Future still filled with uncertainty
Belichick mulls options at quarterback, will evaluate overall picture
The New England Patriots entered the 2020 season staring at an uncertain future. They ended it the same way. In their first season following Tom Brady’s departure in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Patriots regressed not just on offense, but across the board.
New England (7-9) finished out of the top spot in the AFC East for the first time in 11 seasons and with a losing record for the first time since Bill Belichick’s inaugural season in 2000.
The decision made by key players to opt out of the season because of concerns about COVID -19 certainly contributed, but the dramatic drop-off after losing Brady underscored the air of invincibility that surrounded a franchise that had been among the AFC’S elite for two decades.
Whether this was a speed bump, or the start of a wholesale rebuild is still to be determined as Belichick and his staff attempt to address many of the same issues they faced a year ago.
In some ways the holes they had on their roster were the result of how aggressive they were over the previous several years, Belichick said.
“Honestly, I don’t know how we could be any more aggressive than we were for the last five years — I’m talking about the ’14 to ’18 period. I’ll throw last year in there, too,” he said. “There’s a residual to that.”
A lot of the spotlight this offseason will again be on the quarterback position.
In what will likely be his lone season in New England, Cam Newton struggled as Brady’s successor.
He ended the season on a high note against the woeful New York Jets. But after throwing for just eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his first season in offensive coordinator Josh Mcdaniels’ system, at age 31 it’s improbable the Patriots would offer him the kind of contract he’ll seek after he played under a one-year, $1.75 million deal in 2020.
Still, Newton called this season “a blessing ” and said he achieved his goal of ending the season healthy following the shoulder and foot surgeries that contributed to him being released by the Carolina Panthers.
“I think that was one of the most frustrating things for me, was that I was healthy but still not getting the results that I was yearning for,” Newton said.
Belichick said he doesn’t have a timeframe on when he’ll decide on what direction he’ll take at quarterback.
“We’ll just look at everything in the offseason,” he said.