manhandled in the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills, but that should have happened, considering one team simply has a more talented roster. That said, when a team has the history of success that New England does, the standards are much higher and the critiques far stiffer.
Jakobi Meyers Says He Loves Being a “Safety Blanket”
A major deficiency on the Patriots’ roster is their lack of playmakers on offense. New England traded for WR DeVante Parker, hoping he would become their No. 1 option in the passing game.
It’s still early, but after one week, Parker didn’t look much more productive than N’Keal Harry was during his non-descript career in New England. Parker finished the game with just one reception for 9 yards and 2 targets.
On the positive side, the Patriots’ WRs were paced by the same guy who has led them in receptions and receiving yards the last two years, Jakobi Meyers. The fourth-year WR had 4 catches for 55 yards, including an impressive 27-yard grab on the sidelines.
Meyers may never be the kind of receiver who gets a 99-overall rating in Madden, but he told the media this week that he enjoys being a quarterback’s “safety blanket.” There is value in finding and embracing your niche.
Meyers has battled from being an undrafted rookie free agent to being his team’s unquestioned No. 1 option in the passing game. New England still needs an elite talent at wide receiver so that Meyers can take his best position as a third receiver on a roster with two excellent options ahead of him.
What are the Odds for the Patriots vs. Steelers?
According to BetGM, the Patriots are minus-2 favorites. Pittsburgh won their first season game while New England fell to Miami. Still, without TJ Watt and with an offense that might be a little more impotent than the Patriots, the Steelers don’t have nearly as many threats as the Dolphins.
The 2022 season might be even more challenging than expected if the Patriots cannot defeat the Steelers.