Over the last two decades the Patriots have a 80.2% win percentage, but ever since Tom Brady has left there has been a noticeable step down as any team would losing their greatest QB in franchise history.
Everybody knows this about the Patriots, but what some might overlook is the amount of coaching changes that have happened since Brady's departure as well. At the end of last season, Josh McDaniels left for the head coaching position in Las Vegas, long time offensive-line guru Dante Scarnecchia retired for the second time two years ago and his predecessor Carmen Bricillo followed McDaniels last year. Running Backs coach Ivan Fears retired at the end of last season as well, bringing the only offensive coaches to stay put on the roster to Wide Receivers coach Troy Brown and Head Coach Bill Belichick.
That's a lot of turnover for any team, but especially a team with it's franchise QB entering his second season in Mac Jones. A QB's second season is the time when you are supposed to see the most growth, due to a full offseason of getting familiar with the system and the team adding weapons around him.
The Patriots did neither of those things for young Mac.
With the exception of Devante Parker, the offense has only lost players as key guards Ted Karras and Shaq Mason moved on and were replaced by players barely half their caliber.
Four weeks into training camp and the offensive line is by far the biggest hole in this entire team. What once used to be a model group of consistency and great technique, has turned into 3 players under 25 who are unproven, a 380-pound tackle who only shows up when he feels like it, and David Andrews who is as reliable as they come at Center but has injury problems over the last several years.
The Patriots are fresh off of a 23-6 loss to the Raiders, which doesn't seem bad because it was pre-season, but the eye test didn't help the Pats either. They got whooped by a team clearly better than them, which is a problem seeing as three of the Raiders most prominent coaches were Patriots last season.
In two weeks time they battle the Dolphins in their opening game and the team will need to do something to right the ship. These struggles are seemingly very dangerous however the Patriots have a knack of turning this thing around by midseason and finishing the year out strong which is what will probably happen in this case. Now you just have to hope they start the year on such a note that they can still make the playoffs in their division.
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-Z.D.