The future is now in New England.
Sadly, this isn’t some future-is-now mentality built on a foundational brigade of budding talent. Nope, this isn’t about a team being ahead of schedule on its rebuild to the point where it’s ready to rekindle thoughts of dynasty days gone by.
Unfortunately, the future is now in the sense that the 2023 season is already a lost cause, New England sitting among the six lowly teams in the NFL with one or fewer wins through six games. At 1-5, Bill Belichick’s scuffling squad would have to probably win eight of its final 11 contests – a still-tough schedule that includes the Bills (twice), Dolphins, Chiefs and a total of 8 games against opponents that are currently .500 or better – to even sniff postseason consideration, a tall task for a team that if we’re being honest is playing like one with a realistic chance to lose every time it takes the field.
This Patriots team, like the one before it, isn’t making the playoffs, winning its division or achieving the “contender” status that Robert Kraft articulated as his annual expectation.
For all intents and purposes the meaningful part of the 2023 season is over in New England. The Patriots are playing out the sad string, a nearly three month string.
That isn’t to say it’s time to talk about a full-on tank job. Or time to throw the damn towel.
But, rather, it’s an admission that winning isn’t everything, nor is it the only thing right now.
Decisions can be made, in all aspects of life as well as with fading football teams, with both short and long term considerations in mind. Now that the short term has been rendered essentially meaningless, it’s time for the Patriots to take a longer-term approach with every opportunity.
What exactly might that mean?
Well, let’s start with the wide receiver position. How about giving more chances to the likes of Demario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton and Kayshon Boutte, rather than continuing to trot Devante Parker out onto the field for 75-plus percent of the snaps each game while getting little to no return on that ill-advised investment? Maybe the young guys aren’t ready. Maybe they can’t do much better than Parker and his aging, fading disappointing compadre JuJu Smith-Schuster. But there’s little to lose and maybe, just maybe, plenty to gain from the group of young pass catchers on an offense that needs a spark in the worst way.
Sure Mac Jones is still the most talented quarterback on the Patriots’ roster, for whatever that’s worth. But he’s not good enough to win with very often and he continues to make losing plays. The same plays that could probably come from Bailey Zappe, Malik Cunningham or Will Grier. Are any of the three the QB answer? Nope, but neither is Jones. And maybe Cunningham, for example, opens some eyes with an expanded role that might just be valuable, even if just in a slash sense, down the line.
Or, as the trade deadline approaches, maybe some opportunities to deal will arise. Contending teams could come calling on the services of expiring contracts like that of Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Dugger, Mike Onwenu, Josh Uche or others. That’s not to say there should be some wholesale fire sale, just tossing talent like football flotsam on open sea. But, a team looking toward and building for the future could certainly use as much draft capital as it can accumulate moving forward.
Wednesday morning at Gillette Stadium Belichick was asked about if the 1-5 start changes his philosophy heading toward the trade deadline.
“Right now I’m just thinking about Buffalo,” Belichick said.
And maybe he is. Maybe that’s all he’s capable of at this point. Maybe that’s all he’s even empowered to do.
But somebody, somewhere in the New England organization needs be taking a more honest, productive approach to the reality of the current situation.
The future is now in Foxborough, whether Belichick, Kraft or anyone else wants to admit it or not.
The dangerous, Josh Allen-led Bills are the least of the Patriots problems.
There are much bigger issues at hand.
And figuring out the best path for the franchise to take should be the priority.
Because everything else is just wasting precious time, and there has been more than enough of that already over the last three-plus seasons.
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