There’s a distinct possibility that Tom Brady will leave New England and play elsewhere next season, and if he does, Damon Amendolara believes Bill Belichick should make a play for Andy Dalton.
“If Brady goes somewhere else, I think Andy Dalton is the perfect solution right now for the Patriots – the absolute perfect solution,” Amendolara said on The DA Show. “I do. I think Andy Dalton has, at times over the course of his career, been a very good quarterback. I think he’s been, at times, very good. Not the entire time. But I also think that what Belichick does is he surrounds you with all the things that you need to win by not asking you to do more than you are capable of. If Dalton is good enough to go 10-6 with Marvin Lewis, he’s good enough to be 10-6 with Bill Belichick.”
Mraz, however, doesn’t think that’s a good idea. Dalton had solid weapons in Cincinnati but was still 0-4 in the playoffs with one touchdown and six interceptions.
“I would agree,” Amendolara said. “But I believe that Andy Dalton, with Bill Belichick, is a way better version of Andy Dalton with Marvin Lewis.”
Fair, but couldn’t you say that about any quarterback? Wouldn’t any quarterback be better with Bill Belichick?
“Exactly,” Amendolara said, “so you go with a guy that’s already been very good and you then put him to Bill Belichick and he’s [32] years old and you say, ‘You can get a good five years out of Andy Dalton in New England.”
Mraz isn’t so sure.
“I think if New England is banking on five years of Andy Dalton just because Belichick’s a great head coach, they are in for a very rude awakening,” he said. “I think we know the ceiling on Andy Dalton. I don’t think you’re winning Super Bowls with [Andy Dalton]. Bill Belichick wants to win at least a Super Bowl without Tom Brady.”
“Well, I got news for you,” “D.A. countered. “The moment Brady leaves, I don’t think they’re winning another Super Bowl.”
If Brady does leave, Mraz believes the Patriots should consider tanking in 2020.
“I think if you’re New England, I highly doubt this would happen out of pride – but maybe it should happen out of smarts,” he said. “I think if you lose Tom Brady this year, you batten down the hatches, you play Jarrett Stidham, and you hope to get right at the top of the draft and you go for Trevor Lawrence. You come back with Bill Belichick and Trevor Lawrence in 2021.”
“It’s the ultimate Belichick chess move,” D.A. said, “but a Belichick team going 2-14 to win Trevor Lawrence would be the ultimate tank job. It would be so obvious.”