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Joe Judge

Latest On Patriots’ Offensive Coordinator Duties

May 29th, 2022 at 7:43pm CST by Ely Allen

With former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels departing to take the head coaching gig in Las Vegas, the Patriots will be faced with the task of finding a new play-caller on offense. Well, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, since the role has not yet been filled, it appears that head coach Bill Belichick, offensive assistant Joe Judge, and former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are all currently sharing the duties of the role. 

That list of names may be bit surprising. Patricia is currently on staff as a senior football advisor, after a rough tenure in his first head coaching job in Detroit. While Patricia is know for his time in New England as a defensive coach, he began with the Patriots as an offensive assistant and, subsequently, assistant offensive line coach. Many believe that, in his return, he will work mainly with the team’s offensive line, once again.

Judge is another branch of the Belichick-coaching tree that has returned after a less-than-stellar stint as the Giants’ head coach. Judge worked with the Patriots’ special teams unit during his first tenure with the team, adding wide receivers to his docket in his final year before going to New York. Listed on the Patriots’ website as an offensive assistant, it’s presumed that Judge will be working directly with Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and the other quarterbacks.

Finally, the Hoody, himself. Belichick has never officially held play-calling duties. While it’s generally accepted that he’s always had an influence on the Patriots’ offense, McDaniels was always granted free-reign to call plays. Belichick hasn’t even coached with a focus solely on offense since he was the Lions’ receivers coach back in 1977. Besides that role in Detroit, as an assistant, Belichick has always coached defense and special teams. To his credit, though, in Belichick’s first head coaching job in Cleveland, he was heavily credited for his role in the offensive play-calling, though he claimed it was a group effort.

Besides the three named in Reiss’s article, tight ends/fullbacks coach Nick Caley is expected to take on increased responsibility. Troy Brown is in place to coach the wide receivers and kick returners. Ivan Fears and Vinnie Sunseri both share the oversight of the running backs. And Billy Yates holds the position of assistant offensive line coach.

This whole article may end up being a moot point if Belichick and company bring in an offensive coordinator ready to utilize the Patriots’ existing system and call plays in it. For now, though, the role is seemingly vacant, with Belichick taking a village approach to handle the duties.

Latest On Positional Roles For Joe Judge, Matt Patricia

May 17th, 2022 at 1:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the ongoing questions surrounding the Patriots this offseason has been tied to the specific duties assigned to Joe Judge and Matt Patricia. Clarity on the subject came recently when each of them spoke publicly about the team’s new-look offensive staff. 

“In terms of who is coaching each position, you’ll see me on the field with the quarterbacks” Judge said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. That role is significant in any case, but especially so in New England this upcoming season, given the importance of Mac Jones‘ development to the team’s overall success. The ex-Giants head coach has plenty of experience working under Bill Belichick, but has never served as a QBs coach before.

Patricia, meanwhile, revealed that he will be working with the team’s offensive line. That is a familiar position group for him, as he was an assistant o-line coach in 2005, but just as in Judge’s case, his role will be much different than the one he spent the most time with on the Patriots’ staff. The position will include a more simplified job description than those of head coach (which Patricia held in Detroit from 2018 to 2020) or defensive coordinator (which he held in New England for the six years prior to that).

Despite the announcements, nothing new was revealed with respect to play-calling duties. Reiss reported last week that Patricia seemed to be the favorite to fill the vacancy left by Josh McDaniels, though he acknowledged that Judge was a candidate as well. The latter indicated that a final decision on the matter of the duties – if not the title – of offensive coordinator has yet to be made.

“In terms of who calls plays, to be honest with you, that’s not the main focus right now” he said. “When Coach [Belichick] wants to go ahead and declare a role like that, he’ll tell us.”

Matt Patricia Favorite To Call Patriots’ Offensive Plays?

May 13th, 2022 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

The only team without an offensive coordinator, the Patriots are considering a radical approach to replacing Josh McDaniels. It is looking like either Matt Patricia or Joe Judge will call their offensive plays.

Despite each struggling as head coaches, Patricia and Judge are back in New England. Judge landed in Foxborough this year, with Patricia having worked in various roles upon returning in 2021. Although Patricia has gained experience on the front office side since returning to the Patriots, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com hears (via the New York Post) the veteran defensive coordinator is firmly in play to be the team’s offensive play-caller this season.

Patricia and Judge were running New England’s offense during recent offseason workouts, and Reiss slots Patricia as the favorite to be the team’s play-caller come September. Judge, who has more experience on the offensive side of the ball, should not be ruled out. The Pats going with either would represent an unusual move. Judge certainly had input in the Giants’ offense following Jason Garrett‘s ouster, though that Judge-Freddie Kitchens stretch was ignominiously highlighted by the Jake Fromm quarterback-sneak play calls against Washington. Patricia has not called offensive plays at any level.

With the Patriots from 2004-17, Patricia began his tenure as an offensive assistant but quickly transitioned to the defensive side of the ball. The 47-year-old Pats staffer was their DC from 2012-17, prior to becoming the Lions’ head coach. Judge worked with the Patriots from 2012-19, rising to the dual roles of special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach. He would also make for an interesting choice, but this unorthodox approach has been on the radar for a bit now.

Bill Belichick has said Patricia, Judge, tight ends coach Nick Caley and receivers coach Troy Brown will play significant roles in guiding second-year QB Mac Jones and the Patriots’ offense. Of course, someone must sign off on the play calls. It would be one of the more fascinating decisions in recent coaching history to bestow that responsibility on a longtime defensive staffer.

Latest On Patriots Offensive Coaching Staff

March 28th, 2022 at 6:46pm CST by Ben Levine

With Josh McDaniels leaving New England for Las Vegas, the Patriots have a giant hole on their offensive coaching staff. In traditional Bill Belichick fashion, it sounds like the organization may be going with an unconventional route when it comes to McDaniels’ replacement(s). While Belichick hasn’t named an official offensive coordinator, the long-time head coach specifically singled out former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and former special teams coach Joe Judge “as those whom he will be relying upon to help replace McDaniels,” per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

“We’ve had a lot of coaches take multiple responsibilities. I’m not really worried about that,” Belichick said today when asked about the lack of offensive experience for Patricia and Judge. “I think a good coach is a good coach. Matt is a great coach. Joe is a great coach. They’ll help us no matter what position they coach.”

Patricia had a brief stint as offensive line coach with the Patriots in 2005, but he moved to linebackers in 2006 and ended up staying on defense until getting a head coaching gig in Detroit. Similarly, Judge served primarily on special teams during his first seven years with the Patriots, but he took on the role of wide receivers coach in 2019 before leaving to coach the Giants.

When it comes to a lack of offensive coordinator, the Patriots took a similar route with their defense in 2021, with both Jerod Mayo and Steve Belichick guiding that side of the ball (as Reiss notes, Belichick said today “that he doesn’t believe in titles”). The HC noted that all of Patricia, Judge, tight ends coach Nick Caley, and receivers coach Troy Brown will play significant roles in guiding second-year QB Mac Jones and the Patriots offense. However, Belichick was tight lipped when asked who will call plays.

“We won’t be calling any for a while,” Belichick said. “[McDaniels will] be hard to replace, but I feel like we have really good coaches on our staff. … Everybody will have a defined role, like they always do. The offseason is the offseason and once we get on the field coaching players, game-planning and things that, it will all work itself out.”

Update On Patriots’ Coaching, Front Office Staffs

February 22nd, 2022 at 2:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

Much of the talk around the Patriots this offseason revolves around the challenge of replacing Josh McDaniels‘ contributions to the team’s offense. Two of the assistants that will be tasked with working on the new-look staff are ex-Patriot staffers Joe Judge and Matt Patricia. As Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes, the specific roles for those two seem to have been identified. 

As Breer notes, Judge is expected to work with the team’s quarterbacks, something he hasn’t done at any point in his coaching career. When it was announced that he would be returning to New England, it became clear he would work on the offensive staff in some capacity. His only role as a position coach with the Patriots came in 2019, when he worked with the receivers in addition to his more familiar special teams coordinator duties. Regardless of his experience, Judge will have a hugely important role, given that much of the team’s success will likely hinge on Mac Jones‘ development in his second season.

As for Patricia, Breer states that he will work with the offensive line. That would be a slightly more familiar spot for him, since he was an assistant with that position group in 2005 with the Patriots. Still, it’s a long way from the defensive work that earned him a head coaching job. In any event, that position change would confirm the recent belief that Patricia would be transitioning away from the quasi-front office role he took when retuning to New England back to the sidelines.

In addition, Breer writes that “the Patriots haven’t so much as talked to Adam Gase about their OC opening, and things have been quiet on the Bill O’Brien front as well”. That would suggest that their staff is more or less intact as is, something which ESPN’s Mike Reiss corroborates. With regards to the front office, Breer points out that Matt Groh being promoted to director of player personnel as Dave Ziegler‘s replacement – rather than the more experienced Eliot Wolf – is striking. He posits that Bill Belichick likely found Groh to be the safer option to remain with the team long-term, as Wolf has generated outside GM interest.

Overall, there is a degree of risk with entrusting these staffers with positions they haven’t served in during their ascension up the organizational ladder in New England. If it works out, the team’s offense in particular could be in position to take a step forward; if not, though, more shuffling along the staff could prove necessary this time next year.

 

Patriots Considering Moving Matt Patricia To Offensive Staff?

February 17th, 2022 at 8:54am CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots have undergone plenty of change on the sidelines and in the front office recently. In trying to reshape the coaching staff, in particular on the offensive side of the ball, there seems to be a growing chance of Matt Patricia becoming more involved. 

[Related: Raiders Hire Josh McDaniels As HC]

As ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes, “the possibility of Patricia joining the offensive staff in some capacity has come up” within NFL circles. He served under the title of senior football advisor last year, following his return to New England.

The 47-year-old only spent his first two seasons (2004 and 2005) with the Patriots as a member of the offensive staff, and in a minor capacity at that. He is, of course, best known for his six years as the team’s defensive coordinator, which ultimately landed him his first head coaching job in Detroit. That certainly didn’t go according to plan, as the Lions finished last in the NFC North in his two full seasons, and he was fired in November 2020.

Still, Patricia is a trusted lieutenant of Bill Belichick, just like Joe Judge. It was announced last week that the latter is being brought back into the fold, also on the offensive staff. As Reiss notes, however, Judge’s only experience on that side of the ball came during one year as the Patriots’ wide receivers coach in 2019 before his similarly ill-fated stint as head coach of the Giants. Not surprisingly, given their inexperience, neither he nor Patricia have called plays on offense at the NFL level.

After losing not only longtime OC Josh McDaniels to the Raiders, but also a host of valued assistants on the offensive staff, many feel Patricia and Judge could help ease the transition to a new power structure on the sidelines. While Reiss stresses it surely isn’t the primary motivation, he also notes how both of them are still being paid by their former teams after initially signing five-year deals, which reduces the cost of their services for the Patriots.

Whatever changes New England makes, it could of course have a domino effect throughout the staff. As PFF’s Doug Kyed tweets, either Patricia or Belichick himself taking on a workload on offense would likely shift more defensive responsibility to position coaches Steve Belichick or Jerod Mayo. In any event, Reiss writes, Patricia shifting from a quasi-front office role back to purely coaching is a “scenario that bears watching”.

Patriots To Bring Back Joe Judge

February 8th, 2022 at 10:48am CST by Adam La Rose

Joe Judge looks to have found a new home in what was once his old home. The Patriots are bringing him back, this time as an offensive assistant (Twitter link via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer). 

Breer states that the team is “working on a deal” which is “expected to get done in the coming days”, so nothing is official as of now, but it seems as though Judge is heading back to Foxborough. The 40-year-old began his NFL coaching career with the Patriots in 2012. He always worked on special teams, coordinating the unit from 2015-2019, the year before he left to become head coach of the Giants.

His final year with New England also included the title of wide receivers coach, however. That means that this new position, whatever it ends up being, won’t in fact be his first role on the offensive side of the ball. Judge had been linked to the special teams coordinator vacancy in Vegas, in large part due to the presence of Josh McDaniels as the Raiders’ new head coach. Instead, he will now take a position on a rebuilding Patriots offensive staff.

Since the position isn’t that of offensive coordinator, New England’s search for a direct McDaniels replacement will continue. So far, the two names linked to the vacancy are Bill O’Brien and Adam Gase.

Raiders Eyeing Joe Judge For ST Coordinator?

February 7th, 2022 at 1:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

With Rich Bisaccia off to Green Bay, the Raiders are in need of a new special teams coordinator. One candidate to help fill in Josh McDaniels‘ first staff in Vegas is ex-Giants head coach Joe Judge, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). 

[Related: Packers To Hire Rich Bisaccia As ST Coordinator]

Fowler states that the Raiders “have shown interest” in Judge to fill the role. The 40-year-old made a name for himself coaching special teams, dating back to 2008 at the college level and 2012 in the NFL with New England. That Patriots connection to McDaniels and new general manager Dave Ziegler would certainly make Judge a familiar face.

Fowler adds, though, that Judge is “staying patient” less than one month after being fired by the Giants, so nothing is imminent at this point. If he were to join the Raiders’ staff, he would be the second coordinator to make the move out west from New York; Patrick Graham was hired as Vegas’ DC last week.

The tail end in particular of Judge’s lone HC tenure could cost him other opportunities to lead a staff for the foreseeable future. With a 10-23 overall record, and a late-season offensive collapse causing the front office to change course and move on from him, Judge could return to his coaching roots in special teams to re-build his future HC candidacy. If he were to do so in Vegas, it would at least be on a team led by old colleagues and with a track record of success in that phase of the game.

2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 6th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Last year, seven NFL teams opted to make a head coaching change. Sean Payton stepping away from the Saints created nine full-time vacancies available this year.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-7-22 (1:45pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Latest Details On Joe Judge’s Firing

January 14th, 2022 at 11:40am CST by Adam La Rose

In the aftermath of Joe Judge‘s dismissal from the Giants, new details have emerged regarding his meeting with ownership and their desire for congruency with the new general manager. Judge himself has also spoken publicly for the first time since learning his fate. 

[Related: Giants Fire Joe Judge]

Majority owner John Mara detailed his frustration with the situation in a press conference, detailing why the decision was ultimately made to fire Judge. When asked, Mara admitted that “he has never been this embarrassed by the state of his franchise”, as noted by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Mara noted that flashpoints such as Judge’s 11-minute post-game rant after the loss to the Bears and consecutive quarterback sneaks in the regular season finale played a small role in the decision to fire him.

Ultimately, is seems the need for a new GM drove the decision to move on from Judge more than anything else. Raanan notes that “the move to dismiss Judge seems to largely have been made to give the new GM flexibility [in the HC hiring process]”, although the team is not looking at whomever fills the two vacancies as a package deal. Mara used the word “rushed” to describe the hiring of now-retired GM Dave Gettleman in 2017, and stressed that the team’s approach will be more meticulous this time.

Still, there is a clear desire for the new coach and general manager to be “on the same page”, according to a tweet from SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. He adds that Judge talked with ownership about GM candidates, and that Judge “thought there would be even more discussions, that he’d be part of the process”. Obviously that wasn’t the case, as Mara felt the only way forward was to “completely [blow] it up and [start] all over again”, even though he believes in Judge’s abilities as a coach.

In his first public remarks since being fired, Judge issued a statement which reads in part, “I want to express how truly grateful I am for the opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Giants. Thank you to the Mara and Tisch families, to the organization and incredible support staff and to the fans… It was a privilege to represent these people during the past two years“.

With regards to the other members of his staff, he added, “I also want to express my appreciation to the coaching staff… I am proud to have worked with the group of men we had and grateful for each and every one of them”. He also addressed the players, saying, “To the current Giants players, thank you most of all… I am so proud of you, grateful for you, and I believe in you“.

Judge concluded with, “On behalf of me and my family, we leave New York with the utmost gratitude for the community, the organization, the people and the team. Thank you“. No candidates to replace him have been named as of yet.

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