What will happen to the Patriots?

[Dave Gray]

Age is the great equalizer.  (And drugs....but for this conversation, age.)

QBs can get old fast.  They are at the top of their game and then very quickly, sometimes over one season, they just don't have it anymore.  It's not usually a gradual decline.

Tom Brady is reaching an age where that could happen at any time.

Then what?

Will Bellichek leave with him?  Will he start all over again?  Will they miss a beat?  Are the Patriots strong enough to weather a storm like that?  Or will they fall into mediocrity eventually, just like the national ebb and flow of most NFL teams?

[Phishfan]

I have always said Belichick would leave with Brady but this year I changed my tune after seeing what he could do without him. I know we saw it once before but I thought of it as a one time fluke. Ole Bill will be hanging around and the Patriots will be tough for years to come.

[Run Ricky Run]

I think they won't miss a beat and continue where they left off. I think belichik will want to prove that he made Brady not the other way around.

The whole NFL parity thing is a myth.

[Baba Booey]

Belichick is 64 and has said on the NFL Network many times he doesn't want to be like Marv Levy coaching into his 70's. When Brady goes Belichick will go. Trying to win without an elite QB is so tough and Belichick won't want to start a process he won't be able to finish.

I think Brady has 2 more years after this year and he hangs it up. He will be 41 then and that is about the limit for any QB in this league.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Wouldn't surprise me if he retired with Brady,  would not surprise me if he coaches long enough to take Shulas record.

[masterfins]

Belichick is 64 and has said on the NFL Network many times he doesn't want to be like Marv Levy coaching into his 70's. When Brady goes Belichick will go. Trying to win without an elite QB is so tough and Belichick won't want to start a process he won't be able to finish.

I think Brady has 2 more years after this year and he hangs it up. He will be 41 then and that is about the limit for any QB in this league.

Yeah, well Mick Jagger said "I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I'm 45.", Mick's 73 and still singing Satisfaction.  Belichick will be there long after Brady is gone.

[Baba Booey]

Wouldn't surprise me if he retired with Brady,  would not surprise me if he coaches long enough to take Shulas record.

He's a 100 wins away. Would need to get 10 wins a year for 10 more years. Not happening.

[Baba Booey]

Yeah, well Mick Jagger said "I'd rather be dead than singing 'Satisfaction' when I'm 45.", Mick's 73 and still singing Satisfaction.  Belichick will be there long after Brady is gone.

Mick Jagger can sing songs he wrote 40 years ago and go on tour for a month or two every couple years. Being an NFL head coach is a full time job year round 24/7/365. Horrible comparison

[Run Ricky Run]

He's a 100 wins away. Would need to get 10 wins a year for 10 more years. Not happening.

95 wins away. Tough to look that up. And sweet use of the 10 win number. He has won only 10 games twice in the last 12 years

[Baba Booey]

95 wins away. Tough to look that up. And sweet use of the 10 win number. He has won only 10 games twice in the last 12 years

95... a 100. Don't be a jerk about it. My point was made pretty clear that he would have to coach for close to a decade more and be at 10 wins or better every year.

[Spider-Dan]

The difference between Belichick with Brady and Belichick without Brady is the difference between 16-0 and 11-5.

Belichick without Brady will be getting Andy Reid-level results: perennial playoff losses.  He won't stick around for that.

[Run Ricky Run]

The difference between Belichick with Brady and Belichick without Brady is the difference between 16-0 and 11-5.

Belichick without Brady will be getting Andy Reid-level results: perennial playoff losses.  He won't stick around for that.

Right. Because he will never find a qb better than Matt Cassel. You saw huge drop off they had this year when Brady was out and they pounded the piss out of the dolphins.

What else is belichik going to do if he retires?  He cares about only himself. He will make sure he goes down as the greatest coach in history, which he is.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

The difference between Belichick with Brady and Belichick without Brady is the difference between 16-0 and 11-5.

Belichick without Brady will be getting Andy Reid-level results: perennial playoff losses.  He won't stick around for that.

If he can consistently have seasons with playoff loses in about 8 years he will break Shula's record.  Hard to have a playoff loss without winning ~12 games first.  This will also remove all question as to his greatness (was it him or Brady).  And if he can continue to make the playoffs he could stick around for that. 

Not saying he is going to, but it is a real possibility.

The number one reason for him to retire is so he can be at his own Canton enshrinement rather than risk it being posthumous.  And that might be enough to get him to retire.

[Baba Booey]

What else is belichik going to do if he retires?  He cares about only himself. He will make sure he goes down as the greatest coach in history, which he is.

He does have 3 kids and is a grandfather, maybe spend some time with the family and enjoy life.

[Phishfan]

The number one reason for him to retire is so he can be at his own Canton enshrinement rather than risk it being posthumous.  And that might be enough to get him to retire.

Do you really think he cares about this? He doesn't strike me as the type since we all know how much he enjoys to stand in front of people and talk.