Robert Kraft Sees No Answers From Patriots And That's Because Answer Man, Tom Brady, Left Years Ago

There was a moment in Sunday's blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints in which the New England Patriots trailed 24-0 and desperately needed a spark. The chance for that singular moment of clarity amid a season-long fog came in the third quarter when Bill Belichick's offense crawled from its 25 yard line to the Saints' 40.

But facing a fourth-and-3 situation in a game New England was desperate to grasp some momentum, Belichick opted to punt.

So, no answer.

Everyone saw it, most importantly Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Robert Kraft 'Sounded Defeated' After Patriots Game

We know this because after this game, someone in Kraft's proximity overheard him remark about his team.

"He didn't sound angry," the person told OutKick on Wednesday. "This man is a gentleman, always has been. I won't tell you exactly what he said because people are aware who is around him, but the general context was there seem to be no answers.

"It's not the first time I've heard him sound disappointed. But this might have been the first time he has sounded defeated, frankly."

That's where the Patriots are now. Defeated. And without answers.

Belichick hasn't admitted there are no answers. His answer for the Patriots after being outscored 72-3 the past two games and falling to 1-4 is to "start over."

He meant the entire team, coaching staff included, is going to go back to the beginning of the season and get the fundamentals right. Get the execution right.

It sounds logical except it tacitly admits all that stuff wasn't done right the first time. Other teams and other coaches are off to good starts and don't need a do-over. But Belichick is basically saying he needs a mulligan to try to get it right the second time.

Patriots Struggle Comes Down To Tom Brady

Pundits, analysts and anyone with a platform is trying to figure out if the "start over" can work. And when it doesn't they'll try to understand what went so terribly wrong with the most dominant franchise the NFL has known this century.

And the answer is ultimately quite simple: They don't have Tom Brady, people.

The Patriots have been incomplete in the past. They've blown draft picks and free agent signings in the past. Coaching has failed them in the past. But the past always had Brady to bind the wounds. The Patriots now are sadly diminished because mistakes have obviously been made. And Brady hasn't been around for four seasons to stop the bleeding.

This is no revelation.

There have been plenty of people who have come to understand the Patriot Way wasn't an equal partnership between Brady, Belichick and other great players knowing their jobs.

It was, we now fully understand, a tilted understanding between one all-time great and the many others he lifted onto a greatness platform with him.

Bill Belichick And Patriots Under .500 Without Brady

This truth, over-simplified as it may seem, is undeniable with each mounting Belichick loss. And it may continue to shine an uncomfortable light on the Patriots as they prepare to play the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

It's on display because with each passing week, Belichick's work looks less and less exceptional without Brady.

Belichick's teams have a 26-29 record since Brady departed after the 2019 season. Belichick's record as a head coach overall without Brady is 80-92 dating back to his time as the Cleveland Browns head coach.

So Belichick, who boasts a .657 winning percentage over a 29-year head coaching career, has delivered only a .461 winning percentage without Brady.

You know what that makes Bill Belichick? Someone who resembles all the great New England minds and tacticians that blossomed out of Belichick's coaching tree when Brady was still playing for the team.

Those great New England assistants got promoted and went on to their own NFL head coaching job. And they never enjoyed the heights of success they tasted in New England.

Belichick Coach Tree Withered Without Brady

Consider these great New England assistant coaches that eventually went on to NFL head coaching jobs: Romeo Crennel. Eric Mangini. Matt Patricia. Brian Flores. Joe Judge: Bill O'Brien.

None of those fine Belichick assistants ever enjoyed championship success as head coaches. And the narrative until now has been it was because they simply weren't Belichick.

But that narrative needs to change now. It was probably more because they didn't have Brady.

You can add Josh McDaniels to that list as well. He's the Raiders coach and leads an organization replete with former New England people.

"Vegas is a team that certainly there's a good level of familiarity with," Belichick said Wednesday. "They've got eight guys on the coaching staff, five scouts, nine players, whatever it is, a lot of guys that have been here that I've worked with or we've worked with.

"And, you know, Josh has done a good job here molding the team together here."

McDaniels washed out after two seasons as Denver's head coach in 2009-10 and is so far 8-14 with the Raiders as his team prepares for New England. During the glory years these matchups were often a mismatch because Belichick always had the trump card in Brady.

This Sunday the game is more a meeting of two sub-.500 head coaches.

Follow on X: @ArmandoSalguero