Kelley: Ten Fair Criticisms of the 2024 New England Patriots

The New England Patriots lost their tenth game of the season in Week 13, falling to 3-10. New England made many moves since their 2023 season ended, but to date, those moves have not resulted in better results on the field. Nobody should have expected things to turn around dramatically in one year. For the first time in a quarter century, new people are running the show in the front office and on the field in Foxboro. Turning around an NFL franchise can take time.

Even for patient Patriots fans, the team’s performance has been discouraging. New England had no control over key players being unavailable. Any team would suffer from losing key players like Christian Barmore, Ja’Whaun Bentley, David Andrews, and Jabrill Peppers. The Patriots were not a team with a large margin for error, making those losses harder for them than for others. However, injury issues don’t take the franchise off the hook for the lack of excitement around the team this season.

Not every criticism of the team is fair. Had Bill Belichick remained in charge, the Patriots wouldn’t magically be 10-3 instead of 3-10. But not everything that has gone poorly for the Patriots in 2024 is easily defensible. There will be growing pains with staff and players, yet some issues were easy to foresee and somehow still missed.

Also Read – Identifying the Core New England Patriots Players Moving Forward

It is easy to point out everything a team should have done after the fact. It’s why the saying, “hindsight is 20/20” exists. But there are criticisms of the Patriots organization in the aftermath of the Bill Belichick firing that seemed obvious in real-time, only to be confirmed in hindsight. Here are ten of them:

1. “The Dynasty” Docuseries

“The Dynasty” was an absolute disaster in so many ways. For a franchise concerned with public perception, it is difficult to fathom how they thought this would be well received. It took the most successful 20-year run in professional football history and turned it into a tragedy.

As it relates to the 2024 New England Patriots, it contributed to losing goodwill with the fanbase. Even the vast majority of fans who believed it was time to move on from Bill Belichick after 2023 thought he was treated unfairly in the docuseries. The impression was that Robert Kraft, and therefore the franchise, were behind it.

When Jerod Mayo became the Patriots head coach, he said one thing he did not want in the locker room was finger-pointers. However, “The Dynasty” and the subsequent lack of moves in the organization outside of removing Bill Belichick, made the man he was sitting next to at the time look like the finger-pointer when it came to any failure the team experienced over a triumphant 20-year run.

2. Interviews for Job Openings

Jerod Mayo was named as Bill Belichick’s successor as the New England Patriots head coach almost immediately. The team interviewed nobody else. This was a mistake.

To be clear, I have no issues with the hiring of Mayo. But why wouldn’t New England take advantage of the opportunity to interview other candidates? Pick the brains of people outside of the organization for different perspectives. Maybe find out how others perceive what is lacking in the Patriots organization.

Not gauging the interest of potential coaching candidates like Jim Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, and Brian Flores was a mistake. This is true even if Jerod Mayo would get the job regardless. It was a lost opportunity for the franchise to do its due diligence, pick up information, and let the fandom know it had considered all options before opting for Mayo.

Similar arguments can be made for their hiring of a “general manager” in Eliot Wolf and defense coordinator DeMarcus Covington. Although some interviews were held for these positions, they stayed in-house for both jobs. Interviewing people with experience in those roles would have made the final decision seem like a first choice instead of a foregone one.

3. Setting the Expectations for 2024

To his credit, Jerod Mayo admitted saying the New England Patriots would “burn some cash” in free agency was a rookie mistake. Not only did the team not spend, they only made one substantial outside free-agent offer, which was not accepted. It went to wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

The Patriots spent money to retain their free agents and extend core players eligible for extensions. That strategy is fine. For an organization that wanted to keep the media well-informed of its intentions, it was strange not to do a better job setting up expectations.

“Our primary concern this offseason will be to retain our key free agents and extend core players before they have a chance to hit free agency in the future,” somebody could have said. “Of course, we will explore every avenue to improve our football team. But in terms of outside free agents, we don’t view many outside free agent options as worthy of breaking the bank for in this year’s free agent class. We’ll explore all trade options, too. But we’d rather roll over money or use it for extensions than spend it unwisely just to say we spent money.”

Publically acknowledging that there are several people in new, important roles this season who need time would have been wise as well. Bill Belichick was fired in part for his failure to win a postseason game since 2018 or make the playoffs since 2021. That gave the impression that Robert Kraft made the change, with getting back to the playoffs and winning postseason games as the goal for the new staff. And while it is long-term, it was not in 2024. Conveying this would have been to their benefit.

4. Worrying About the Media

I’ve lived in the Boston sports market for decades. One constant reality is that winning reigns supreme. If teams are bad, the media will not be kind. They aren’t always kind when things are going well, for that matter. Robert Kraft has been around a lot longer than I have. It seems he would have known this.

But the 2024 New England Patriots wanted to be more media-friendly. They even held a “social hour” for media members to talk to the new coaching staff off-the-record in a relaxed environment. Eliot Wolf stated there will be less of a “hard-ass vibe” around the building. This was done to win favor with the media and also separate themselves further from the Bill Belichick Era.

This might have bought the team more leeway from some media members, but it didn’t move the fanbase. If anything, it had the opposite effect. It made many fans more skeptical of those who were not more critical of the team’s struggles.

The best way to win over media and fans is by being honest about where things stand and work towards putting a quality product on the field. Some talk show hosts wanted Belichick fired and Tom Brady replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo after losing to Kansas City 41-14 in Week 4 of the 2014 season. The Patriots won the Super Bowl that season and again two and four years later. Three Super Bowls in five years beats a happy hour when it comes to winning over the media and the masses.

5. Strategy in Free Agency

New England’s free agency strategy was focused on keeping key Patriots players. They did a good job of this by retaining Mike Onwenu, Kyle Dugger, Hunter Henry, Anfernee Jennings, and Kendrick Bourne, among others. The team took some heat for bringing back and extending so many players from their 4-13 team in 2023. Retaining these players was not the issue, however. What New England did outside of those in-house moves was.

The outside free agents signed by Eliot Wolf were largely a collection of castoffs. They added QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Antonio Gibson, WR K.J. Osborn, TE Austin Hooper, TE Mitchell Wilcox, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, OL Nick Leverett, DL Armon Watts, ED Oshane Ximes, LB Sione Taktaki, S Jaylinn Hawkins, and PK Joey Slye.

None of those signings were bad on their own. None moved the needle much, either. After the head coach goes on the radio to proclaim the team is ready to burn some cash, the crop of new players should generate more excitement than that crop. They needed starting left tackle candidates. They needed a legit difference-maker at wide receiver. New England needed to improve their pass rush and boost their cornerback unit. They did none of these things.

6. NFL Draft Strategy

First, let me compliment the Patriots by selecting Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was the top-ranked player on my draft board. Would New England have drafted him if they selected higher? Possibly not, but they seemed to have hit a home run in Round 1.

Beyond the first round, Eliot Wolf’s draft strategy largely confused me. However, I did agree with Day 3 gambles on players with potential upside like QB Joe Milton III and TE Jaheim Bell.

They went with a wide receiver in Round 2, though clearly they had a higher grade on Ja’Lynn Polk than I did. Furthermore, the many mock drafts I performed showed the overall value for the Patriots was higher by addressing offensive tackle in Round 2 and wide receiver in Round 3. New England did the opposite. It left them with right tackle Caedan Wallace in the third round.

The Patriots used only one of their eight picks on a defensive player, taking cornerback Marcellas Dial Jr. in Round 6. Ignoring defensive ends, or anybody else that could provide pass-rush help, was a mistake from this perspective.

7. Offensive Line Philosophy

“We’re going to play the best five, whatever that combination looks like.” This was Jerod Mayo’s message about the New England Patriots starting offensive line throughout camp. Based on the team’s signings in free agency, this is a franchise philosophy. It is one I have strongly disagreed with.

Mayo’s message was that if a player can play tackle, he can play guard. A guard should be able to play center. If somebody can play on the right side, they should be able to play on the left side. Two things that have been undervalued are a player’s comfort, and building rapport as a unit.

New England knew they needed to address left tackle in the offseason. Their free agent signing addition was right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. They drafted right tackle Caedan Wallace. Wolf broke the bank to retain right tackle Mike Onwenu.

Onwenu got bounced back and forth between guard and tackle. Sidy Sow, an All-Rookie selection at right guard in 2023, was moved to the left side. When Jake Andrews was placed on season-ending IR, the Patriots didn’t add a backup center with experience. They opted to try to turn guards Nick Leverett and Atonio Mafi into centers instead. When David Andrews went down, there was no viable option to play center on the roster.

The lack of depth at tackle on the roster was thin to begin with. Okorafor left the team after Week 1 and Wallace was injured in Week 4. This made it so struggling players like Vederian Lowe and Deontrey Jacobs retained job security even while making repeated mental mistakes in the second half of the season.

Hopefully, in 2025, the New England Patriots realize that having the best unit, not the best five individuals, is the most important part of forming a successful offensive line. Versatility is an awesome bonus, especially for reserves, but assuming three right tackles and two right guards will comprise an effective offensive line is wishful thinking at best.

8. Letting Players Compete

This critique largely relates to the quarterback position. Drake Maye did not get an opportunity to compete for the starting job in training camp. This was a mistake. Mayo stated at the time that the best players would play. But how was a rookie supposed to show he was the best player without receiving significant first-team reps in camp? It would have been nice to see which receivers Drake Maye could have built a connection with. Instead, he was taking errant snaps from non-centers and throwing to players no longer in the NFL.

Offensive line and wide receiver are other positions where this applied. Linemen might not have had a chance to put their best foot forward because they were constantly being moved around. New England had two players who were unquestionably NFL-starting caliber offensive linemen before the season began: David Andrews and Mike Onwenu. That took care of 40% of the line. Onwenu should have stayed at right tackle throughout this season, but if the Patriots wanted him to play guard, then put him there and keep him there. Work on letting the others compete for the jobs around those two.

At wide receiver, free agent signing K.J. Osborn was given a starting job through the first four weeks. It was unclear what was done to earn that role. Kayshon Boutte showed he had the best hands in camp yet barely made the roster. He didn’t play until Week 3 and waited until Week 5 for regular snaps. He’s now second among New England Patriots wide receivers in targets, receptions, and receiving yards.

9. Team Discipline

Regardless of coaching, the Patriots’ roster was at a talent disadvantage to start the season. Several key injuries/absences made this more pronounced. That part is undeniable and understandable. New England finished 4-13 in 2023 and received almost no veteran upgrades. But losing to more talented teams is not frustrating during a rebuild. It lays the groundwork for areas that need upgrades on the roster. Anyone believing the turnaround in Foxboro would take only one season was kidding themselves.

But the lack of discipline on the New England Patriots this season has been startling. They are the NFL’s fifth most-penalized team through Week 13. More frustrating has been the easily avoidable penalties. False starts and illegal formations should not be happening consistently in the second half of the season.

Penalties are not the only area where this is noticeable. Turnovers are part of discipline. Communication on defense, running the correct routes, filling the correct gaps on defense, and special teams all fall under that umbrella as well. There have been failures in all of these areas.

These are not talent issues for New England. Talent is not necessary to play smart, tough, disciplined football. The talent discrepancy makes the Patriots’ margin for error smaller, which makes avoiding these self-inflicted wounds that much more important for a team like them.

10. Distancing Themselves From Belichick

Finally, the franchise’s desire to distance itself from Bill Belichick has been unnecessary and unsuccessful. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo are their own men, and should conduct themselves as such. But not wanting to copy Belichick’s blueprint does not need to mean doing the opposite.

“The Dynasty” was the most obvious attempt to divorce themselves from Belichick, but not the only one. The franchise has made news out of minor adjustments like taking down team slogans from the Belichick Era. Mayo discussed how he was doing things differently than Belichick for months. Wolf’s comments about the “Packer Way” and “less of a hard-assed vibe” were blatant shots at the previous regime. This might win over a few people, particularly those in the media who were happy to see Belichick go. But most of these things feel like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Bill Belichick was not perfect by any means. And the current version of the New England Patriots doesn’t need to model themselves after the Belichick years to be successful. However, it is worth noting that Belichick’s teams won six Super Bowls, nine AFC Championships, and 17 AFC East titles. His teams were often described as prepared, smart, tough, and disciplined. The man helped bring plenty of success and joy to the franchise and its fans. Perhaps a change was necessary in New England, but forgetting about all the positives Belichick brought to the table was not.