No. But it will be a busy off-season in Foxborough.
February 4, 2018, marked a special night in NFL history, the night of one of the greatest Super Bowl’s ever played. Quarterbacks Tom Brady and Nick Foles passed for close to 900 combined yards, shattering Super Bowl records.
In a thrilling shootout from start to finish, the game was ultimately decided by defense–or lack thereof. The Pats’ had trouble covering the middle of the field. Devon McCourty was exposed, Patrick Chung played through injury, and New England had difficulty containing LeGarrette Blount.
But take nothing away from the Eagles. Philadelphia outplayed and outcoached perhaps the greatest organization in the history of the sport.
Still, though, questions abound for New England and its future. On the coaching side, DC Matt Patricia has left to become the Lions head coach. On the players’ side, there’s the curious case of Malcolm Butler, whose benching as a Super Bowl starter leads one to assume that his time in New England has come to an end.
But perhaps the most significant situation is the possibility of Rob Gronkowski retiring. “I don’t know how you heard that, but I’m definitely going to think about my future, for sure,” he said. “I’m going to sit down in the next couple weeks and see where I’m at.”
That raises the question of whether Tom Brady will remain. Brady said before the game that he intends to be playing football next year, and his staying is a better bet after OC Josh McDaniels turned down the Colts’ head job to stay with the Pats.
Do I think the Pats are a dynasty in dismay? No. They’re not even close. Not now anyway.
But make no mistake about this: the off-season is always long for the Super Bowl loser. This one will be different for New England. New England needs to replace Butler, has to have younger and fresher legs at safety, and must improve its pass rush.
If New England does all of those things, then don’t bet against Robert Kraft hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy on February 3, 2019.
