More than a decade ago, Patriots coach Bill Belichick answered questions about his team’s late-season, late-week tumultuous punting position by saying, “The status is quo.”
It wasn’t the only time in his dynastic tenure in New England that Belichick unleashed this catchy but unenlightening gem.
Translation? It is what it is. (Another verbal epiphany!) Nothing is changing. No news to report.
Whelp, it’s starting to seem like the status might just end up being quo for Belichick’s team at a much more important position these days, the all-important quarterback job in New England.
And honestly, that doesn’t feel like much of a good thing.
It’s been such an exciting, energetic, talent-rich offseason in Patriot Nation with hundreds of millions of dollars spent to bring in potential-filled playmakers on both sides of the ball. And yet the position that owner Robert Kraft admitted recently in Captain Obvious fashion was the most important in football remains exactly how it was left when New England limped into a playoff-free, too-long offseason early last January.
Cam Newton and his 8 TD passes.
Jarrett Stidham and his 0 career NFL starts.
As Han Solo would say, “Good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
Sure, there are still popular mock drafts projecting New England to trade up to the No. 4 overall pick to snag a would-be franchise QB, likely the fourth passer to come off the board come NFL Draft night. But there is a reason they’re called “mock” drafts, because most times that’s exactly what they’re worthy of – mockery.
There’s also still plenty of speculation and perceived posturing that somehow it’ll all theoretically end with Belichick getting back his presumed Tom Brady heir in a trade with the 49ers for soon-to-be-deposed San Francisco starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
Even though the Patriots haven’t been involved in such offseason QB rumor mills in the past thanks to Brady’s unprecedented run of healthy success in Foxborough, we all know that reality often fails to live up to reports, hype and speculation.
Reality right now very well may be closer to what former Patriots assistant and longtime FOBB (Friend of Bill Belichick) Mike Lombardi said this week on his GM Shuffle podcast, where he expressed doubt in the likelihood that New England would trade up in the first round for whichever quarterbacks don’t presumably come off the board in the first three overall selections.
“Obviously, they have to fix the quarterback position,” Lombardi said. “Cam Newton has to play much better. Where are they with Jarrett Stidham and can they trade up? If Mac Jones goes (to the 49ers) three, which is what we all believe to be true, then where does that all fit? That means (with the Falcons at No. 4).
"Do they like Justin Fields? I don’t think so. Do they like Trey Lance? I’m not sure. I don’t know. Just knowing how they operate, I couldn’t imagine they could get either one of Lance and Fields to a high enough point (with a grade in the Patriots scouting system) to justify trading up to get them.”
Not exactly the pre-Draft motivational speech we’re all looking for.
Maybe this is just FOBB smoke being blown. A misdirection run by a guy doing Belichick a solid.
Maybe.
Or maybe Lombardi knows what they heck he’s talking about and is just being honest.
Because as much as Belichick has spent like a Powerball winner this offseason in “uncharacteristically aggressive” fashion, it still feels difficult to imagine the Hoodie paying the price in draft capital – potentially including multiple future first-round picks – to get into the neighborhood of one of the top five QB prospects.
This isn’t to say which approach would be right or wrong.
We all have opinions on that and history will ultimately decide. There’s a scoreboard on the field and another assessing offseason decisions. The two are often directly connected.
Maybe Belichick will surprise us all in the next three weeks and do something he’s never done – never had to do – and make a huge trade up in the draft to take a quarterback prospect.
Maybe.
Or…maybe the QB status really is quo.
Because right now not a lot looks like it’s changing at the quarterback position in Foxborough.
It’s Newton, whose first season was indeed derailed by COVID. It’s Stidham, who bossman Kraft says has never really gotten his shot.
It’s not too exacting.
It’s not what we’ve been talking about and talking up for months.
But it’s probably what we need to accept and prepare for.
While a lot has changed for the Patriots heading toward the 2021 it’s feeling more and more like the QB spot will not.
Belichick’s actions or inactions will soon give us a status update of the quarterback spot.
Unfortunately it’s starting to feel very much like the status is quo.