Since Tom Brady left Foxboro behind, the New England Patriots haven’t played up to the standard the legendary quarterback helped set alongside coach Bill Belichick.
The Patriots have made the playoffs only once in the last three seasons and that year concluded with an embarrassing opening-round exit to the Buffalo Bills. Things only got worse this season with Belichick fumbling around with the coaching staff and second-year QB Mac Jones regressing, resulting in finishing outside the postseason picture at 8-9.
It has to be difficult to accept the backslide after a two-decade run of dominance and a former two-time Patriots Super Bowl champion turned ESPN analyst believes none of it has to be sitting well with owner Robert Kraft.
“I know this has to be eating Mr. Kraft up, that the Patriots are basically irrelevant. I know it has to,” Damien Woody, who played for the Patriots from 1999 to 2003, told the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian.
Woody also had some advice for Kraft on how the Patriots can get back on the rise, and Kraft might be more receptive than usual to it given New England’s recent performances.
“So go out there and make a couple of splash moves,” Woody said. “Bring some spice and some relevance back to the Patriots. Make it interesting.”
The Patriots lackluster offense has already undergone changes this offseason, but on the coaching side. The biggest move was New England bringing back Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and moving away from Matt Patricia and Joe Judge on that side of the ball.
Woody thinks more changes are needed than just that, though. Surrounding Jones with high-level weapons in the passing game could unlock a Patriots offense that has consistently been abysmal post-Brady.
“I think they made a step in the right direction bringing Billy O. back, because that was madness what they were doing last year,” Woody said. “So I’m glad they got a guy who knows what he’s doing. But they need weapons. They need difference makers on offense. It’s not good enough just getting Billy O’Brien back. They need actual guys on the field that will make a difference.”
