The New England Patriots are off to their worst start under Bill Belichick since 2000, having lost four of their first five games to start the 2023 season, with their head coach now under fire after having failed to produce satisfactory results since the departure of Tom Brady.
The Pats have experienced blowout losses in their last two games, scoring just three total points in outings against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans.
The previous two losses have really exposed the team’s lack of depth both in offense and on defense. And one former team exec has pointed to an absence that has really impacted performances.
“When you look at it a bit deeper, I see the absence of Dante Scarnecchia really impacting that offensive line and the players really developing. But the other person we don’t really hear enough about is the absence of Ernie Adams,” Scott Pioli said on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football (H/T NESN).
“Ernie Adams was everything. Ernie Adams was the guy who developed quarterbacks. You go back and look at the quarterbacks and how they developed whether it was (Tom) Brady, (Jimmy) Garoppolo, (Matt) Cassel, all the young quarterbacks.”
Adams had three stints with the Patriots, filling roles as an offensive assistant, administrative assistant, and football research director before retiring in the summer of 2021.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
According to Piolo, Adams was “one of the most important people” during the Pats’ glory days. He is a close friend of Bill’s and the two would study film together to determine various tells for players to focus on.
While Brady is the one person everyone thinks left the hole, perhaps Adams’ departure was just as destructive.
