Patriots Bill Belichick Back Next Season? Coach Talks Future After Bills Loss
FOXBORO — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is on to 2023.
The morning after New England’s season-ending 35-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium, the 70-year old ‘HC of the NEP’ confirmed that he plans on coaching the Patriots next season, stating that he has “every intention” of returning for his 24th season at the helm in New England.
“Our record is right around .500, which is kind of what it’s been all year,” Belichick said Monday morning via video conference. “But, nobody’s satisfied with that. That’s not our goal. We need to improve on it. Accountability everywhere, starting with me, coaching staff, players, each unit. All things that we will address, and that process will start probably later today.”
Belichick’s prowess as an NFL head coach requires no embellishment. His enshrinement in Canton became a mere formality long ago by navigating a two-plus decade run of success, the likes of which may never be seen again. He is not only the longest-tenured coach in the NFL, but also the NFL’s second-oldest head coach, trailing only Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks.
In October, he moved past former Chicago Bears head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer George Halas into sole possession of second place among all NFL coaches, continuing his pursuit of the record of 347 total wins held by Don Shula. Belichick is also tied [with Shula] for first all-time among NFL head coaches, having led the Patriots to 19 playoff appearances.
Still, the harsh reality is that the Patriots are once again on the outside of the AFC playoff picture. Having finished the season 8-9, losing three of their final four games for the second consecutive year, the Pats have struggled during a time of the season in which they were nearly unbeatable in seasons’ past. Since their victory in Super Bowl LIII to close out the 2018 season, New England has failed to qualify for the playoffs twice. For the two seasons in which they did make the playoffs, they were quickly ousted in the Wild Card round.
As such, the Patriots’ postseason evaluation process is now set to begin. Belichick, in conjunction with his coaches, players and team owner Robert Kraft, will discuss the current state of the team, as well as devising a strategy to move forward into 2023.
While that process is expected to include coaching changes, Belichick would not confirm that any such plans are currently on his radar. The installation of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge as leaders of offensive coaching staff was largely unsuccessful. In fact, New England’s woeful offense often derailed a stellar showing from their defense. The Patriots were also uncharacteristically ill-prepared and careless in their execution on special teams, causing some to believe that coordinator Cam Achord may be on the hot seat.
Rather than bring attention to anyone individually, Belichick instead stressed the need for accountability as the catalyst for improvement. With the ending of the season leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of all who reside in Patriots Nation, the Pats head coach sounds like he will waste no time in getting to work.
“As we do every year, we’ll evaluate everything and try to make the best decisions that we can to move forward and be more competitive, to have a stronger team in the future,” Belichick said. “Robert [Kraft] and I will talk about that, we’ll talk about that as a staff, and certainly individual conversations with many of the players, as we always do. All the players, starting today.”
When asked if he felt a greater sense of urgency to deliver marked improvement, Belichick appeared to remain confident in his approach, while acknowledging that time is also of the essence.
“I don’t see the process being any different (this year),” Belichick said. ““There are some that are obviously more urgent or will be more timely than others, but it will be a comprehensive course of action, as it always is …
But we need to have better results, and that’s really the bottom line. That’s really where we are for today.”
Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL and Listen/Subscribe to his daily podcast: Locked On Patriots
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