Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston made national headlines this week when he said that conversations he had after the Patriots’ Week 10 loss in Germany made it clear that a decision to move on from Bill Belichick after the season had already been made at that point.
Making his weekly appearance on Jones & Mego with Arcand on Thursday, Curran expanded on that report and weighed in on whether anyone’s mind could be changed between now and the end of the season. Listen to the full interview above.
The first thing Curran clarified is that the decision to part ways wasn’t necessarily made because of the loss to the Colts in Germany, even though Robert Kraft had publicly emphasized the importance of that game to the team.
“The impression I get wasn't that because of a loss in Germany, a decision was suddenly made,” Curran said. “That was the juncture at which I had conversations in that week in the wake of the loss, and where I got the indications of where the team's head was at. So, it took a long time to build to that point, and all the things that informed that decision that had been made at that point weren't just losing to the Commanders and the Raiders and the Colts and throw in any other team – the Cowboys or the Saints. It was drafting. It was the quarterback situation. It's coaching development. It's drafting. Go back around. It's Jakobi Meyers. You name it.”
Curran also said that while the decision to move on from Belichick might not be 100% final, it’s hard to imagine anything changing Kraft’s mind between now and the offseason.
“When I say I don't know that the decision is final, what would it take to change the mind that we're pretty well set on the direction at the end of the season? They'd have to finish with a ridiculous flourish,” Curran said. “And I think, additionally, Bill Belichick would have to present a coaching plan going forward which demonstrates how this rebuild is going to be different from the one that took place in 2021 and 2022. How will you craft it differently? How will you treat this quarterback as opposed to the last quarterback? How much will you yield in terms of your personnel responsibilities?
“Basically, he's down 28-3. The only games that they can possibly win are ones that don't mean anything anymore. We've seen a demonstrated pattern to what's been going on at the end of seasons since 2019. … Despite the win over Pittsburgh, they're doing another faceplant. This was a season-long faceplant. So I just think it would be whipped cream on a turd at this point.”
