Could Bill Belichick be FIRED after this week’s game in Germany?

It’s another Wilder Wednesday and Oddball’s Charlotte Wilder joined Mike Golic Jr. and Mike Golic Sr. to discuss a hot topic: Bill Belichick’s future in New England.

Ben Volin of The Boston Globe wrote a column that speculates that IF the Patriots fall in Germany this week to the Colts “there’s a chance the Krafts could make the move in the bye week and install Jerod Mayo as the interim coach for the final seven games.”

Given that Charlotte is the show’s resident Patriots expert, GoJo has a simple question: Could there be a sadder ending to the Bill Belichick era in New England than being left behind on the tarmac in Germany following a loss?

The image of Belichick sadly scarfing down a pretzel aside, Charlotte says it feels like the unthinkable. If Bill Belichick can be removed from his post, really no one is safe. If Bill is fired by the Krafts, with whom he has a longstanding relationship and quietly re-signed with in the offseason, Charlotte says it feels unfathomable but also like it could be a smart move. She also thinks it raises bigger questions about “The Patriot Way” and what New England does going forward and what path Mayo, a former Patriot player, could potentially take. Do you shake things up and do things completely differently, she asks. And if that works, does that make people question everything they thought they knew about the Patriots dynasty?

Senior points out that it’s really not “The Patriot Way” but rather “The Bill Belichick Way.” So whenever he’s gone, that ends. Afterall, we’ve seen former Patriots assistants attempt the Belichick Way and fail spectacularly. Senior also says there’s no way on God’s green Earth that Bill Belichick will be let go during this season. Now, what happens at the end of the season could be a different story. But as Senior notes, Belichick is nearing Don Shula’s all-time wins record, making him wonder if Belichick will go to another team in an attempt to break the record. Is that a goal of his and is it enough of a goal of his to go somewhere else to do it? Senior also wonders if Belichick will want to go out on his own terms.

GoJo notes that he felt a lot better about the hoodie’s continued employment prior to Senior God’s green Earth-ing the prospect of a pink slip, making it almost certain that Belichick will not be the HC of NE coming back from Germany. GoJo is interested in the Jerod Mayo of it all, as he points out that we have recent precedent for what happens when a former player takes over for a member of the Belichick coaching tree in season. It’s all player-centric right now in Las Vegas under Antonio Pierce, but GoJo says that’s Pierce. He wasn’t brought up under the Patriot/Belichick Way. He notes that way a lot of people see football is dependent upon how they were trained, be it in the media or on the field. So who you were coached by or the organization you were in can influence how you see the game. So would Mayo be a continuation of the Belichick Way, at least in the short term since the old way may not work anymore without the tentpole in the center.

Charlotte says that when people ask her for career advice, one of the most important things is figuring out what you don’t want or what doesn’t work for you. So, Charlotte thinks that in the aftermath of McDaniels’ departure in Vegas Pierce has been able to paint himself as a coach who puts others first in a way that allows room for fun. Unless that completely falls apart, Charlotte thinks that generally having a good time is going to get more out of people. So she would be interested to see if Mayo eschews how he was taught and the environment he was developed in for more of an environment where he acknowledges the holes in The Belichick Way and that there might have been a special sauce in the Brady/Belichick pairing that was effective but can’t be replicated.

Senior points out the duality of the arguments — yes, The Belichick Way is all Mayo has known, but as Charlotte points out it may not work anymore in today’s world. So the question becomes, what can he cherry-pick from The Belichick Way while also adjusting for a different era?

Meanwhile, Senior was trying out some new lighting measures during today’s show ...

SHOW BREAKDOWN

Hour 1: Wilder Wednesdays — Charlotte on Jason Kelce & America’s Thick-Neck Men Era, Golden Bachelor Reality Check, Belichick being left in Germany and CJ Stroud’s MVP status

Hour 2: Kevin Byard, Philadelphia Eagles Safety, on Titans trading him, Josh Dobbs & Super Bowl Ambitions + Andrew Whitworth on the NFL’s Best Team, the Brotherly Shove & Justin Field’s Future

VIDEO:

Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show will also be available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.

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