Damien Harris Blames Patriots’ Downfall Post-Tom Brady Era on Bill Belichick & Recalls Shock Decision to Change Matt Patricia’s Role

Former Patriots͏’ RB D͏amien Harris͏, o͏pe͏nly shared his cha͏lleng͏es͏ ͏on “The At͏hletic Football ͏S͏how” with͏ Rober͏t Mays. Sp͏e͏aki͏ng candidly ab͏out his time͏ under Bill Belichick and OCs Matt P͏atricia and Joe Judge, H͏arris highlighted s͏ome of ͏the d͏iffic͏ulties he faced. His ͏willingne͏ss͏ to discuss͏ these is͏sues͏ ͏pu͏blicly s͏ets him ͏apart, ͏as very few͏ fo͏rmer players have ͏v͏oice͏d such conc͏erns.

The RB began by admitting he wasn’t shocked when Belichick struggled to find a job after parting ways with New England. Despite often affirming his appreciation for Belichick, he criticized the coach’s authoritative approach.

Per Damien, after moving to the Buffalo Bills, he gained a new perspective. Harris shared, “Matt Patricia goes from defensive coordinator to offensive coordinator. Well, why is that? It’s because we’re all just pawns in Bill Belichick’s game of Monopoly. We can all be moved, we can all be interchanged… Like, ‘Okay, well you coached here all your life? Screw that. You can go coach here because as long as you apply and instill what I am teaching, what I am coaching, then the team will have success.’”

He further opined, “I think that is what led to the trouble kinda starting to—the tide starting to turn, trouble started to arise.”

Tom Brady brought the Patriots unm͏a͏tched su͏c͏cess, securing six Super Bowl t͏itl͏es over t͏wo decades. Known for his clutch performance, Bra͏dy ea͏r͏n͏ed thre͏e͏ MVP awards and ͏became the f͏ran͏chise’s all-time ͏le͏ader in͏ passing yards and touchdowns͏. Ho͏wev͏er, following th͏is era of success, the Pat͏riot͏s͏ began ͏to decline.

The former Patriots RB also believed that the coaching setup was detrimental to Mac Jones, leading to players mocking the coaches within the facility.

Damien Harris believes Mac Jones was set up to fail from the start

During his time playing with Jones, Harris shared insights on the impact of Cam Newton’s signing on the team. Reflecting on Newton’s tenure, Harris noted the team’s confusion and skepticism: “This Cam Newton situation… everybody was like, ‘What the f**k is this? Why Cam Newton?’ Bill thought that he could make it work. It didn’t really work.” Despite Belichick’s confidence in making it work, the season didn’t pan out as hoped.

The subsequent drafting of Mac Jones brought a surge of optimism, culminating in a seven-game winning streak and a belief that a Super Bowl run was possible. However, the following year saw significant changes. The replacement of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge led to a challenging season, contributing to Jones’ eventual departure. Harris suggested that Belichick’s decisions may not have been in Jones’ best interest.

Despite differing opinions on Belichick’s handling of Jones and the latter’s three-year tenure, Damien’s observations are noteworthy. Jones’ strong performance at Alabama may have skewed perceptions of his abilities, but his leadership in taking the Patriots to the playoffs and nearly winning the division as a rookie was impressive. While the full potential of Jones’ tenure remains uncertain, both he and the Patriots seem poised for a more promising future as they approach the 2024 season.