5 candidates to replace Bill Belichick and give Patriots a fresh start
By Ryan Heckman
What do the New England Patriots do in a season like this? After the departure of Tom Brady, Patriots fans got used to seeing mediocrity, despite Bill Belichick still being at the helm.
But, a season like this, where the Patriots sit at 2-7 halfway through the season, has to make the organization start seriously thinking about making changes.
Even though Belichick reportedly signed an extension this past offseason, Robert Kraft and company have to think long and hard about moving in a new direction. If the Patriots continue down this road, it further proves the game has passed Belichick by.
Should the Patriots fire Belichick, these are some possible candidates to consider as the Patriots could begin a new era.
1. Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs
Of course, fans will most likely want an offensive mind to replace Belichick. But, Kraft may not necessarily operate that way. In fact, he might actually want someone with a defensive mind and lots of coaching experience. Truly, we don't know what type of candidate he'd want to replace Belichick. But, if the former was true, then Steve Spagnuolo makes sense.
Spagnuolo has head coaching experience and has specialized on the defensive side of the ball for most of his career. This season, he has the Chiefs defense looking like one of the best units in the entire NFL. Even Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce recently talked about this being the best defense they have played with, and it's all thanks to the scheme and creativity of Spagnuolo.
If New England wanted a veteran coach with a hard-nosed, defensive mind, then look no further.