Reading what little is out and trying to read between the lines, it sounds like Bill the coach is going to be back, but Bill the GM may not be
I sure hope so. I would absolutely hate it if we fired Bill the coach. He has earned the right to be here as long as he wants and it's not like there's any guarantee we are going to find anybody better. It's unbelievable how many people want him fired. Just a bunch of ungrateful brats imo.
Bringing back McDaniels also seems like the safest bet. Bill has always been fantastic on the defensive side of the ball and McDaniels clearly knows how to run an offense. I think it's safe to say the Pats have officially bottomed out - at least on offense - now it's time to build back up from here.
Things can always get worse actually. And do you know who was really ungrateful? Bill Belichick. He tried to dump Brady years ago for Jimmy G. Whoops! Then he finally pushed him out the door in 2019.
Because, as it has been reported, the Pats think they can turn any high school QB into an all-pro. Which is the height of hubris and disrespect.
Turns out that if you don't have an all-time great at QB then you actually need to draft well to have a functional offense. But unfortunately BB hasn't selected anybody good at catching the ball since he snagged Gronk and Edelman back in the aughts.
And honestly I'm tired of his meanspiritedness with the media. It's pathetic and is a terrible look for our franchise. Act like a professional and a decent human being. We're expected to believe he's some sort of victim here when his own behavior has been reprehensible. There's a reason so many fans and media commentators are dancing on his grave.
Bill has had a magnificent run but he also set himself up for everything he's getting right now. Blaming the fans is just wrong.
With all that being said, I do still think he can coach. If he can truly put his ago aside and defer to a new GM, I would be amenable to giving him another shot as a coach only. But this isn't a lifetime appointment. This is a league where results matter, and the old must make way for the new. Bill knows this. He must adapt or fall on his sword gracefully. But we've seen the last few years has not been graceful, classy, or professional. It has been a dumpster fire replete with constant media leaks, hit pieces, and staff turnover, the hallmarks of dysfunctional organizations.
The last thing he or the franchise needs is continued drama and embarrassment. Maybe getting a full-time GM and keeping Bill as HC will improve things. Or it could send the apple cart tumbling off the cliff. As a fan I hope it's the former scenario. Nothing would be better than to climb back to the mountaintop with the coach who led us there six times prior.
A lot of what you write here reflects my view, especially this:
Turns out that if you don't have an all-time great at QB then you actually need to draft well to have a functional offense. But unfortunately BB hasn't selected anybody good at catching the ball since he snagged Gronk and Edelman back in the aughts.
I will add that I think Malcolm Mitchell was pretty good at catching the ball, as we saw in the SB win over the Falcons, but injuries derailed his career.
But otherwise, yeah, I think that Bill is really good at defense—drafting good players and running good schemes—but has very little skill with drafting and scheming for the offense. And the fact that he chose two defense/special teams guys to run the offense last season was ridiculous, and went as badly as many of us thought it would.
I do appreciate what Bill has done for the Pats over the last 20+ years, and I'd be fine with him staying on as head coach as long as there's an actual GM and actual OC. Though, for the latter, I'm not as high on McDaniels as some others here—he seems to do really well until the team gets in the red zone, at which point he often gets too cute and the drive ends in a FG.
