Bill Belichick has always been a man of few words when it comes to making his points with the media.
On Monday, a reporter asked the longtime Patriots head coach why New England fans should be optimistic about the future of the franchise.
“The last 25 years,” Belichick responded succinctly.
Question: What would you say to fans to be optimistic for what’s ahead for the Patriots?
Bill Belichick: “The last 25 years.”
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 27, 2023
There’s no doubt that the Patriots fanbase has had it pretty good since 2001. But, it’s also clear that the last three seasons without Tom Brady have not gone well.
New England is 25-25 in the regular season in that time span, with one playoff appearance that ended with a blowout Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. If the New York Jets land Aaron Rodgers as expected, the Patriots will be the clearcut worst team in the AFC East on paper going into the 2023 season.
It’s understandable that no matter how spoiled Patriots fans have been over the last 20-plus years, many of them are concerned about the immediate and long-term future of the franchise.
It’s on Belichick to assuage those concerns starting this fall.