For the past three or four days the talk of Beantown has been: Why didn’t Bill Belichick , Robert Kraft and The New England Patriots try harder to keep Josh McDaniels ? The reason for all this chit-chat is a well thought out succession piece by NBCSports Bostons Tom E Curran. Curran wrote eloquently about who might be next. Patricia – Mayo – Flo – O’Brien ? But why it isn’t Josh is clearly evident at least to this writer.
One Trick Pony
That’s what Josh McDaniels is, A one trick pony. An Earhart – Perkins pony. Bill Belichick is like a Russian submarine captain. He doesn’t take a dump without a plan son. And Belichick’s plan is a bastardised Shanahan – McVay system. For better or worse this is the direction Bill has chosen to take this team. and is a one trick pony like McDaniels the right man to do it ? we will never know. What Bill did know is that Matt Patricia had a year to get acclimated to this new system. A year behind the scenes as (Insert title here) to study and get ready for this change. I reached this conclusion yesterday talking with Matt Chatham yesterday on (One Patriots Place)
The New World
That’s what this system is: A New World. I don’t believe and I don’t think Bill believes that Josh was the first mate he needed on this voyage. Bill looked at the offence he had been running for twenty years and thought we had become too predictable. We need to evolve. With Tom here that wasn’t the case. But Tom is gone, And Mac Jones is not Tom Brady and never will be. When Cortez came to the new world 1519 he came with 600 men. The first thing he did ? He burned his ships. Sending a clear message to the 600 that there was only one way to go. Forward. There was no going back. Everyone in this town has looked back ,Even myself. If Josh was still here there was a clearer way back. There would be a first mate who admittingly knows only one way to sail a ship. The way he had for his entire career.
When McDaniels left he took with him a plethora of Patriots staff, a staff that would be riding the same winds he had sailed. Bill is riding very different winds. With a crew that isn’t looking back.