Is Belichick's Bare Cupboard Setting Up Patriots' Mayo for Failure?

After 24 years of Bill Belichick being at the helm, the New England Patriots are set to kick off the Jerod Mayo era with a rebuild.

As the New England Patriots embark on a new era with new coach Jerod May replacing Bill Belichick after 24 years and currently looking to build his coaching staff, we are anxious to see how this will all work out.

But with the Patriots void of any Pro Bowl players for the first time since 2000 and nary a candidate for the NFL Honors awards show on Feb. 8, it will likely be a slow build.

In sports, specifically coaching, there has been a saying about never wanting to be the guy who replaces "the guy." For example, that was a big talking point when Alabama sought to find its replacement for Nick Saban this offseason. Many truly believed that Saban's legacy at Alabama, winning six national championships, created too high a standard for any coach to want to follow. 

However, interestingly, that was seemingly never a discussion when the Patriots were replacing Belichick. But why? After all, Belichick found similar success in his 24 years with the Patriots as Saban did in his 17 in Tuscaloosa.

Unlike Saban, Belichick's departure seemingly came at the low point of his tenure, as the Patriots went 3-14 in his final season after making the postseason just once since legendary quarterback Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This goes hand in hand with the potential idea that Belichick, the architect of the nearly two-decade-long dynasty, has left the cupboard bare in New England.

New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo (left), Bill Belichick (middle), and team owner Robert Kraft (right) / Clutchpoints

While yes, the Patriots horrendous 3-14 season has done them some favors in the sense of landing them the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft, to go along with having over $60 million in cap space, it doesn't feel like Mayo and co., are in for a quick fix. 

Offensively, the Patriots have so many holes on their roster. The biggest being at quarterback, as they look to move on from former first-round pick Mac Jones. 

Yet, the quarterback position hasn't been the only thing that has held the Patriots back in recent years, as they've even failed to replace the likes of Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski in terms of finding suitable playmakers. 

Not to mention, the makeshift offensive line from last season could need as many as three new starting-caliber players depending on the decision of David Andrews, who was seemingly mulling over retirement. While Trent Brown and Michael Onwenu enter free agency this offseason. 

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The one bright spot, though, for Mayo is that he'll be inheriting a defense that shouldn't require the same type of retooling as the offense, but more just needs to be managed in terms of contracts. 

This isn't to say that the task that Mayo faces in restocking the Patriots' cupboard is too much, but it is to say that hitting on his draft picks and burning cash on the right players in free agency will be essential to his success.

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