He won one of his two Super Bowl trophies with the New England Patriots, but Chris Long believes there’s a reason “why people don’t like certain New England people.” It’s why Josh McDaniels was fired as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, according to former defensive end Long, who also questioned the so-called “Patriot Way.”
Speaking on his Green Light with Chris Long podcast, the 38-year-old didn’t like something he heard from McDaniels. The longtime former Pats offensive coordinator was fired by the Raiders on November 1 and replaced by interim head coach Antonio Pierce, but a revealing exchange took place before then, per Long:
When you heard the story last week that they actually, Josh McDaniels was like, ‘hey, my players don’t like me, Antonio Pierce, can you help me get better liked?’ And he (Pierce) nails it, he hits it out of the park by all accounts. At the end of it he makes some comment like, about when they beat the Patriots.
And Josh freaks out and is like, ‘you don’t talk to the Patriots like that!’ Which if Josh said that, I’m sorry I love Josh ’cause he was with me in New England, that is the lamest s*** in the world. And that is why some people don’t like certain New England people, is because it’s like it’s untouchable.
Long, who helped the 2016 Patriots win a Super Bowl in his only season at Gillette Stadium, went on to question what’s meant by the Patriot Way: “The ‘Patriot Way,’ really, we have to start asking the question does it exist? It exists, but is it effective?”
Those comments not only hint at why so many of Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick’s assistants fail when they get promoted to top jobs. Long’s words also prompt questions about the viability of the culture often credited as a core part of the Patriots’ lengthy dynasty.
Chris Long Says ‘Patriot Way’ Lacks Leaders
Long asked a legitimate question about the ‘Patriot Way’ when the franchise has cratered since legendary quarterback Tom Brady left town in 2020. Head coach Bill Belichick has taken the Patriots to the playoffs just once since, with this season’s team 2-7 and languishing at the bottom of the AFC East.
A potential third losing season out of four raises doubts about Belichick’s ability to still build a winner. Those doubts are growing stronger each week, especially when the Pats are playing un-Patriots-like football.
Long thinks he knows why, citing a lack of leaders: “When you walked into that locker room, you knew you were in a winning locker room. What about the Devin McCourty’s, you know? Matt Slater’s all alone in there. There’s just not a lot of Julian Edelman’s anymore. There’s not a lot of like Dont’a Hightower’s. Dont’a Hightower was one of the best leaders that I ever played with, if not the best defensive leader that I ever played with.”
The Patriots have lost many cornerstone players, but the absence of McCourty, Edelman and Hightower only focuses attention on Belichick’s inability to replace them.
Not doing so means the 71-year-old’s added to a tally of losses already among the highest all time, per Henry McKenna of Fox Sports.
Bill Belichick is six losses away from tying the all-time losses record and seven losses away from leading the category.
We’ll likely see him get that record before he eclipses Don Shula’s wins record.
Any coach has to have longevity to accrue so many defeats, but more and more cracks are appearing in the mystique of Belichick’s coaching prowess. His reputation was already damaged by having achieved a mere three winning seasons, 1994, 2008 and 2021, without Brady as his quarterback.
The comparison between how Brady and the Patriots fared in the playoffs after the player joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also does Belichick no favors, per SB Nation.
I wonder how Tom Brady has done without Belichick hmm
Brady’s retired after proving his Patriots Super Bowl success was no fluke, but Belichick is coaching a fractured team. Brady’s successor, Mac Jones, doesn’t sound too happy with the offensive scheme and personnel.
The defense, traditionally a strength on Belichick’s watch is also faltering. New England’s D’ allowed Commanders’ quarterback Sam Howell, playing his first full season as a starter, to convert nine of 17 third downs.
Maintaining success is the hallmark of a great coach. So is developing assistants into effective head coaches.
McDaniels being fired again is the latest indictment of the Belichick coaching tree.
Josh McDaniels Another Victim of Belichick Coaching Tree
McDaniels, also fired by the Denver Broncos in 2010, is the latest Belichick assistant to flounder away from New England. The list is long and unflattering, totaling a win-loss record of 184-268-1, per Associated Press reporter Josh Dubow.
HC records for Bill Belichick’s 7 Patriots assistants:
Bill O’Brien 52-48, .520
Brian Flores 24-25, .490
Eric Mangini 33-47, .413
Josh McDaniels 20-33, .377
Romeo Crennel 32-63, .337
Matt Patricia 13-29-1, .314
Joe Judge 10-23, .303
Total: 184-268-1, .407
(Not counting Daboll…
Long’s verdict on McDaniels helps identify a possible reason: “You certainly can’t walk into a new building and be like, this is about the Patriots.”
Coaches imposing an alleged one-size-fits-all all blueprint onto other teams is never going to work. It didn’t walk for McDaniels. Nor for ex-Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia with the Detroit Lions or special teams coach Joe Judge with the New York Giants.
The fault ultimately traces back to Belichick, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio: “Even when they vow to be their own men, they don’t realize that extended time with Bill Belichick has essentially altered their DNA. They think it’s normal to be that way, a cocktail of arrogance and dismissiveness and asshole-ishness that works only if the team wins, and wins quickly.”
Those are strong words, but the last line is significant. If Belichick was still winning, few would care about his methodology or demeanor.
No coach is safe in the NFL when the losses start to mount, especially when, as Long put it, the old ways aren’t working anymore.
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Patriots News: Chris Long Blasts ‘The Patriot Way’ & Josh McDaniels