The New England Patriots 2023 season will mercifully come to an end on Sunday afternoon as they face the New York Jets in their regular season finale. There won’t be a postseason trip for the third time in four seasons for the Patriots, who enter the game 4-12 with an eye toward that future.
There has been a lot of discussion about how that future could look and whether or not head coach Bill Belichick will be a part of it. There have been some reports that Robert Kraft has already decided that the team would part ways with Belichick this offseason, while other reports state that the two sides haven’t had any discussions about it yet.
Whatever happens with Belichick, it is fair to say that this was easily the worst season under his watch. The team struggled across the board, but their offense was especially poor. The quarterback play has been abysmal this season from Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, as the only positive to come out of this season is that they could be in line to select a top prospect at the position in the 2024 NFL Draft.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, Adrian Klemm, Matt Groh, New England Patriots Updates
Another reason for the team’s struggles on offense is the performance of their offensive line. That unit has struggled to find chemistry and cohesion, leading to some truly ugly performances on offense as they cannot pass protect or run block.
The offensive line is reportedly what led to a verbal altercation between a coach and someone in the team’s front office. Adrian Klemm, who was hired as the team’s offensive line coach after interviewing for the offensive coordinator job, reportedly got into a screaming match with front office personnel about the lack of talent along the offensive line.
“According to Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, Klemm confronted Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh earlier this season “in a loud exchange that reverberated through the organization.” Klemm reportedly “didn’t feel heard” and was not the only staffer who pointed his finger at decision-makers over roster issues.
Klemm is not expected to return to the Patriots next season, according to the Boston Herald.” wrote Steve DelVecchio of Larry Brown Sports.
NFL News & Rumors: Bill Belichick, Adrian Klemm, Matt Groh, New England Patriots Updates
It would seem that the Patriots are a bigger mess than was being shared during the season. Klemm has been away from the team for an undisclosed medical issue since November. Part of the leave could do with the interaction with front office personnel, but one thing that is for sure is he won’t be returning to the team in 2024.
With the 2023 campaign nearing an end and a decision to be made about Belichick, there could be more stories such as the one involving Klemm and Matt Groh coming to light. After being the gold standard of the NFL for so long, the Patriots are now full of dysfunction as a reset top to bottom could be in line for the franchise this offseason.
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