As the nagging sense of something negative in New England continues to fester, Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston offers up a possible theory. Curran questions whether Belichick is back in the same place where he was in 2009, when there weren’t enough voices of dissent in his ear.
It’s important for anyone in a position of power and influence to have one or more lieutenants who are willing and able to raise real questions about whether a planned course of action could be a mistake. When Curran presented the issue directly to Belichick after the Ravens splattered the Patriots in the wild-card round in the 2009 season, Belichick agreed with the importance of having people like that around.