Never before has a Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots team struggled as much as the one we've watched in 2023.
The Patriots enter Week 16 of the season with a 3-11 record that puts them in contention to earn a top-two pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. It's a new low for a team that has struggled to find its footing since legendary quarterback Tom Brady's departure in 2020.
Even six Super Bowl titles may not be able to prevent Belichick from losing his job this offseason. Our Tom E. Curran recently reported that owner Robert Kraft made the decision earlier this season to move on from Belichick despite him being under contract for 2024.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
All of this would have been unthinkable just a couple of years ago, but it's the new reality in Foxboro. ESPN's Chris Berman joined Curran on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast to share his take on Belichick and the Patriots' downfall.
🔊 Patriots Talk: Who are the 20 best Patriots on the current roster? | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"It's jarring because he's won 332 games," Berman said. "He forgot more football than all of us combined will ever know. So, it's painful from anyone that watches the game who respects what he and his teams have accomplished and what he stands for, really."
"Nobody thought the offense and Mac Jones would regress like this," he added. "I'm not telling you anything you don't know. But when we finish the year, we'll look back and go, 'Wait a minute, they were 3-11?' Or however it ends up. '4-13? What?' Now, you and I are old enough to remember some Patriots teams who were like that, but that's not the point of the question."
MORE PATRIOTS
Even if Kraft has already made his mind up on Belichick, a difficult conversation awaits the duo at the season's end. Berman shared his thoughts on how that interaction will play out.
"I would be shocked if at least publicly and even privately between them, whenever push comes to shove, that it would be nasty," Berman said. "No way. Messy? No, no way. Difficult? The big picture is difficult because of what he's meant and will always mean, I might add, to the franchise and to the history of football. Like, when people go years from now, 'Bill Belichick coached somewhere other than New England? Really?'"
Also in the episode:
- Who are the 20 best Patriots on the current roster?
- Patriots-Broncos preview
- Full interview with Chris Berman