ESPN NFL analyst strongly defends Patriots' Bill Belichick

espn nfl analyst strongly defends patriots' bill belichick

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

Former NFL quarterback and well-respected ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky hit back at anybody suggesting that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick can’t succeed without having Tom Brady as his quarterback.

“I think coach-wise, he’s a coach you can win a Super Bowl with still,” Orlovsky insisted while speaking about Belichick during an appearance on the WEEI “Jones and Mego with Arcand” program, per Lauren Campbell of MassLive. “Just watch the defense play…They’re still playing at a pretty darn high level.”

ESPN stats show that the 3-10 Patriots enter Week 15 ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (306.9) and tied for 14th with an average of 20.9 points surrendered per contest. However, New England is also last in the league with an average of 13.0 points scored per game.

Belichick’s inability to acquire a long-term replacement for Brady after the 2019 season is a big reason the Patriots will miss the playoffs for a third time in four years. The offseason hiring of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator wasn’t enough to fix what’s been a broken unit throughout the ongoing campaign, and it’s now widely believed that Patriots owner Robert Kraft is ready to move on from Belichick as soon as the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach finishes the Week 18 matchup versus the New York Jets.

“The offensive stuff obviously hasn’t gone well,” Orlovsky continued while defending Belichick. “How much of that is lack of talent and how much of that is a poor plan? I still sit here and say that he is one of these handful of coaches that you, without a doubt, can win a Super Bowl with as your leader.”

Belichick turns 72 years old this coming April and has been linked in rumors with the Washington Commanders, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers. At least one owner likely agrees with Orlovsky’s take, but it remains to be seen how Kraft will handle Belichick reportedly being under contract through the 2024 season.

New England next hosts the 8-5 Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. As of early Thursday afternoon, oddschecker listed the Patriots as 7.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs.

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