Rex Ryan calls Tom Brady-less Patriots the worst team in the NFL - “I’ve waited for years to say this”
Tom Brady's time in New England brought the team higher than any other perhaps in NFL history. But with him out of the picture, the team has slowly fallen into the lowest cellar of the lowest basement of the NFL.
At least, that's what former rival Rex Ryan, who coached the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, said on ESPN's "First Take" on Monday:
"I've waited for years to say this. The Patriots. The Patriots are the most hopeless franchise right now. I'm just being real because they are. There's no talent there. Like, who's their best player on the field? Because they don't have (linebacker Matthew) Judon. You don't have (cornerback Christian Gonzales). (Defensive lineman) Christian Barmore? I can't name anybody else that I would want on my team.
"So, to me, yes, it's hopeless. The quarterback's awful. There's no energy. There's no passion. I look at this offense and I see nothing." (00:03:55 mark)
Bill Belichick's record with and without Tom Brady
By losing 21-17 on Sunday to the Las Vegas Raiders and his former offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, the head coach of the New England Patriots might have put the final nail in the coffin in the Tom Brady debate.
Since losing Brady, Bill Belichick is 26-30. Before the quarterback's departure at the end of the 2019 season, he was 237-83. That was a .740 winning percentage, and, of course, six Super Bowl wins. Over the last three years, he's at a .464 winning percentage and 0-for-1 in the playoffs.
The percentage is mostly boosted by the team's 10-7 record in 2021. If the team continues on a 1-5 pace this season, he will finish with a roughly 3-14 record, sinking his winning percentage even further.
At this point, the team's odds of getting the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft are the franchise's most enticing aspect.
One question fans have begun asking themselves is whether Belichick will be part of the team through all 17 games.
Not many coaches can survive such a low point. Nathaniel Hackett was let go around Christmas time last year. Rex Ryan was let go in Week 16 with a 7-8 record in 2016. At this point, if the losing continues, fans might be clamoring for a fresh new era before the season's end.
If any of the above quotes are used, credit "Get Up" and H/T Sportskeeda.