Former NFL head coach Brian Billick is not counting out the New England Patriots in 2020 despite the loss of franchise quarterback Tom Brady.
Billick — who won the Super Bowl as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens during the 2000 season — acknowledged this year figures to be an adjustment period with a new quarterback under center. However, he was hesitant to dismiss the Pats outright, per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald:
Because the team is now faced with the transition of life after Brady, many are already writing off the Patriots. Billick was amused with that take.
“You can go broke writing off the Patriots,” Billick said with a laugh. “But that was always with the combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Now, the quarterbacks you’re talking about, maybe they’re the guys, maybe they can do it … but that remains to be seen.
“Obviously, that advantage for 20 years, knowing that each year, you can begin with, at least, ‘we got Tom Brady.’ You don’t have that now,” Billick went on. “You don’t have that stability. So, it’s going to be a change. I don’t know if I’d write them off, but I don’t know if you can go into every season and say this is a playoff team, or an elite playoff team. I don’t know if we can readily put them in that category.”
The Patriots have yet to show much interest in signing any of the available free-agent quarterbacks, making it more likely they will roll with 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham.
But Stidham still might come in and play good football; he is still an unknown commodity at this stage. Not to mention, New England's success in 2019 was mostly defined by their defense, anyway.
In any case, the 2020 campaign will have a very different feel from previous seasons, regardless of whether the Pats are still able to reach the playoffs.
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