The 6 Rings Postgame Show: The Patriots were about as sloppy as some might get on New Year's Eve
The Patriots enter the final week of the 2023-2024 campaign a wildly disappointing 4-12. Their offense scores the least points per game in the NFL (14.6), gains the fifth least yards per game (286.1), and for the first time since 2005, New England will finish a season with a negative turnover differential.
With the future of Bill Belichick, Bailey Zappe, Matthew Slater and more very much in question, let's get to yours in this week's mailbag.
A reminder: to stay involved, be sure to keep an eye out for the thread on Twitter @mikekadlick and @WEEI. Don't have Twitter? Email me at michael.kadlick@audacy.com to submit any questions you may have.
For the final time during the Patriots' 2023-24 season: Here we go:
Q: Do the Krafts realize that starting fresh with a GM and coaching staff could be worse than keeping Belichick? New people tend to bring in new schemes, ideas, and players for this.
A: The reset that could potentially unfold next week in Foxborough will be no easy task for Robert and Jonathan Kraft.
If the Patriots decide to move on from Bill Belichick following the season, they're not just getting rid of a head coach. They're getting rid of a general manager, and someone who has his finger prints on the entire football operation at One Patriot Place.
Anything that happens inside the walls of Gillette Stadium, football-wise, is first run by Bill Belichick or someone that's Bill Belichick-adjacent. The scouting department. Player contracts. Social media posts. It all runs through the greatest coach of all time.
Because of this, the Krafts will have plenty of work to do before a new normal is restored in Foxborough. Will it ultimately be worse than keeping him? It's hard to say. But it's certainly not as simple than just firing any old head coach.
Q: If the Patriots move on from Belichick, would they choose a GM first and then a coach? When do you see the answer to any of it happening?
A: It's different in every organization, but often times a general manager is hired first and is tasked with joining the search for a head coach.
These are obviously unprecedented times in New England, so we don't know which direction they'll go. A thought that comes to mind is the method the 49ers used the last time they cleaned house: hiring the GM and head coach at the same time. They did this with John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan and signed them both to contracts of the same length. Then, when it was time to extend the two, they did so together.
For the most part, things have gone according to plan in San Francisco and it may be because their head coach and general manager are seemingly on equal footing. They work together collaboratively and have had success doing so.
That's the model that the Patriots should strive for.
Q: What would you consider a bigger need for the Patriots this off-season, a true No. 1 wide receiver or a high-level starting left tackle?
A: The age old question.
The Patriots are in need of a lot heading into their 2024 season, and two of the biggest are a true No. 1 wide receiver and a franchise-changing left tackle.
But what's more important? In typical, millennial, new-age football fashion, I'm going with the wide receiver.
Now that's not to say that the line doesn't matter. One of the many reasons Mac Jones was ruined in New England is because of the piece-mealed, never consistent offensive line in front of him.
However, I want to look at the Bengals from a few years ago as a prime example. With the fifth overall pick, Cincinnati had a choice of selecting one of WR Ja'Marr Chase and OT Penei Sewell. Both considered generational talents, they went with Chase to pair with franchise quarterback Joe Burrow.
They played in the Super Bowl the following season.
New England needs a Chase-like player to center their offense around. They already have some young pieces on the offensive line as well as Mike Onwenu that they can sign to an extension.
Long story short: Pass-catcher is more important.
Q: What will it take for the Patriots to lose to the Jets in Week 18?
A: The Patriots head into Week 18 holding onto the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. and according to ESPN's FPI, have a 99.9% chance of landing a top-five pick.
The higher the better, of course, which is why with nothing to play for, many hope New England loses their final game to the Jets. So how do they do it?
New York is 6-10 on the year and after a mid-season five-game losing streak, have won two of their last four contests. Their offense has been sub-par (to say the least) ever since losing Aaron Rodgers in their season opener, but the defense continues to play hard and make plays.
With Trevor Siemian at quarterback for the Jets against this lethal Patriots defense, it's hard to think New England will lose. But never say never.
Q: Why do we think Vrabel can fix this team anyway?
A: The idea that Mike Vrabel could return to New England and become the Patriots' next head coach feels like a pipe dream given that he's entrenched in Tennessee and prying him away would be a lateral move for the former NFL Coach of the Year.
When former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi said on his GM Shuffle podcast on Monday that Vrabel's contract expires following the season, that could have changed things. According to Lombardi, however, he misspoke when talking about the situation in Tennessee.
Could the Patriots still wind up with Vrabel? Yes, but it would require a trade with the Titans due to him being under contract.
So why should New England even want him? Similar to Belichick's situation in Foxborough, it's been the front office and personnel that's been the problem in Nashville, not coaching. The Titans fired GM Jon Robinson last season and brought in Ran Carthon. According to multiple reports, Carthon and Vrabel have had a hard time co-existing.
Belichick and Vrabel both need a change of scenery. Why not change places?
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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