Greg Bedard joins Felger and Holley on BST to discuss the Patriots heading into the final stretch of their season.
Given all Bill Belichick has done for the New England Patriots franchise, there's no way he could ever be on the hot seat... right?
Well, the narrative around the longtime Pats head coach could change this upcoming offseason if New England fails to make the playoffs for the second time in three years. It's unlikely, but it isn't totally out of the realm of possibility that owner Robert Kraft could choose to put the franchise in a different direction.
Curran: Can Patriots hold on to a playoff spot? The path is daunting
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Should we expect any buzz about a coaching change if the Patriots miss out on the playoffs this year? Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry debated that question on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast.
Patriots Talk: How the next eight games can alter the Patriots future | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
"I think they've already won too many games for something seismic to happen with Bill Belichick," Perry said. "If they lose out and they end up going 5-12, maybe that's a different story. But I think we both feel like they'll probably win a couple, a few, a handful of these next games. ...
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"If they end up an eight-win team, there's no way Robert Kraft could move on. I don't see it."
Curran agrees, stating that Belichick can go to Kraft with a valid excuse for he and the team's shortcomings since Tom Brady's departure.
"Moving on is so seismic. Even with all the backdrop of a miscalculation on (Tom) Brady and Robert Kraft specifically having to take heat for it in many ways in the public's eyes," Curran said.
"But bottom line, (Kraft) wanted better drafts, he got a better draft. I think Bill's defense would be, 'Look, Robert, I'm tired of watching my assistants climb the ladder and jump someplace else. We lost our entire staff to the Raiders with Josh (McDaniels). We lost is before with (Brian) Flores. We lost it with Joe (Judge). We lost it with Matt (Patricia). I didn't put Nick Caley in charge of the offense for a reason. Yeah, I wish it went better, but I did what I thought we had to do.' I think he can make a very plausible case for why it is what it is.
Also discussed in the episode: Has this been a ‘good year’ in Robert Kraft’s eyes? Can the Patriots keep their playoff spot with the tough schedule ahead? Will we see more RPO coming out of the bye week? And why has the Jonnu Smith experiment failed?
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube.
