We have now crested a hill of sorts. The odds of success in the final three jobs of this list are greater than the first three—even if Jerod Mayo’s lone year at the helm of the Pats was anything but.

While addressing the media, Patriots owner Robert Kraft admitted that he left Mayo in something of a no-win situation.

“This whole situation is on me. I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation,” Kraft said. “I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I’m a fan of this team first, and now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships.”

The hope is that statement means Kraft will take a step back and give the new coach some time, because the Patriots aren’t a quick fix.

The Patriots appear to have their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye. They have the fourth overall pick in April’s draft, which should afford them either an impact player or a bevy of picks from a team looking to move up. No team in the league has more cap space than New England’s $127.7 million.

New England needs it. The Patriots were a bottom-three offense and ranked outside the top 20 in defense. The list of positions where the Patriots need help is longer than the list of positions where they don’t.

This is the starter set job. The ground-up gig. It could allow a coach to truly put his stamp on the team—but only if Kraft is patient enough this time to allow it.

Even then, getting out from under the shadow of Bill Belichick would take a long time.