The Patriots are looking to revamp their offensive coaching staff, and it sounds like a familiar face is a favorite for the gig. Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston writes that Bill O’Brien is the “primary target” for New England’s offensive coordinator job.
[RELATED: Patriots Will Start OC Interviews Next Week]
Curran notes that there are “other candidates with merit,” but there’s “unanimity on all sides” that O’Brien is the best person for the position. The main thing going for O’Brien is his relationship with the Patriots organization, especially when you consider Bill Belichick‘s penchant for bringing back former assistants. O’Brien spent five years with the Patriots, culminating in him becoming the team’s offensive coordinator. Following head coaching stints with Penn State and the Texans, O’Brien spent the past two years as the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban, a close confidant of Belichick.
Speaking of Alabama, O’Brien also has an advantage over the field thanks to his relationship with Mac Jones. While the QB prepared for the 2021 NFL Draft, he also helped O’Brien learn the Alabama offense following the coach’s hiring. O’Brien could look to add elements of Alabama’s quick-strike offense to the Patriots offense. While the familiar scheme would obviously benefit Jones, the offensive philosophy would also take better advantage of Jones’ game-management skills (vs. his average QB skills).
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Mike Reiss looks at a handful of additional potenital candidates for the offensive coordinator position. After O’Brien, Reiss lists former Jets head coach Adam Gase as a candidate considering his mutual respect with Belichick and his experience with Saban. Reiss also lists Vikings receivers coach Keenan McCardell, former Jets/Cardinals associate head coach/receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, Cowboys QBs coach Doug Nussmeier, and current Patriots tight ends coach Nick Caley as potential targets for the job.
In a surprising press release last week, the Patriots revealed that they would begin interviewing offensive coordinator candidates. This follows a 2022 campaign where Belichick opted to go without an OC to replace Josh McDaniels and chose former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and former special teams coordinator Joe Judge to lead the way. The results were ugly, as the inconsistent Patriots offense struggled for much of the year.
OC? OK. GM? No.
Must be tough deciding whether to leave a job that pays $millions with no pressure in order to take a high pressure NFL job that pays only slightly more.
Curran’s reporting has a credibility problem. First Bill O’Brien represents the offense the Patriots don’t want to run anymore because they feel the league has figured it out. Second Curran claimed with NO evidence that there’s a media backlash against Jones spread by Patricia and Judge; there is nothing but media excuse making for Jones even as he never got better in two seasons. Revamping the offense means another quarterback (maybe Garoppolo or Lamar Jackson, maybe Zappe who discredited all the narrative against Patricia) replaces Jones.
Watching the pats empire crumble around that arrogant and toxic fanbase had been amazing. The best part is that they still believe that Billy is a good coach, Macorkle is a good QB and that they have a shot in the AFCE. Truth is Brady Made Bill, Mac Sucks and you will be looking up from under Josh Allen’s boot heel for the next 15 years. Have fun being delusional and delightfully mediocre for the next ten years.
A fantastic run it was McStumble…. Oh I’m sorry Stubby McFumble..
The Brady made Bill narrative is beyond ludicrous. How many games did Tommy boy win for the Pats while playing defense or special teams? He wasn’t even missed while serving his deflategate suspension as the Pats won all four of those games with Jimmy G. The poaching of Patriot assistants and execs was a bigger problem for Belichick and he’s still scrambling to recover from those departures.
Notorious starf#&kers Mike Lupica and Mike Francesa approve of what you said.
Belichick has had losing seasons 2 of the past 3 years, not to mention a losing aggregate record in Cleveland. That by itself is evidence Brady made Belichick.
So you’re implying that if Brady had been in Cleveland to tutor Bill, the Browns would have had a dynasty instead of the Patriots…lol.
Hey good take standby. When your Bills make it to the SuperBowl let us know. They almost got beat by Miami lol. When they do they usually lose or was that because of Marc? 0 for 5 approaching.
Truth is Belichick made Brady just as he made winning seasons with Matt Cassel, Garoppolo, and Jacoby Brissett. Josh Allen looks more and more like Brett Favre instead of a true championship contender
“Josh Allen looks more and more like Brett Favre instead of a true championship contender“
So Josh Allen is looking like a Super Bowl winning and 1st Ballot Hall of Fame QB? Lol… we will take it.
Bengals 27
Bills 10
Goodell gave the Bills a home game they didn’t earn. Allen put up a Mac-like performance. All the trash talking by the Bills HC, QB, and fans and still no AFC title. Keep talking smack.
Bengals 27
Bills 10
Goodell gave the Bills a home game they didn’t earn. Allen put up a Mac-like performance. All the trash talking by the Bills’ HC, QB, and fans and still no AFC title. Keep talking smack.
Any OC decision influenced by Mac Jones is doomed to fail.
I don’t understand the Jones hate. He had a good rookie season, a sophomore slump (didn’t Justin Herbert suffer through the same). What Jones needs to do is hit the weight room, improve his diet, train both strength and speed. There’s plenty of pudge to replace with muscle. At that point, Jones will be a first rate NFL quarterback. Jones understands football, he just needs to learn to love the NFL game. It’s too easy being a Crimson Tide QB where there’s only a team or two with comparable talent on the roster.
Changes of winning a Super Bowl with Mac Jones are infinitely higher than winning one with Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr (that said Ryan Tannehill did come close and Tannehill is in the same talent category as Cousins and Carr).
Here’s why – Jones had a good rookie season but began declining in the second half of it and has made no strides as a quarterback since then. Where Skyler Thompson, Trevor Lawrence, and others stay quiet, work to improve, and strive to get better, Jones blames everyone else, acts out in fits of immaturity, doesn’t take coaching, doesn’t fix his flawed quarterbacking fundamentals, and never delivers in the clutch. This is Ryan Leaf level bush league garbage.
He’s been crap since December, 2021. If you want specifics, he’s got a weak arm, slow release, can’t handle the rush, and makes terrible decisions. His INT total should be higher than it is.
When you draft a 1st round QB, you have 2.5 seasons to decide whether to fish or cut bait. I say 2.5 and not 3 because if a QB doesn’t impress in his first 2 years and sucks in the 1st half in year 3, he’s done and everyone involved will know it’s time to move on.
But hang on Jones does run like an (over-sized) gazelle, is tall as heck to see over the offensive linemen and defensive linemen and does appear to like football. This is not Ryan Leaf, Michael.
Thanks for sharing your frustration. As a Redskins fan, we’ve been in a worse QB hell since the Dwayne Haskins pick and even before. Daniel Jones looks like draft success (and is in comparison to some of these other recent first round washout QB’s).