Cam Newton fumbled, but everyone on the New England Patriots deserves some blame.
Don’t be fooled by the final score of their Week 8 loss to the rival Buffalo Bills — the New England Patriots are a former shell of their dominant selves that once towered over the NFL.
Sunday’s 24-21 loss to the Bills assured us that the once-dominant team in the AFC is now in a phase of rebuilding that hasn’t been seen since the start of the century. New England is 2-5, three games below 0.500. In the process, they are on a four-game losing streak, the franchise’s first of its kind since 2002.
It’s common for the folks in Foxborough to pin the blame on Cam Newton for making a late-game mistake and to be benched, or to blame Bill Belichick for the lack of weapons and lack of creativity. What good does the blame game do? It doesn’t fix anything. Instead of rushing to a conclusion, it would be wise to be patient.
The Patriots are now in a state of rebuilding, a process that will take time.
There is no one individual that must be held to the fire of a disappointing stretch, instead, the entire organization must be held accountable. No one is in danger of losing their job, as that too would be ridiculous given their history.
If anyone believes that one bad season after 20 years of good fortune is a cause for unemployment, they must receive counseling. Cam Newton fumbled, yes. But he’s not the reason for the lost season and neither is Belichick. This is an organizational issue that needs to be fixed.
In order to fix this mess, the Patriots must weather the storm of this season and proceed into the offseason with whatever resources they can accumulate. The best way is to move on from players and acquire assets in both cap scape and the draft.
The Patriots had a good run, but now it’s back to the middle of the pack. Nothing lasts forever and the folks in Foxborough are learning that hard, cold lesson.