Musket Fire
FanSided

The Patriots should try and hire Frank Reich as an OC

By Lou Scataglia

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: Senior football advisor Matt Patricia of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during warmups before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: Senior football advisor Matt Patricia of the New England Patriots walks onto the field during warmups before a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Indianapolis Colts recently fired Frank Reich after their brutal loss to the Patriots. Should the team consider hiring him as an offensive coordinator?  New England’s offense is a bit of a mess in 2022, and part of that is likely due to the team employing Matt Patricia, a defensive coach, and Joe Judge, a special team’s coach to work with the offense.

The team does not have a true offensive coordinator on their staff, and I think 2023 is a year that they need to bring a legitimate one on board.  Josh McDaniels held that title in New England for years, and I think many fans simply took it for granted.

Now that he’s gone, it’s clear that the offense is missing a beat.  Bill Belichick made a weird decision when bringing Patricia and Judge back to New England to serve on the offensive side of the ball.  Yet again, the Patriots’ defense is very good, but I’m afraid their efforts will end up being wasted as the season continues.

The offense has not shown a strong enough ability to consistent put points on the board.  They need an offensive coordinator for 2023, and a legitimate one.  There may be no better candidate than Frank Reich, who was recently fired as the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach.

Reich has a solid track record.  His experience as a coordinator began back in 2014 with the Chargers.  As the OC, his Chargers ranked 17th in points scored.  The next season, they ranked just 26th in points scored.

In 2016 and 2017, Reich headed to Philadelphia to be the OC with the Eagles.  They ranked 16th in points in 2016 with a rookie Carson Wentz and 3rd in points in 2017.  Reich was then hired to be the Colts’ new head coach.

In 2018, the Colts ranked 5th in points scored.  They ranked 16th in 2019 with Jacoby Brissett as the starter.  In 2020, they ranked 9th in points scored with Philip Rivers, and again ranked 9th in points scored with Carson Wentz.

His tenure with the Chargers was not great, but you can tell where he figured something out.  On four different occasions, a Reich-led offense ranked inside the top 10 in points scored.  If we consider the Patriots’ situation, the team likely does not need an offense scoring a ton of points, but rather a competent offense that can move the ball consistently.

Reich is a veteran head coach and appears to have a mellow personality, so I think he and Bill Belichick would work well together.  Frank Reich.  He’s also from New York, so being close to home might be a pull for him.

I have no idea what Frank Reich wants to do after this year.  Perhaps he wants to take a year and recharge and spend time with his family, or perhaps he’s ready to get back into the swing of things.  I do think there’s a chance that he gets hired as a head coach again in 2023, but if he’d entertain the idea of being an offensive coordinator, the Patriots should be all over that.

In the process, they can move Matt Patricia back to the defensive side of the ball and move Joe Judge to a place where he fits better.

Home/Patriots News