For many years, working with Bill Belichick and Patriots was the best way to build a resume for a coach. It often led to better positions with other NFL teams as franchises around the league tried to replicate New England’s approach to the game.
An example of that is Josh McDaniels. Despite his disastrous record as the head coach of the Denver Broncos, he was hired to the same position by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was involved in all of their six Super Bowl wins and that undoubtedly overshadowed any consideration of how bad he was at Mile High. Now that he had been removed from his latest stint too, it is clear to see that the situation was not ideal.
More pertinently, as Bill Belichick also struggles this season with the Patriots, all of the coaches’ resumes are being given another look as it seems that Tom Brady was central to their success and not their methods. And assistant coaches seem to be acutely aware of that too, based on the latest news.
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Ross Douglas, the team’s wide receiver coach is leaving the Patriots to join Syracuse in the same position. He has been with New England for the last three years and he is not getting a higher position as a college coach. Yet, he is choosing to leave.
Fans fear that Ross Douglas’ departure is a sign of a wider fallout that might consume Bill Belichick
Fans believe that Ross Douglas leaving the NFL to drop down to college football is the clearest sign yet that the coaches are bearing the brunt of a disappointing season for the Patriots, where they currently have a 3-10 record. They took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to highlight their concerns. Here are some of the responses from the social media platform.
Fran Brown connection expected to have helped
While this could signal massive overhaul for the Patriots coaching staff, it could also mean that Bill Belichick himself is seeking a new direction after New England receivers failed to do well this season. The Patriots are in the bottom half of the league for passing yards this season and while much of it has to do with Mac Jones underperforming, he has not been helped by those around him.
Therefore, Ross Douglas might have felt that his job was jeopardy at the end of the season. He was with new Syracuse coach Fran Brown on his staff at Rutgers and he might have felt that reuniting with him was a better option for him at this point in his career.
