Pigskin Pondering

 It's ending badly, we all know that, but unfortunately, it can't end quickly. At least, not quickly enough.

We're going to have to watch this movie - Tennessee Bill and the Stadium of Doom, inarguably the worst movie in the Tennessee Bill franchise - at least three more times. On network TV, with commercials. Why would I do that to myself? And yet, I know I'm going to watch it again. I'm a mystery to myself.

But I'm not the only mystery here.

It seems the Patriots have become a series of questions without answers. 

Is this the end for Bill Belichick in Foxborough?

It seems crazy. Robert Kraft will fire one of the greatest coaches in the history of football? Yeah. Crazy.

Is it, though?

Look, I'm not going to say something incredibly stupid like "the game has passed him by" and I'm sure wherever he lands (and he will find another gig in about a half a heartbeat) he'll be successful. Assuming he hires Josh McDaniels to be his offensive coordinator, of course.

But the fact is that the opportunity to clean up your own mess ends in childhood. (No, we didn't realize it was an opportunity when we were kids; we thought it was a punishment.) Adults who make a mess get fired and someone else gets hired to clean it up. (It's like when America elects a Democrat after a Republican.) The board of directors never says to the CEO, "Man, you really screwed this up. I bet you know all the problems that need to be fixed because you made all those problems in the first place. Just remember the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. So, stop doing that crazy shit. Now, get back to work!" No. They don't say that. They say, "Here's the $20MM severance package we stupidly agreed to when we hired you so please now just go away!"

Actually, they don't say please.

They say "get out" with a colloquial modifier.

Could Belichick come back? 

I read somewhere that Kraft's decision would come down to how hard the players would play for Belichick in their final four, meaningless games. I find that difficult to believe because (a) the Patriots have been playing hard, just not very well and (b) professional football players play hard for themselves; for their job and their next paycheck.

Business is always about results, not effort or intentions, and the NFL is big business. 

I've always thought the palace intrigue stories about Patriots Place 1, King Robert and Sir William, were overblown, at best. Sure, people who work together for 20+ years will eventually get on each other's nerves. Maybe they never really liked each other; maybe it was always just about business. When things go bad, someone needs to be blamed and that's rarely the King. Whatever the case, it seems obvious to even the most casual observer (me) that the relationship between these two men is not strong enough to continue into the future. The kids are all grown up. No need to keep this sham marriage together any longer.

I do like the trade scenario chatter but I wonder how realistic it is. Not that there wouldn't be willing trade partners and sure, It would be good to get something in return for Belichick, but I wonder if Kraft would sacrifice all the good times for some petty revenge (*cough* Carolina Panthers *cough*) on the man who brought six Lombardi Trophies to Foxborough. It feels like - at least publicly - it will be an amicable divorce.

Perhaps Belichick will bring a napkin to the podium with "I hereby resign as HC of the NEP" scribbled on it.

Do the Patriots have something in Bailey Zappe?

No. 

Zappe is a "rebound" quarterback. A quarterback we can love (briefly and not without conditions) after having our hearts broken by our last quarterback. No matter how many times you tell your girlfriends you think he just might be the one, in your heart you know he isn't. 

He's not Brock Purdy waiting to happen, let alone Tom Brady. 

Should the Patriots blow it up?

Yes.

If you put a gun to my head I might be able to make a case for 3 to 5 players on this roster being worth keeping. Note that I did not call those 3 to 5 players "building blocks" and also remember I have a gun to my head.

The Patriots don't have anyone on the roster I would call a playmaker. The modern NFL is all about explosive plays, not time of possession. It's no longer a game of field position, not when you have a home run hitter who can literally score from anywhere on the field.

I'm not even sure the team has what you might charitably call an identity. They're pretty good on defense but they lack the ability on offense to give that defense a rest, or a special teams unit that consistently gives that defense field position to work with. It's basically uncomplementary football. Maybe they want to be "old school" but they just don't have the players to make that work, either.

So, yeah.

"Blowing it up" may be giving the Patriots more credit for structural integrity than they deserve.

Will I be watching the game next week against the Broncos?

Damn right I will be.

Go Pats!