Arguably, the defences he’s still producing (2022, 2021, 2020) have kept the Patriots from rebuilding properly.
No they haven't. This is the NFL not the NBA lottery. Draft picks through the 4th round can all have a ton of value and net you really good players no matter where you pick. Every year there are dozens of guys that ball out that weren't anywhere close to being picked top 32.
Lets also not forget the extent to which BB whiffed on a lot of FA moves as well. If anything the strength of our defense should be HELPING our rebuild, not hurting it.
Did he make Bill the greatest defensive mind in history, no!
Bill can be the greatest defensive mind in history and also have been somewhat "made" by Brady. Being a HC is more than just scheme, especially more than just scheme on one side of the ball. People still need to buy in to your system, you still need to bring in the right people around you to run the team.
Bill did that for 20 years, but lets not act like Brady and others (like ernie adams and dante scarnecia) didn't help him immensely.
It's a simple fact that he is a losing HC without Brady. He's had like 4 years to build something without Brady and its looked like the same shit every year. Even going back to 2019 when Gronk retired and Brady clearly started regressing from his old self.
The Patriots just aren't special without Brady. They aren't feared. The Patriots of the last 5 seasons have felt more like the 90s Browns than the greatest dynasty in the history of football. That should be telling considering who was the primary person behind both.
Eagles were due for this kind of game. They had a LOT of things go their way the last few weeks. This was basically a swing back, or maybe a regression to the mean, where basically everything went wrong for the Eagles.
The 49ers are the better team, their roster is on paper and they've done better against the elite teams in the league than the Eagles have. Vegas understood this which is why the 49ers were favorites despite being on the road.
The Eagles defense is also a very genuine problem. If they can't get pressure on the QB they are going to give up 30 every week.
Now a VERY interesting game for the Cowboys happens next week.