Felger: The Patriots are operating like an expansion team
The New England Patriots are coming off of a 4-13 season that saw them constantly struggle on offense. As the team continues to search for a new offensive coordinator under new head coach Jerod Mayo, Felger has finally realized that the Patriots offense has almost nothing to build on going into the 2024 season.
Felger’s realization on the Patriots offense
Felger: So this is like, it’s just been slowly dawning on me, I know it’s dawned on the rest of you a long time ago, and it’s a dawning reality that I’ve been fighting and fighting and fighting and fighting, but very simply I’ve resigned to the fact the Patriots are really going to suck and they’re really going to stink for a while. Like,I’ve been saying this forever, that I’ve always had it in my head that they would just be one of those teams that keep it going. And when I say keeping it going I don’t mean Super Bowls, I mean where every week matters and every game matters. It’s just there are some franchises that have done that. The Steelers, the Packers, if I think harder about it I could find a couple of others, maybe like the Ravens in the last 20 years, I don’t know like I’m just talking out loud now. But you know, there are teams that have been able to do that. And if they “bottom out”, it’s just a year and then they’re kind of right back. That would be the Ravens or that would be the Steelers. I just thought you would be one of those team and last year would be it. You know, I never thought last year would happen, frankly. I said “you’ll never be 4- 13 with Bill Belichick. He’s too good, hisfloor is too high. He’ll coach you up against the bad teams and you’ll be 8-9, like that’s the worst. And you’ll go up from there and every week will matter, every game will matter. You’ll always at least be in the hunt. So I didn’t think last year would happen. But so like I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me that they suck. Like I don’t know why it’s taken me so long just to look at them and go, “they are a million miles away. They are an expansion team”. They’re an expansion team on the offensive side of the ball. No quarterback, no coaching staff, no offense, no tackles, no number one receiver, no number one tight end currently under contract, Hunter Henry is a free agent. No coordinator. No coaching staff. No quarterback. No number one receiver. No number one tight end. No left tackle. No right tackle. They are a complete and utter expansion team on that side of the ball.
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Greg Bedard: 3 Up and 3 Down following NFL Championship weekend
3 UP
Travis Kelce
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 01: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on prior to the game New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: I thought he was awesome. It was very Gronk. Sort of a later Gronk career type of thing with Brady. And the Chiefs absolutely had to have it.
Patrick Mahomes
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JANUARY 07: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs off the field after the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on January 07, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: He’s the new Brady. He’s unbelievable. He’s one of those guys that you will now not bet against.
Trent Williams
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 24: Trent Williams #71 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrate after a touchdown during the third quarter in the game against the Washington Commanders at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Trent Williams the 49ers left tackle. He was outstanding in the game. Just about a perfect game. And now he gets to go to the Super Bowl for the first time.
3 DOWN
John Harbaugh
Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens talks with fans before the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 12, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: John Harbaugh. I just thought for them to do what they did in that game, to take the approach to abandon the run so early, to not expect a lot of blitzes from the Chiefs. John Harbaugh, he knows Steve Spagnuolo really well, they were on the same staff for a while. Like he should know what Spags is going to do. And Spag’s completely owned him. I mean, Harbaugh got completely outcoached at home. The whole “who has it a better than us” and, you know, all that crap and again, they fall flat on their face.
Dan Campbell
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 28: Head coach Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions reacts prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: He just failed to manage the game. Like he had gotten to that point, really good game plan that they came in with. Attitude all that stuff, how to play the game, and they did it correctly. But when his team needed him to be a coach and help present them a solution he just went for it and just completely blew it for the Lions.
Lamar Jackson
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs with the ball against the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Greg Bedard: Spagnuolo had a plan for him. Totally thwarted him. Every year there’s going to be more and more pressure. I mean, don’t talk about Lamar during the regular season. Nobody cares. He’s got to get it done in the postseason. And I think he will. I respect the talent immensely. I think he’s an incredible player. The way he’s developed as a passer has been outstanding. I think he’s great in that part of the game. They got him a new offensive coordinator to bring in the college sort of game this year. But again, he came up woefully short in a huge game.
