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Watching the Patriots limp into the playoffs... I know most of us “don’t give a crap about the Patriots“... but it will be an interesting storyline this offseason.
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View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786204-patriots-2020-nfl-insiders-on-the-future-of-a-seemingly-undying-dynasty
Patriots 2020: NFL Insiders on the Future of a Seemingly Undying Dynasty
The question is simple enough: What will the Patriots look like in 2020?
This upcoming season will be the team's 18th straight as the NFL's dominating force. Eighteen. Think about that. It puts the shelf life of any other NFL dynasty to shame. And the 18th year figures to be more of the same, with Bill Belichickand Tom Brady—the coach and quarterback whose convergence began this run—still in place, still performing at the top of their games.
But what about the 20th?
What does the future hold for a team most of us can't remember as anything but great?
With Brady turning 41 years old this summer and Belichick now 66, and with palace intrigue over their futures and relationship rampant, now is the time to ask.
Bleacher Report did just that, surveying more than a dozen NFL coaches, execs, scouts, players, former Patriots and current staff members.
What are they expecting?
Do they offer visions of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels ascending to Belichick's throne and leading the next generation to glory?
Theories on the type of quarterback the team might groom to replace Brady? Predictions of the team rallying around the likes of Rob Gronkowski or new first-round running back Sony Michel or some other youngster?
No. To a man, they talked about two men and two men only.
The insiders B/R spoke to see—or fear—the same two men defining the Patriots in 2020 who have defined them since 2001.
"I hope Bill and Tom are gone by then," one AFC head coach said, laughing. "The rest of us would like a chance too."
That pretty much sums it up.
Tom Brady
The Patriots were an up-and-coming team before Jets linebacker Mo Lewis laid a vicious hit on quarterback Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and paved the way for second-year quarterback Tom Brady to become GOAT Tom Brady.
Nearly 20 years later, we all just accept that Brady's talent and ability will make everyone around him better and be the catalyst for the team's success.
At least for now.
Talk persists around the league that Brady is closer to retiring than ever. Sources close to his small circle of advisers told B/R they could see him riding off into the sunset if the Patriots win another Super Bowl this coming season.
One of those sources said, "You hear him talk, and you watch the Facebook series [Tom vs Time], and it seriously sounds like a guy who is searching for motivation."
Others see it differently.
"How long did he say he wants to play?" one Patriots staffer asked rhetorically when surveyed for this story. (Answer: 45 years old.) "OK, so he'll probably play until he's 45.
"I wouldn't doubt him. This is a guy who has defied every odd to become the greatest football player of all time. If he says 45, I believe him."
An AFC vice president of player personnel agreed, saying, "I think Brady plays until 45 and Bill is coaching right alongside him."
Even the source close to Brady who questioned the endurance of his motivation did so with a caveat, pointing out that the recent turmoil that's gotten the Patriots' core in the press could in fact be just what is needed. "Maybe the rift with Belichick and his trainer [Alex Guerrero] will be enough to fuel him for a longer run," he said.
So maybe he'll stay; maybe he'll go. Where does that leave the 2020 Pats?
The reality is you can't talk about them without talking about Brady. With him, they're a perennial Super Bowl favorite. Without him, they aren't even a competitor.
"Take Brady off that roster and they don't beat the Browns. I'm not joking," one rival scout said. "That's one of the worst rosters in the entire NFL, but you never hear about it because Brady is so f--king good."
That being the case, identifying the next starting quarterback would seem like priority No. 1 for Belichick and his cohorts, chief analyst Ernie Adams and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Jimmy Garoppolo looked like the heir apparent but was traded to the 49ers for nickels on the dollar in a rare bad move by the front office. Even third-stringer Jacoby Brissett looked solid in Indianapolis last season after being traded to the Colts and filling in for an injured Andrew Luck.
Many, myself included, expected the team to fill the void by running up the board at the loaded 2018 draft and getting a quarterback, but they stayed quiet with two first-round picks, adding pieces to complement Brady and leaving Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling as the QBs on the roster behind him.
That doesn't inspire much hope for the future.
Does Belichick know something we don't? He usually does.
Bill Belichick
In talking to sources for this story, there are two schools of thought on Belichick as far as 2020 goes:
1. He doesn't care about 2020 because he'll be retired by then.
2. He knows Brady will still be playing in 2020, so he's not panicking.
So either Belichick isn't worried about a post-Brady future he won't be a part of or he's trying to load up to win one more ring with Brady before he worries about a post-Brady future.
Either way, the moves he made in the recent past don't point to someone trying to build a lasting roster—whether it be mortgaging the 2017 draft (the team had only four picks; two are still on the roster) or focusing the 2018 draft class on plugging holes around Brady, taking a tackle and running back in the first round.
Not one source would go on record talking with specific knowledge of Belichick's plans, but there is a line of thought that suggests Belichick's thinking wasn't always as Brady-dependent.
One director of player personnel, who's plugged in across the league, explained: "Listen, [Belichick] was set up for another 15-year run [with Garoppolo], and [owner Robert Kraft] made him trade him away to keep Brady happy. You know that's eating at him. He had played this beautifully, and now he gets to watch his guy become the next great young quarterback somewhere else."
The general feeling is that Kraft is determined that Brady retire as a Patriot. Rumors emerged near the trade deadline last season that Belichick would have preferred to move Brady either through a trade or by releasing him after the season in an effort to keep Garoppolo. One source even suggested 49ers general manager John Lynch's phone call to the Patriots about a quarterback wasn't for Garoppolo, but for the all-time great. Many scouts, coaches and NFL front-office members believe this to be true. (The Patriots declined Bleacher Report's request for an interview when asked to speak on the record for this story.)
If this rumor is or was floating around Foxborough, can Brady and Belichick coexist long enough to win one more championship or even still both be going strong in 2020?
"You're talking about the most competitive quarterback to play the game and probably the smartest coach," one member of an opposing front office said. "Yeah, I think they'll be OK."
Ultimately, no one interviewed for this story believes a breakup is coming. Belichick is too professional, too smart, too savvy. Brady is too loyal, too competitive, too aware of his legacy. The two centerpieces of the Patriots dynasty might not take family vacations together, but when it's time to go to work, they'll be able to compartmentalize any issues and attack the task at hand. That's why so many football fans can't remember a time when the Patriots weren't a 10-plus-win team.
"This is just my theory, but it makes a lot of sense," a former Patriots player said. "They both want to walk away with seven rings (as Patriots). That'd be the most for any franchise ever, and they woulda done it together. Only two away."
One NFC player personnel director said, "They're like Freddy Krueger, man; they'll just keep coming back and winning."
Brady-Belichick
When asked about the Patriots in 2020, this is the point they all come to. One after the other.
It's impossible to imagine what the Patriots would be with McDaniels or Michel or Gronk or some post-Brady QB as their centerpieces, because Brady and Belichick are the Patriots.
In the past 17 years, they've combined for no losing seasons, five Super Bowl wins (the most of any head coach and quarterback duo in league history), three Super Bowl losses and a perfect regular-season record.
Whatever comes next will be completely different—and undoubtedly much worse.
"We'd all love for them to have this big breakup and start sucking," the opposing front-office member said. "But as long as those two mf'ers are on that team, they're going to be the best."
A rival scout added, "They're going in reverse, but when you have the best QB and best coach ever, people don't see that, because Tom and Bill are good enough to make a Super Bowl every year by themselves."
The AFC vice president of player personnel said, "I can't imagine this league without them."
Can't imagine the league without them, and certainly can't imagine the Patriots.
———
View: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786204-patriots-2020-nfl-insiders-on-the-future-of-a-seemingly-undying-dynasty
Patriots 2020: NFL Insiders on the Future of a Seemingly Undying Dynasty
The question is simple enough: What will the Patriots look like in 2020?
This upcoming season will be the team's 18th straight as the NFL's dominating force. Eighteen. Think about that. It puts the shelf life of any other NFL dynasty to shame. And the 18th year figures to be more of the same, with Bill Belichickand Tom Brady—the coach and quarterback whose convergence began this run—still in place, still performing at the top of their games.
But what about the 20th?
What does the future hold for a team most of us can't remember as anything but great?
With Brady turning 41 years old this summer and Belichick now 66, and with palace intrigue over their futures and relationship rampant, now is the time to ask.
Bleacher Report did just that, surveying more than a dozen NFL coaches, execs, scouts, players, former Patriots and current staff members.
What are they expecting?
Do they offer visions of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels ascending to Belichick's throne and leading the next generation to glory?
Theories on the type of quarterback the team might groom to replace Brady? Predictions of the team rallying around the likes of Rob Gronkowski or new first-round running back Sony Michel or some other youngster?
No. To a man, they talked about two men and two men only.
The insiders B/R spoke to see—or fear—the same two men defining the Patriots in 2020 who have defined them since 2001.
"I hope Bill and Tom are gone by then," one AFC head coach said, laughing. "The rest of us would like a chance too."
That pretty much sums it up.
Tom Brady
The Patriots were an up-and-coming team before Jets linebacker Mo Lewis laid a vicious hit on quarterback Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and paved the way for second-year quarterback Tom Brady to become GOAT Tom Brady.
Nearly 20 years later, we all just accept that Brady's talent and ability will make everyone around him better and be the catalyst for the team's success.
At least for now.
Talk persists around the league that Brady is closer to retiring than ever. Sources close to his small circle of advisers told B/R they could see him riding off into the sunset if the Patriots win another Super Bowl this coming season.
One of those sources said, "You hear him talk, and you watch the Facebook series [Tom vs Time], and it seriously sounds like a guy who is searching for motivation."
Others see it differently.
"How long did he say he wants to play?" one Patriots staffer asked rhetorically when surveyed for this story. (Answer: 45 years old.) "OK, so he'll probably play until he's 45.
"I wouldn't doubt him. This is a guy who has defied every odd to become the greatest football player of all time. If he says 45, I believe him."
An AFC vice president of player personnel agreed, saying, "I think Brady plays until 45 and Bill is coaching right alongside him."
Even the source close to Brady who questioned the endurance of his motivation did so with a caveat, pointing out that the recent turmoil that's gotten the Patriots' core in the press could in fact be just what is needed. "Maybe the rift with Belichick and his trainer [Alex Guerrero] will be enough to fuel him for a longer run," he said.
So maybe he'll stay; maybe he'll go. Where does that leave the 2020 Pats?
The reality is you can't talk about them without talking about Brady. With him, they're a perennial Super Bowl favorite. Without him, they aren't even a competitor.
"Take Brady off that roster and they don't beat the Browns. I'm not joking," one rival scout said. "That's one of the worst rosters in the entire NFL, but you never hear about it because Brady is so f--king good."
That being the case, identifying the next starting quarterback would seem like priority No. 1 for Belichick and his cohorts, chief analyst Ernie Adams and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Jimmy Garoppolo looked like the heir apparent but was traded to the 49ers for nickels on the dollar in a rare bad move by the front office. Even third-stringer Jacoby Brissett looked solid in Indianapolis last season after being traded to the Colts and filling in for an injured Andrew Luck.
Many, myself included, expected the team to fill the void by running up the board at the loaded 2018 draft and getting a quarterback, but they stayed quiet with two first-round picks, adding pieces to complement Brady and leaving Brian Hoyer and Danny Etling as the QBs on the roster behind him.
That doesn't inspire much hope for the future.
Does Belichick know something we don't? He usually does.
Bill Belichick
In talking to sources for this story, there are two schools of thought on Belichick as far as 2020 goes:
1. He doesn't care about 2020 because he'll be retired by then.
2. He knows Brady will still be playing in 2020, so he's not panicking.
So either Belichick isn't worried about a post-Brady future he won't be a part of or he's trying to load up to win one more ring with Brady before he worries about a post-Brady future.
Either way, the moves he made in the recent past don't point to someone trying to build a lasting roster—whether it be mortgaging the 2017 draft (the team had only four picks; two are still on the roster) or focusing the 2018 draft class on plugging holes around Brady, taking a tackle and running back in the first round.
Not one source would go on record talking with specific knowledge of Belichick's plans, but there is a line of thought that suggests Belichick's thinking wasn't always as Brady-dependent.
One director of player personnel, who's plugged in across the league, explained: "Listen, [Belichick] was set up for another 15-year run [with Garoppolo], and [owner Robert Kraft] made him trade him away to keep Brady happy. You know that's eating at him. He had played this beautifully, and now he gets to watch his guy become the next great young quarterback somewhere else."
The general feeling is that Kraft is determined that Brady retire as a Patriot. Rumors emerged near the trade deadline last season that Belichick would have preferred to move Brady either through a trade or by releasing him after the season in an effort to keep Garoppolo. One source even suggested 49ers general manager John Lynch's phone call to the Patriots about a quarterback wasn't for Garoppolo, but for the all-time great. Many scouts, coaches and NFL front-office members believe this to be true. (The Patriots declined Bleacher Report's request for an interview when asked to speak on the record for this story.)
If this rumor is or was floating around Foxborough, can Brady and Belichick coexist long enough to win one more championship or even still both be going strong in 2020?
"You're talking about the most competitive quarterback to play the game and probably the smartest coach," one member of an opposing front office said. "Yeah, I think they'll be OK."
Ultimately, no one interviewed for this story believes a breakup is coming. Belichick is too professional, too smart, too savvy. Brady is too loyal, too competitive, too aware of his legacy. The two centerpieces of the Patriots dynasty might not take family vacations together, but when it's time to go to work, they'll be able to compartmentalize any issues and attack the task at hand. That's why so many football fans can't remember a time when the Patriots weren't a 10-plus-win team.
"This is just my theory, but it makes a lot of sense," a former Patriots player said. "They both want to walk away with seven rings (as Patriots). That'd be the most for any franchise ever, and they woulda done it together. Only two away."
One NFC player personnel director said, "They're like Freddy Krueger, man; they'll just keep coming back and winning."
Brady-Belichick
When asked about the Patriots in 2020, this is the point they all come to. One after the other.
It's impossible to imagine what the Patriots would be with McDaniels or Michel or Gronk or some post-Brady QB as their centerpieces, because Brady and Belichick are the Patriots.
In the past 17 years, they've combined for no losing seasons, five Super Bowl wins (the most of any head coach and quarterback duo in league history), three Super Bowl losses and a perfect regular-season record.
Whatever comes next will be completely different—and undoubtedly much worse.
"We'd all love for them to have this big breakup and start sucking," the opposing front-office member said. "But as long as those two mf'ers are on that team, they're going to be the best."
A rival scout added, "They're going in reverse, but when you have the best QB and best coach ever, people don't see that, because Tom and Bill are good enough to make a Super Bowl every year by themselves."
The AFC vice president of player personnel said, "I can't imagine this league without them."
Can't imagine the league without them, and certainly can't imagine the Patriots.
