Is Bill Belichick going to be the Patriots’ offensive coordinator?
By Mike Luciano
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have made the incredibly puzzling decision to not name an offensive coordinator for the 2022 season. After Josh McDaniels left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Belichick hasn’t done enough to surround Mac Jones with proven offensive minds.
While Belichick has claimed he is “not big on titles” when pressed on the lack of an OC, he has also hinted that disgraced Giants head coach Joe Judge and former defensive assistant Matt Patricia are going to work with the quarterbacks and offensive linemen, respectively. What a mess.
The Patriots still haven’t settled on an offensive play-caller at a time when coordinators around the league are hard at work installing their schemes. In a bizarre twist of fate, Belichick might end up calling plays if we’re to take what’s happened during OTAs at face value.
Pats insider Mike Reiss reported Belichick was the one relaying play calls to Jones during the early days of OTAs. Does this mean he’s relinquishing the defense to his son and Jerod Mayo? Or will he captain both sides of the ball himself?
Top four things that caught the eye at Patriots practice. pic.twitter.com/vhOlbI6OvW
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 23, 2022
Will Bill Belichick hire an offensive coordinator for the Patriots?
Why would the Patriots need an offensive coordinator? After all, it’s not like you have a Pro Bowl rookie quarterback who needs to avoid a sophomore slump or a big-name receiver in DeVante Parker that needs to get up the speed with the offense, right? Oh wait …
While the Patriots have been able to get away with naming a “de facto” defensive coordinator like Patricia, Brian Flores, and Jerod Mayo in the past, this is a different animal. In an offense-driven league, making a dinosaur like Belichick the focal point of their offensive engine is a mess.
Belichick didn’t officially name an offensive coordinator during his time with the Browns until his fourth season in 1994. In the three seasons prior to Steve Crosby’s promotion, Cleveland never had a winning season. Fan-favorite Bernie Kosar regressed to the point where he was benched for Vinny Testaverde. Not a good prequel!
People are freaking out about Bill Belichick calling offense for the Patriots.
— Matthew Freedman (@MattFtheOracle) May 24, 2022
It's as if everyone forgot he was the de facto offensive coordinator for the Browns in 1991-93.
And look at how that turned out.
The fact that Belichick is not only refusing to name a coordinator, but being so flippant and defensive when pressed about it, is extremely concerning for the short-term health of this team. Then again, considering that the best options on the staff right now could include Judge and Patricia, the odds of Sean McVay walking through the door are slim.