Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images This week’s Patriots mailbag answers questions about Bill Belichick’s future, Malik Cunningham, and more. After a mini-bye of sorts, the New England Patriots return home and welcome Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to town. While a loss would obviously benefit New England in the long term, the Patriots could find themselves in a close battle with what appears to be a vulnerable Chiefs team. While Patrick Mahomes is still the league’s top QB and Travis Kelce remains a Hall of Fame talent at tight end, Kansas City’s wide receivers have been a well-known issue this season. Beyond lining up offsides, the Chiefs’ receivers often appear to be on the wrong page as Mahomes or simply drop the ball when they aren't. To make matters worse, they now face off against Bill Belichick — who always seems to have a strong game plan for Mahomes. That has featured a heavy dose of man coverage while attempting to disrupt Kelce, a plan that shouldn't change much this weekend. In the past three weeks, Mahomes has completed just over 50 percent of his passes against man coverage compared to nearly 72 percent of his passes against zone looks. As for New England’s defense, their man coverage has sparked a top ten ranking in completion percentage allowed during that same stretch. Perhaps this is the game that Mahomes and Co. break out of their slump and get back on track as the AFC’s juggernaut. If not, a low scoring affair could result with New England walking out of Foxboro with a two-game winning streak. So before we get to Sunday, let’s knock out the rest of this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If Bill leaves, who takes over as HC and OC? - Kevin I’m at the point where I would be very surprised if it was not Jerod Mayo. Loyalty is obviously something Robert Kraft values — something he reiterated last weekend on ESPN’s College GameDay ahead of the Army-Navy Game — and I doubt he would want to go completely away from the dynasty ways with an outsider. That brings me back to Mayo, unless they set their eyes on trying to get Mike Vrabel from Tennessee. As for offensive coordinator, that is where things get interesting. The hiring of Bill O’Brien was largely due to Kraft, and the offensive coordinator planned on being back home in Massachusetts for several years — something his contract reflected. Would this year completely change that thought process, or would Kraft again stay loyal to O’Brien and push to keep him around (also providing a first-time head coach in Mayo with an experienced play caller)? My early prediction would then be Mayo as head coach with O’Brien returning as O.C. But, if Mayo is given leeway to go outside the building, I'd be intrigued with reuniting with Wes Welker. Mayo’s old teammate has served as the wide receivers coach in San Francisco and now Miami, obviously two of the top offenses in the league with tons of talent at the position. If Welker left on good terms with Kraft, he would be a candidate I’m interested in. @Ronyag_ Who are some likely internal and external GM candidates? Would Kraft/NE give the GM the authority/ say in the hiring of a HC? People talk about Mayo, which could be fine, but it’d be a weird dynamic to have the HC and GM hired in parallel. At this point, the GM position may be more of a search than the head coach. If they were to stay internal, Matt Groh is the logical choice as he has served as the director of player personnel the past two seasons. If they go outside the organization, Adam Peters continues to be at the top of my list. Peters has been on scene to see the 49ers build their roster as the assistant GM, and also has ties to New England as he spent six years (2003-08) in Foxboro serving numerous roles. Looking at someone from that organization — or one like Philadelphia — would be where I start. As for the second part, the coach and general manager should obviously have a relationship. But, it must be clear who the one making the final call is. Why did they let Malik leave for Baltimore? - KJ The Patriots mishandled Malik Cunningham from the jump by trying to transition him to wide receiver over the offseason (a position that’s been proven hard enough to learn here for players who actually played receiver in college). But as he learned all the installation at receiver, he was never ready to be thrown into the mix at quarterback when needed in the regular season. While he was undrafted, Cunningham showed promise at quarterback at Louisville with a dynamic skillset. But, outside of that fourth quarter in the preseason and a handful of package plays in summer practices — in which he was never asked to throw the ball — New England chose to develop him at receiver until things fell apart in the QB room. Cunningham may never have been a Pro Bowl talent or the next Lamar Jackson, but he’s no doubt an electric player with the ball in his hands. For a team that lacks serious offensive talent, not even giving him a chance at his natural position is disappointing. @_ShaneTheShaman Given the current state of affairs, is Caleb Williams the answer we think he is? No prospect is a slam dunk answer. But, if you're looking for the best bet at the answer in this draft you won't find a better option than Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. If New England can close things out with the No. 2 overall pick, you run up the card with whoever’s name falls to you. Will Taylor Swift be in attendance? - Mae It seems like she will be. But for as much as she loves Gillette, she’ll be cheering for the team in Red. That’s all for this week’s #PostPulpit mailbag. If you have questions you’d liked to be answered next week, submit them on Twitter using #PostPulpit. Make sure to be following @iambrianhines and @PatsPulpit as well. Source: https://www.patspulpit.com/2023/12/15/2 ... cunningham
