6 rings: Why Sunday was an organizational failure for the Patriots & Mike Kadlick joins the show
Now that we're just over a quarter into the 2023 Patriots season, it's time for a fresh mailbag! In case you haven't heard, the team's in a bad spot as we enter the midway point in October.
A reminder: to stay involved, make sure to keep an eye out for my mailbag thread on Twitter @mikekadlick and @WEEI. Don't have Twitter? Email me at michael.kadlick@audacy.com to submit any Patriots related questions you may have.
Here goes nothing...
Q: What is happening?!
A: Great question. The Patriots fell to 1-4 on the 2023 season on Sunday after their second consecutive 30-plus-point loss, marking the two worst defeats in the Bill Belichick era. Following the beating, New England said they're 'starting over', and switched up their weekly schedule as they get ready to travel to Las Vegas.
No, they're not going to trade for Kyler Murray and no, I don't see a signing of La'el Collins in the future. I could see a potential benching of Mac Jones and, if things don't improve quickly, a potential parting of ways with Belichick. It's that bad.
Q: Who are some top head coach candidates?
A: If we're of the mindset that this is, indeed, the final season of Bill Belichick's tenure as head coach of the Patriots, then Robert Kraft and co. will have to dip into the vast pool of viable, and available, head coaches across the sport.
Here are 10 names to keep an eye on:
Familiar friends
- Jerod Mayo, New England Patriots linebackers coach
- Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans head coach
- Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas Raiders head coach
Big splash
- Lincoln Riley, USC head coach
- Jim Harbaugh, University of Michigan head coach
- Nick Saban, University of Alabama (lol)
NFL up-and-comers
- Ben Johnson, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator
- Kellen Moore, Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator
- Lou Anarumo, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator
- Eric Bienemy, Washington Commanders assistant head coach & offensive coordinator
Q: Top quarterbacks available in the 2024 NFL Draft?
A: If a new head coach and general manager do end up gracing the hallways of One Patriot Place, then they'll likely want to move on from Mac Jones and bring in their own quarterback to run their offense.
If the season ended today, New England would hold the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, putting them in prime position to land a top-tier quarterback prospect. If you want to watch some football on Saturdays, here are a few to watch:
- Caleb Williams, USC
- Drake Maye, UNC
- Michael Penix, Washington
- Quinn Ewers, Texas
- Bo Nix, Oregon
- Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Q: Can we start the #TankForCalebWilliams trend?
A: Of the above quarterbacks, USC Trojan Caleb Williams is far and away the top dog. The 6-foot-0 signal-caller is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and is already putting up better numbers in 2023. Williams leads the NCAA with 22 touchdown passes, has thrown just one interception, and has also added six scores on the ground. He is already considered by many to be a top-10ish quarterback on the planet.
Having said that, Williams is the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft. There's little to no chance he isn't selected there and if the season ended today, the Patriots would have the fifth overall pick. They may be bad enough to fall all the way to the bottom, but they would have to #TankForCaleb to help themselves guarantee the top spot. I just don't think 'tanking' is in the cards for this (or any) team.
Q: Who should the Patriots trade prior to the trade deadline?
A: If the Patriots sit at 1-7, or even 2-6, at the NFL's trade deadline (Oct. 31), then they'll likely consider selling off some assets for draft capital.
Though they don't have many true 'assets', they have several impact players in a contract year, including:
TE Hunter Henry
OL Mike Onwenu
S Kyle Dugger
LB Josh Uche
If any of the players New England has on expiring contracts aren't in the long-term plans of the team, then they should all be on the table for the right price.
Q: Would it make sense to give QB Will Grier a shot at starting?
A: At this point, why not.
Whether you want to hear it or not, the sky is officially falling in Foxborough. Mac Jones is on his way to being benched, and Bailey Zappe is likely not a much better option at this point.
Will Grier, the Patriots' third-string quarterback, was signed by New England at the end of September as the final act of their signal-caller gymnastics. A former third-round pick, he spent time with the Panthers, Cowboys, and Bengals before landing in Foxborough.
Grier has struggled to hang onto a roster spot given his limited (and poor) performance in two NFL starts, but after posting 305 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns in his preseason finale with Dallas this past August, perhaps he could be the spark the Patriots need to rally through the rest of this campaign.
I don't see it happening, but at this point anything is possible.
Q: Was Matt Patricia as offensive coordinator not so bad after all?
A: Given where the Patriots offense currently ranks in the NFL, this is now officially a fair question:
- 32nd in points-per-game (11.0)
- t31st in turnovers (10)
- 28th in yards-per-play (4.4)
- 26th in yards-play-game (287.4)
(reminder: there are 32 teams in the NFL)
The answer, however, is still no. Matt Patricia's offense had to go. It's the addition of Bill O'Brien as his replacement that should now be called into question.
Patricia probably shouldn't get another opportunity on the offensive side of the football. He thrives coaching defense, and is currently doing so with the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. He's just fine where he is.
Q: Should the Patriots be on the phone with free agent tackle La'el Collins?
A: As I mentioned above, I don't see a signing of La'el Collins in the Patriots future. They already spent their money on OTs (Reiff, Anderson, McDermott), and I don't see them doing it again.
Plus, as bad as New England's unit has been in 2023, you can argue that the most important piece of high-quality offensive line play is consistency. During Sunday's loss to the Saints, the Patriots trotted out their fourth offensive line combination in five games. Eventually, they benched guard Atonio Mafi for Riley Reiff before having to bring him back following an injury to Mike Onwenu.
It's a disaster, and it starts with all of the shuffling that has gone on. Find a line and try and stick to it. The addition of Collins would only muddy the waters of mediocrity.
Q: Is there any hope for this team?
A: This team is in a tough place after just five games. Nothing is clicking, they're spinning their wheels to no avail, and it only looks to be getting worse as the weeks go on.
There have been plenty of questions over the last 24 hours about Bill Belichick's message to his team and if it's getting through to them. While the inquiry is valid, one thing that the veteran head coach always says, that always holds true, is that it's a one-week season in the NFL.
It's easy to say that this team is hopeless and that they have a rough future ahead of them. The hard part is beating the Raiders next Sunday. If they do that, then who knows what happens moving forward.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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