Did anybody else feel like time stopped when Davis Mills caught the pitch back from Mark Ingram II with 13:31 left in the third quarter? A play that resulted in a 37 yard touchdown and a 22-9 deficit to a Houston Texans team that was down two quarterbacks. In this moment, Mills who threw for only 87 yards against Buffalo the week prior: he looked like Jim Kelly. Poised and in control, he took what our defense gave and executed when needed. Very little pressure outside of Mathew Judon, no turnovers and the lone 50/50 ball caught for a 67 yard TD. It felt surreal.

During the time Chris Conley secured that catch and stumbles into the end zone, I was thinking the ultimate worst: Should we move on from Bill Belichick? Is this the beginning of the end of the Patriot way?

Hear me out: this doesn’t always end up well when the franchise player moves on from a franchise who doesn’t have an adequate replacement. Look at the Chicago Bulls for an example. The Jordan Bulls won six championships, then were forced apart by GM Jerry Krause in 98’. What have they done since to reclaim the top spot in the NBA? The Cowboys have faced similar expectations and lackluster results with owner Jerry Jones being the only mainstay from those Troy Aikman/ Michael Irvin/ Emmitt Smith days. Shoot, it took the Sox 86 years to become champs again after winning five titles in fifteen years with Babe Ruth.

Let’s face it, I started having doubts for the first time on Sunday about if this organization needs a new leader. A new direction to breathe life into what could be a stale motto: The Patriot Way. As it stands, stars aren’t going to come here without Brady. Stephon Gilmore being traded to Carolina could be a prime example of that being played out. Gilmore was content with playing out his contract in Carolina, but not here. Why? Probably because the top talent isn’t going to conform to a rigid standard when they aren’t Super Bowl contenders. This team is void of gamechangers and adding veteran Jamie Collins will only help some. No Gilmore. No Chandler Jones. No Gronkowski. No Welker. No Edelman. No Brady. No James White. This team is miles away from the glory days, and analysis on this win does little for the long term or the present. But what if it was Brady who was irreplaceable and not Belichick? What if we got it wrong?

“Local journalism is more important now than ever. Please support the Hassle by donating to our annual GoFundMe Fundraiser, subscribing to our Patreon, or making a one-time donation via PayPal.”