I don't want to get too hyperbolic here, but as a Pats fan I feel this is kinda/sorta a make-or-break year for Belichick. Not just because Kraft is making noises about the lack of playoff experiences, but because it's starting to really feel like a big part of Belichick's success involved having Brady as QB.
Yes, it was always a good team, but also yes the fact that they were often able to skimp on offensive skill players because they had Brady
and Brady gave them a relative discount anyway, take a little of the shine off the idea (IMO) that there was something sort of genius-level going on there.
Yes, he's still a very good coach, and at their best some of those Pats teams were relentlessly unstoppable, but I'm more-and-more of the opinion that without Brady it's probably 1-3 SB wins, not 6.
This is probably a shitty hot take, so feel free to cut me down, that's what we're all here for.
