Peter King Curious About Potential Change In Bill Belichick’s Influence

Having a branch on the Bill Belichick coaching tree used to be a major plus for aspiring NFL head coaches, but times have changed.

The Patriots’ long run of success under Belichick clearly helped the likes of Eric Mangini, Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and Josh McDaniels land their first head-coaching gigs. But those moves out of Foxboro, Mass. didn’t prove to be very successful, as Mangini was the only coach of that bunch to coach for at least three full seasons with the same team.

Not to mention, Belichick himself seemingly has been exposed a bit since Tom Brady left town. The Patriots have only made the playoffs once since Brady’s departure, and they’re currently on pace for the franchise’s worst season in three decades.

All things considered, Peter King wonders if the “Belichick disciple” label is one coaches no longer want to tote.

“Belichick’s staffers have almost universally failed,” King wrote in his latest Football Morning in America column for NBC Sports. “It used to be that being a Belichick disciple helped; now, in the case of highly regarded defensive assistant Jerod Mayo, I wonder if it will actually be a detriment.”

Patriots staffers might not be the only ones impacted by a change of perception in Belichick. Belichick himself might suffer the consequences of New England’s recent struggles, as there’s no guarantee he’ll be back on the Gillette Stadium sideline next season.

In fact, Patriots ownership reportedly already has a “home run” replacement idea in mind.