End of a dynasty

As a Patriots fan since 1976 , I will always be grateful to former coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady for helping to transform the Patriots into contenders and champions. But like all great football dynasties that preceded them, all good things have to eventually come to an end. The game has passed Belichick by from an offensive aspect but he can still design defenses to stop the top quarterbacks in today’s NFL. I however, unlike the mostly clueless Boston sports media and fan base, do not want another defensive coach like Jerod Mayo or Mike Vrabel as the next coach of the New England Patriots. The obvious choice, which means there is zero chance of it happening, is Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. Bob Kraft needs to take his time and form a search committee of football people to first pick an actual general manager and he hires the new head coach.

Paul J. Baranofsky

Waltham

Changing of the guard

Belichick’s hoodie didn’t have a chance to cool off.  Luckily, the Krafts didn’t put fans through another round of speculation from amateur football experts, the media and others (sports radio).  Just like when Brady left there was all kinds of crying and “what-nows.”  Really, who cares?  Things change. People change.

I remember when Bobby Orr was traded to Chicago.  Now that was a heartbreak.  Babe Ruth sold to the Yankees.  Mookie Betts off to the Dodgers.  I don’t remember the Babe but I heard all about the curse of the Bambino until 2004.

Now we can concentrate on the Red Sox, that is if John Henry the Woke will loosen his purse strings and we can field a pro team, not a triple A facsimile.

David Kelly

Norfolk

Tough year

It’s been a tough year to be a Pats fan, however rather than lay all the problems at the feet of the coach and general manager, can we step back and spread some of the blame to ownership?  Watching NFL games (recently) I saw so many former Pats playing for other teams, many of which were playoff qualifiers. Kyle Van Noy (Ravens), Joe Thuney (Chiefs), Jarrett Stidham (Broncos) and Jakobi Meyers (Raiders) to name a few were all highlighted for their play. What do they have in common?  They were drafted and/ or identified as players to sign by Bill Belichick. It seems to me that they aren’t here any longer not because their skills have deteriorated, but rather the purse strings (controlled by ownership) were drawn tightly closed. The GM may have signed off on letting all the aforementioned leave Foxboro or perhaps the financial outlays for a landlocked lighthouse and massive scoreboard trumps paying for a competitive NFL roster.

Paul Stewart

Quincy

Editorial cartoon by Joe Heller (Joe Heller)