It wasn’t the type of finish to Belichick’s career that anyone would have expected. But last year was an absolutely clinic on how a defense minded coach/staff can self destruct. Mac Jones was never going to be a franchise quarterback, but he could have been a serviceable starter. There was just no development from this coaching staff.

Couple that with the lack of success in the last few drafts and this team is woefully deficient in talent on offense. Its obvious Belichick gave up on his offense last year – they were 31st in points and 30th in yards. But the defense was 15th in points allowed and 7th in yards allowed. He was still coaching, he just focused on his strength and let it ride.

Jerrod Mayo has his work cut out for him, but the Belichick coaching tree has had limited success in the NFL. We’ll see if he can break the cycle and develop some kind of offense this year. But since he was on staff last year, it’s hard to see him changing the culture that’s already been established.

Looking at the offseason, I don’t see where this team managed to improve in any area. Drake Maye is a talented prospect, but he needs a year on the bench to learn. Jacoby Brissett has the experience to handle this team for a year and take the pressure off the rookie to be the savior day one.

Alex Van Pelt was brought in to try and juice this offense. He’s a former quarterback and spent time as Aaron Rodgers’ quarterback coach in Green Bay. So there’s a chance he can help coach up Drake Maye. But he’s also an offensive coordinator that has never called plays in the NFL.

The success of this season is going to be based on how well Drake Maye is coached and prepared to take over this team. Let’s hope this coaching staff doesn’t break Maye the way they broke Mac Jones.

2024 Prediction: 3-14 4th AFC East