New England Patriots, Bill Belichick Heading For Familiar Farewell?

Rarely do coaches and players get to end their careers on great terms. Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots appear to be on that path after a 1-4 start.

For as good as an athlete or coach can be at their peak, they rarely get to exit their respective sport on top.

At some point, Father Time catches up to everyone. Whether it's a once-elite quarterback not having the arm strength they used to have, a running back or receiver losing a step, or a coach not being able to give his team the same advantages they used to have every week, football waits for no one.

Rarely do coaches like Bill Cowher and Bill Walsh or players like Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis get to retire after winning a Super Bowl and exit the sport on top. 

The possibility that Bill Belichick may not end his tenure as the New England Patriots (1-4) head coach atop the football world or on his terms appears more likely than ever after their 34-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints (3-2) on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Is Bill Belichick's Hall of Fame career with the Patriots coming to an end?

Between Sunday's debacle against the Saints and a 38-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys (3-2) on Oct. 1, the Patriots have been outscored 72-3 in their last two games. What makes matters worse is there's no clear solution to New England's problems. 

Quarterback Mac Jones has been benched in back-to-back games and has thrown four interceptions, including two pick-sixes and no touchdowns over the last two games. The Patriots' best pass rusher, Matthew Judon, is out for an extended period of time with a lower biceps tendon tear in his right arm, while rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez is out for the season with a torn labrum that came as a result of a dislocated right shoulder.

Unless New England can magically fix a broken offense or the defense markedly improves once it gets healthy, struggles may continue before things get better. 

New England is easily in the most precarious position compared to the other teams in the AFC East. The Miami Dolphins (4-1) and Buffalo Bills (3-2) are two of the best teams in the AFC, while the New York Jets (2-3) at least have some hope to cling to with their defense and weapons on offense. Where the Patriots stand now is a far cry from their run when they won the AFC East in 16 out of 17 seasons from 2003 to 2019. 

Since 2020, the Patriots are 26-30 and have only made one playoff appearance. 

For much of his tenure as New England's head coach, Belichick appeared capable of making things work no matter who he had at his disposal. Now, those days appear to be in the rearview mirror.

There's no disputing Belichick's impact on the Patriots' franchise as their head coach. He's gone 263-112 across 24 seasons and made nine appearances in the Super Bowl, winning six, the most ever for an NFL head coach. He also drafted Tom Brady, who was there with him every step of the way before leaving after the 2019 season and is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.

But as is the case for many of the sports' best, Belichick may be heading for an unceremonious exit. He's far from the only head coach to be exiting far from the pinnacle of his career. 

Tom Landry was the Dallas Cowboys head coach for 29 seasons, going 297-185-8, winning two Super Bowls (1971 and 1977) and got fired after finishing under .500 for a third straight season. Mike Shanahan was the Denver Broncos head coach for 14 seasons and went 138-86, including winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998, but was fired by the franchise after the 2008 season.

Tom Coughlan coached the New York Giants to the biggest upset in Super Bowl history when they beat New England in 2007. Coughlan and New York also triumphed over Belichick and the Patriots in 2011. The longtime Giants' head coach was essentially forced to retire as opposed to being fired after the 2015 season when New York finished under .500 for a third consecutive season.

Belichick deserves to go out on his terms, but most prominent coaches haven't been afforded that luxury at the end of their careers. Now, after the Patriots' most recent struggles, it seem more possible than may be closer than ever to being added to that list.

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