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Boomer Esiason says wanting the Patriots to fire Bill Belichick is an ‘idiotic’ take

Patriots

“Do you see all the success that the Patriots have had?”

Bill Belichick AP Photo/John Amis
  • Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (right) listens to head coach Bill Belichick (left) on the sidelines. Joe Judge is at far left. The New England Patriots hosted the Baltimore Ravens in a regular season NFL football game at Gillette Stadium.

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It’s fairly obvious by now that the Patriots have experienced a steep drop-off without Tom Brady.

The Patriots have been remarkably average over the past three years, with a 25-25 record and one playoff appearance sandwiched between two sub .500 seasons.

Oddsmakers are predicting things will be even worse for New England this year. Bet MGM’s most recent under/over for Patriots wins in 2023 is 6.5 games.

The closest the Patriots ever came to .500 with Brady under center was their 9-7 finish in 2002. Other than that, the Brady-era Patriots won 10 games or more every year and made nine Super Bowl appearances during Brady’s 20 year-run with the team.

So, is the drop-off enough for Bill Belichick to lose his job if the Patriots struggle again this year? Some would argue that it is.

Boomer Esiason of CBS Sports made it clear during an appearance on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show that he disagrees with that opinion.

“Those ‘some people’ are idiots,” Esiason said. “You see Gillette Stadium. Did you see their new renovations? Do you see all the success that the Patriots have had? Everybody knows who they are because of the success that Bill Belichick has brought to that team.

“So, anybody that ever even talks about firing Bill Belichick would be idiotic,” Esiason continued. “And the fact is, the question really should be, how much longer does he want to do this? Because I think he has a contract in perpetuity for as long as he wants to coach.”

Belichick is 71 years old. He said in 2009 that he wouldn’t coach into his seventies. Last year, Belichick told Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe that he wished he never said that.

At this point, Belichick’s resume speaks for itself. He has six Super Bowl wins as a head coach, as well as a pair of titles with the Giants as a defensive coordinator. He’s second on the NFL’s all-time wins list among head coaches. He’s widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best, NFL coach of all time.

But, all of his Super Bowl wins, along with most of his regular-season wins as a head coach came during the Brady-era, and Brady is retired now.

Is it worth it for the Patriots to keep hanging on to Belichick based on loyalty from his past accomplishments when there hasn’t been as much success in recent years?

That’s a question for Robert Kraft.