At 71, Bill Belichick could have several years left in his coaching career. However, the tick of the clock is getting louder, and this could be his final year in New England.
It’s getting painful to watch the Patriots, who are 26-29 since Tom Brady left town, and not even the most accomplished coach in NFL history can survive a few ugly years. The team Belichick constructed and coaches is 1-3 and headed for a third losing season in four years, barring a miracle turnaround that would need to start Sunday.
If the Patriots lose a home game to the Saints, a team with a feeble coach and weak offense, the buzz about Belichick’s demise will turn into circling buzzards. The situation would go from bad — a 38-3 loss at Dallas a week ago was embarrassing enough — to unbearable.
So while I’m not exactly sure how it will happen, I believe Belichick will find a way to win this one and keep the critics quiet for another week or two. He will need to find a way without two of his top defensive players (linebacker Matthew Judon and cornerback Christian Gonzalez are out with injuries) and with a quarterback who was just benched and is losing confidence.