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Bill Belichick’s weird coaching decisions proved to be disastrous

By Lou Scataglia

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots (R) talks with Special Teams Coordinator Joe Judge (L) in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots (R) talks with Special Teams Coordinator Joe Judge (L) in the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Bill Belichick made a couple very odd coaching decisions last offseason involving Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. The product has been a total disaster.  The two decisions came when Belichick made Patricia a senior offensive assistant and the offensive line coach.

He then made Joe Judge an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach.  To me, it’s safe to say that both decisions have not worked out for the Patriots, as the offense has taken a noticeable step back from 2021, where they were a top 10 unit with a rookie Mac Jones and Josh McDaniels calling the plays.

New England’s offensive line has not been great, their redzone offense is putrid, and Mac Jones was absolutely terrible early in the season before finding his footing of late.  It’s a unique situation that I’m not sure any other team has.

Patricia is a defensive minded coach, and Judge made his mark with the special teams.  Naturally, as NFL coaches, they are well versed in all three phases, but there’s a reason why you don’t ask Vic Fangio to call plays on offense or for Sean McVay to do the same with the defense.

Bill Belichick owns this disaster of a decision, and somehow, the Patriots are still in the thick of the playoff race.  They do have some winnable games left, and I’m thinking they’ll need to win at least three of them if they want to make the playoffs this year.

Of course, they aren’t winning a Super Bowl, but back to back playoff appearances would be something to build on for 2023.  Over the last few weeks, Mac Jones has shown many that he is not the primary issue with the team.

In this coming offseason, Bill Belichick needs to sit down and do a thorough search for a legitimate offensive coordinator that can actually mold this offense, which has some talent, into a competent unit.

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