In the years leading up to Tom Brady's departure from the Patriots, there was considerable discussion about how the team would fare in his absence, especially since it seemed he was nearing the end of his career, mainly due to age rather than performance. The same could be said about Bill Belichick, as many knew the fate of the New England team would likely be a dumpster fire with both future Hall of Famers out of Foxboro.
There was hope from fans that they would properly prepare those who would be taking over for them, which we saw Belichick did not do at quarterback, and Robert Kraft's decision to fire the head coach and replace him with the inexperienced Jerod Mayo proved he hadn't done that adequately, either.