King: Patriots need to focus on a deep rebuild
The Patriots are sitting at 2-4 and face a tough task in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills, which leads Peter King to discuss why New England's time at the top of the NFL is up.
Video Transcript
MIKE FLORIO: "PFT" on Yahoo Sports Peter King, Mike Florio, some of the big stories in the National Football League. And one of the big stories of the 2020 season, Peter, the fall of the New England Patriots and they've got a trip to Buffalo coming up this weekend. Would a loss to Buffalo that would drop the Patriots to 2 and 5, signify the end of their reign atop the AFC East and really atop the NFL for the past 20 years?
PETER KING: I mean, do you need a loss to Buffalo to show you that? I mean even if somehow, some way-- look, part of the thing about Buffalo right now is Josh Allen you know looks like 180 degrees different in-- between the second month of the season and the first month. But-- but we digress here. In my opinion, I don't think you need a loss to Buffalo to show you that. Do you really think that the Patriots can rebound this year to win a division with one of the worst five, six, seven offenses in football and a defense that can rise to the occasion occasionally but is not a great defense, either. I-- you know the time for the Patriots, I think is over, Mike. And they have to concentrate I believe, on a deep rebuild and that's going to start figuring out whether Cam Newton is the guy and it's going to continue with, in my opinion, Bill Belichick finally coming to the realization that the quarterback and the offensive coordinator simply can not be asked to be the solution for all of the offensive problems. There is not a single skilled player on that offense that any defensive coordinator in the league says, man we got to be worried about x on Sunday.
MIKE FLORIO: And I wonder why that is. I mean, they try to draft guys for those positions, they never go out and sign an expensive free agent. I feel like this is part of that broader system that is premised on not paying guys very much money. And skill position players who are good and who get to the market, they get paid a lot of money. And Belichick is trying to ensure that he's got that middle class of backups who can step in, he's got a bunch of different guys he can use whenever. And it works until it doesn't and now it's not.
I'll say this though, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on the Patriots. And I think if they do beat the Bills this weekend, now they're going to have to win some more games, going to have to do some more work, they've got a hole to dig out of, but it won't be quite as deep if they could beat the Bills. Sims has been saying all week on "PFT Live" that the Bills don't match up well with the Patriots. Patriots can stop-- the Bills can't stop the run and the Bills can't run the ball and that plays into what the Patriots can still do well. And I think if they could just settle down, I think that whole COVID thing when Cam Newton tested positive, it just knocked everything out of whack for the Patriots. And they've been struggling to get it back and maybe this is the week they get it back.
Now if they don't, 2 and 5, losing to the Bills, maybe they are done. But I still hold out hope that they're going to find a way to get better as the season progresses, make chicken salad out of a bad situation, and if I'm any of the contenders in the AFC, Peter, the high end contenders; the Chiefs, the Titans, the Steelers, the Ravens. I don't want the Patriots rolling into town in the divisional round no way, no how, because they would be very dangerous if they got to the playoffs.
PETER KING: Remember the "Seinfeld" episode where George Costanza, at the party, finds the clown. OK the clown comes in to entertain at the party, the clown has never heard of Bozo. And George is railing on this clown and the clown says, you're living in the past, man. You're living in the past. You're hung up on some old clown. Mike, you are living in the past. I don't know how the New England Patriots of the last couple of weeks can go in anywhere right now, anywhere, and win.
Now look, if Cam Newton all of a sudden you know, shakes off whatever slump he's in and he's pretty good and he can run and he can complete a few passes. But it's mainly based on his legs and Cam Newton taking over games like he used to, the way LeBron does, then I'll change my mind. But man, I just don't see it. I don't know, it's like watching the Rams this week. You know the Rams and the Bears. You keep saying, how in the world did the Bears have five wins with that offense? I just-- I cannot picture the Patriots rebounding. Even though they got two games against the Toledo Mud Hens a.k.a. The New York Jets, I don't see them coming back, Mike.
MIKE FLORIO: Bottom line, I like clowns named Bozo, you like clowns named Eric. We'll see you next time for more "PFT" on Yahoo.
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