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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Fair or not, talk about Bill Belichick potentially losing his job is the loudest it’s been since his early days as head coach of the Patriots. And it would’ve reached an all-time high had New England lost to the New York Jets on Sunday.
But the Patriots didn’t lose and instead left MetLife Stadium with a much-needed 15-10 victory. An 0-4 start no longer is in play with next Sunday’s road game against the Dallas Cowboys looming on the horizon.
However, New England is just 1-2 and now is 26-28 since Tom Brady left town. The anti-Belichick wolves might be kept at bay for a few more days, but they’re ready to roar at a moment’s notice.
Do Patriots players hear the chatter? Can it galvanize them?
We asked those questions to special teams captain Matthew Slater after Sunday’s game.
“It’s not really something that we talk about,” Slater said. “It’s kind of hard not to be aware of it now, just because of the way our society is with media. But it’s not a motivator for us. We’ve got plenty of motivation to do our job, and we take a lot of pride in it.
“No one in here is questioning what Bill’s doing. He’s our leader. He’s got a proven track record. We all have a ton of faith in him. He’s still the best coach in the history of football. So, regardless of what people say, they can’t argue that fact.”
Regardless of how bad things get for the Patriots this season, it’s hard to imagine Belichick’s job status being in any real jeopardy.
Typically, NFL coaches don’t get canned mid-season unless they’re actively hurting their team or have lost the locker room — or a combination of both. Say what you want about Belichick, but he still is a net-positive as a head coach, and his players still believe in him. There’s no evidence to the contrary.
But Belichick as a general manager? That’s a different story. New England is mired in mediocrity, and he’s responsible for building the roster. If anything, the Patriots could strip Belichick of some GM responsibilities during the season, but even that feels like a stretch.
Perhaps this becomes a real conversation after the season if New England has a losing record and misses the playoffs. But for the time being, it’s a non-story.