For the first time in a long time, the Patriots stink.
After the team’s 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, their record stands at 2-10. The last time the Pats started out a season that poorly was back in 1992, long before Bill Belichick and Tom Brady came to town and won six Super Bowls for the franchise.
Now, the third most winningest coach in NFL history is in the hot seat.
“The cries are getting louder for [Belichick] to get fired,” NBC Sports’ Trenni Casey said Tuesday on Boston Public Radio. “There's only five games remaining, and people now are saying, 'Just let him go.'”
She said there's no place for loyalty in the business, and that owner Robert Kraft should recognize Belichick’s 20-year history with the Pats does not excuse his current performance.
“What has he done the last four? What has he done to the roster?” Casey asked. “... He wants to think that it's still 1992 and you can ground and pound and run the ball, and win with defense. You cannot win that way anymore in the NFL.”
Brian Foisy, a Boston resident and longtime Pats fan, also believes it's time for a change.
“I think Robert Kraft is a smart owner and he’s tired of being embarrassed by his team,” Foisy said. “I hope he wises up and takes the car keys away from Bill Belichick. He masterminded six Super Bowl–winning teams, but he’s clearly lost his touch.”
The team’s poor performances on the field have had lasting effects off the field as well. Ozzy Ahmed, a general manager of the Coolidge Corner Clubhouse in Brookline, said crowds have subsided at his bar since the days of Brady.
"Every Sunday would be packed, like you couldn't get a seat at the bar, everyone's standing here, crowded,” he said. “I wouldn’t say [the same] for this season, definitely. There's open seats at the bar, not a huge crowd for the Patriots. Everyone is kind of dismayed about how the games are going."
The Pats’ current record has the team picking second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. This has some fans clinging on to hope for next season with the Pats in line to potentially get a top college prospect.
For Foisy, though, he said he’ll only get excited about the draft if Belichick is fired.
“I have no faith that if we got a top pick that Bill would draft the right players to improve the team,” he said. “Kraft needs to fire Bill and bring in somebody who can coach a modern, offensive-minded NFL team.”
