In the midst of the New England Patriots’ worst season since 2002, people formerly involved in the NFL have some harsh words for head coach Bill Belichick. Among those throwing insults are former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall and the New York Jets’ Rex Ryan. Both individuals have publicly slammed Belichick’s decisions and coaching style.
Marshall critiqued Belichick for not being open with Patriot fans regarding his plans for the remainder of the season. He pointed out that a lot of the squad’s contributions on the offensive end are only coming from one player, starting quarterback Cam Newton, as reported by Yahoo Sports . He then went on to say that 2020 is the 68-year-old’s poorest coaching performance of his entire 45-year career.
“I would say that this is Bill Belichick’s worst outing as a coach and a GM. He needs to come out and tell us what his plan is. Are we just building this thing up for next year or are we really trying to compete?” Marshall said in an episode of First Things First .
“For me, there’s more to this discussion than just Cam Newton ,” he added.
Belichick has been continuously criticized for not trying to bring in more talented wide receivers and tight ends onto the roster in order to help Newton offensively.
Ryan was not hesitant to point out the struggles that New England is currently facing. The ESPN analyst remarked that a majority of Belichick’s success was thanks to Tom Brady’s talent and leadership on the field. The superstar quarterback was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after dedicating 20 seasons to the Patriots.
“It just shows also that the greatest player in the game has a hell of a lot bigger impact than the greatest coach in the game,” the 57-year-old stated.
He even went so far as to say the winning dynasty of the Patriots is officially over due to this season. Most fans were not surprised that Ryan threw shade at Belichick, as the two were involved in a heated rivalry for many years when he was the leader of the Jets, according to a report from Heavy .
The team is currently on a four-game losing streak, bringing its overall record to 2-5. The latest loss came from the Buffalo Bills in a close game that ended with a score of 24-21.
Belichick is widely known for his lack of communication with the media, so it does not come as a shock that he has not made a public statement regarding all the critique he has been receiving lately.