For a lot of football fans, the New England Patriots are the gold standard of what a franchise should look like. But, that was not always the case in New England, as this franchise was once the laughingstock of the NFL.
Before the years of Drew Bledsoe, who eventually gave way to Tom Brady, the Patriots could stake a strong claim to being the worst franchise in the NFL. As NBC Sports’ John Tomase so eloquently put it, those were the “dark ages” for the franchise. And in his opinion, that is what the team is heading toward once again.
“To fans under 35, the franchise’s laughingstock era is limited to NFL Films, but students of history recognize that no dynasty lasts forever, whether it’s of the Ming, Holy Roman, or Belichickean vintage,” Tomase wrote. “So, welcome to the bad old days. The barbarians have reached the gates of Gillette Stadium. It was always going to end this way.”
Tomase broke down the Patriots into three time periods; pre-Brady from 1960-2000, the Brady Era and now post-Brady. In the 40 years before the GOAT took over as the starting quarterback, New England had a winning percentage of .465 with seven playoff victories.
Everyone knows how the Brady era went, as the Patriots went 237-127, a winning percentage of .651. In the post-Brady era, they have so far gone 26-30, including 1-5 thus far in 2023. That win percentage is trending lower than the pre-Brady era, as this could be the worst stretch of football the franchise has ever experienced.
The biggest issue has been the inability to find a successor for Brady under center. The Patriots used a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Mac Jones, but he does not look like the long-term answer as he struggles for a second straight season.
“That’s a recipe for a decade of darkness, much like the [Miami] Dolphins have won but a single playoff game since Dan Marino retired in 1999, or the [Buffalo] Bills needed 25 years to replace Hall of Famer Jim Kelly with All-Pro Josh Allen,” Tomase wrote. “Joe Montana to Steve Young and Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers are the exceptions. Following Marino with Jay Fielder, Gus Frerotte, Cleo Lemon, Chad Henne, etc. — that’s the rule. So are Cam Newton and now Jones,” per Tomase.
Without a quarterback to lead the team, it is hard to find consistent success. The 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with talent at the position, but the Patriots still may miss out.
They are currently one of five teams who have one victory this season. The Carolina Panthers are the last remaining winless team at 0-6. Games against the New York Giants and Denver Broncos later in the season are going to have major implications on draft positioning as one win could result in a major drop down the board.
