National Football League

Will Bill Belichick ever recover from losing Tom Brady?

Published Jul. 13, 2022 6:01 p.m. ET

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady gifted the New England Patriots' faithful with six Super Bowl championships.

But since the end of the 2019 season, when Brady opted to explore the nice warm weather in Tampa Bay, Belichick's squad has struggled to generate the same caliber of offense.

This has led Colin Cowherd to wonder if Belichick — a defensive-minded coach — has failed to recover from Brady's departure.

Has Bill Belichick recovered from Tom Brady's departure?

The Patriots traded former No. 1 pick N'Keal Harry to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Hear why Colin Cowherd believes the Harry trade is another sign that Belichick and the Patriots' offense have yet to recover from TB12's departure.

"We are now just two years removed from all that culture built up in New England," Cowherd said. "All those Super Bowls, all those Ws, playoff victories, momentum, sell-out crowds; we are just two years removed."

Cowherd added: "The Patriots, in an offense-leaning league, have no No. 1 receiver, arguably no No. 2. They have a 'meh' quarterback that can't make plays with his feet, and Matt Patricia is their new offensive coordinator."

As further evidence to support his point, Cowherd pointed to the Patriots' trade of former first-round wide receiver, N'Keal Harry, who was dealt to the Chicago Bears in exchange for only a seventh-round pick.

"For the record, I thought N'Keal Harry would be a good NFL player. Maybe not great, but good," Cowher said. "It didn't work out. He had 57 catches in 36 regular-season games. He's a bust."

Since Brady left, the Patriots have maintained a potent defense, which has helped them go 17-16 over the last two seasons. But offensively, they've been average-to-poor, ranking 27th in the NFL in points and yards in 2020. In 2021, they improved to 15th in yards and sixth in points, but still lost in the AFC wild-card game.

The future doesn't look exceptionally bright on the offensive side of the ball either, with four-consecutive sub-par offensive drafts. Their most notable pick since 2019 is quarterback Mac Jones, who threw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns as a rookie last season.

"This is often what happens when you give a head coach too much power," Cowherd said. "Pete Carroll had too much power. Look at the Seahawks' drafts over the last seven years. This [2022] was their best, why? Pete has less power. Belichick, weird drafts. Why? Too much power. The Matt Patricia move is beyond arrogant. It's weird."

Cowherd ended by posing the question: "If you just took the AFC East and created an all-star team, would a Patriot make it on offense?"