Patriots need plan if O’brien bolts again
New OC still wants to be a head coach
During his first two decades at the helm of the Patriots, Bill Belichick always had succession plans in place at positions of importance.
Specifically, from 2000-19, Belichick always had someone apprenticing in the system to take over in the event any of his key coaches, players or personnel heads were plucked away. When it came to his offensive and defensive coordinators in particular, there was always an answer for who’s next.
From Charlie Weis, to Josh Mcdaniels, to Bill O’brien, back to Mcdaniels, there was always someone in-house ready to do the job and be the next offensive coordinator. Same on the defensive side, going from Romeo Crennel, to Eric Mangini, Dean Pees, Matt Patricia and then Brian Flores before having the Steve Belichick/ Jerod Mayo combo coordinating the unit.
The “who’s next in line” question always had an answer — until recently.
Belichick didn’t have a readymade replacement when Mcdaniels left last offseason to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. He also didn’t have a built-in successor when he chose to move on from Tom Brady. Or when Rob Gronkowski initially retired, for that matter.
It’s been a factor in the Patriots’ failure to win a playoff game since Brady left.
There’s no question the Patriots have been hit hard in other areas, losing director of player personnel Nick Caserio, followed by his replacement, Dave Ziegler, and offensive coordinator Mcdaniels, then also having Ernie Adams, Dante Scarnecchia and Ivan Fears retire. Talk about brain drain.
In the past, those types of losses hurt, but were ultimately absorbed rather seamlessly. Only
the cupboard has been bare of late. That’s part of the reason why the not-so- dynamic duo of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge wound up in positions they didn’t belong last season.
Let’s just say this: while it’s great the Patriots have landed Bill O’brien to run the offense, they can’t afford to leave themselves without an answer if his stay in New England is shortlived. It’s no secret O’brien wants to get back to being a head coach, so if he successfully turns around Mac Jones and the Patriots offense, there will no doubt be some suitors.
That’s why the Patriots need to plan now and get their ducks in a row, so to speak. They need the coaching version of next man up. And, by the looks of it, they appear to be on that same wavelength.
Ross Douglas, who coached the wide receivers in 2022 and worked with the defense in the previous season, served as the team’s offensive coordinator at the Shrine Bowl. Maybe there’s no correlation, but Douglas seems like a possibility for advancement. Players and coaches speak highly of him.
Richmond coach Russ Huesman, Douglas’ last boss before arriving in New England, told the Herald’s Andrew Callahan that he’s expecting bigger and better things from the Patriots wide receivers coach in a story done last year.
“You can just tell he’s an up-and- coming star in the business,” Huesman said.
If not Douglas, Nick Caley might also be a possibility. It’s unknown if Caley will return to his role as tight ends coach — his contract is up — but he would be another in that category. Prior to O’brien being named, Caley interviewed for the offensive coordinator job both in New England and in New York with the Jets. And Wednesday, he reportedly met with the Texans for their OC job.
Will Lowing was reportedly added to the staff. He coached with O’brien in Houston. He was the Texans tight ends coach. So it’s not looking great for a Caley return.
But if he remains with the Patriots, he and Douglas or even Lowing are candidates who could develop under O’brien and assume the offensive coordinator role should he leave (though Belichick has now twice passed over Caley for the position).
Wide receivers/returners coach Troy Brown could be another candidate.
He served as the head coach for the West team in the Shrine Bowl. If Brown has head- coaching aspirations, serving as an offensive coordinator would go a long way toward achieving that goal. Out in Las Vegas, Brown said he was happy to gain the experience.
“All the planning has been left up to me — everything from practices, to travel, itinerary,” he said. “So it puts me in a spot I’ve never been before and I couldn’t experience anywhere else. That is a valuable lesson I’m learning.”
Another lesson the Patriots have learned is continuity, especially with keeping the same system in place. In the past, Brady has spoken about the advantage of never having to change playbooks while he was in New England save for the new coordinator adding on or providing tweaks. An attempted change to a new system in 2022 under Patricia and Judge proved disastrous for Mac Jones.
Which brings us back to O’brien.
Whatever system he employs, be it the old Patriots system he’s taught, some mix of that and what he used at Alabama, it’s important to keep that system after he departs.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Belichick didn’t pursue O’brien last year due to the “fear” that the coach would leave in a year if he did well enough to land a headcoaching job elsewhere. Even with him here, that narrative hasn’t changed. O’brien might not be here for the long haul. That’s what ESPN analyst Damien Woody suspects.
“If they make the right moves, and O’brien turns that offense around, guess who’s going to be right back in the mix for a head coaching job? Bill O’brien,” said Woody. “If you look at the totality of his time in Houston, he did a pretty good job. So he’ll be sought after if that offense comes around.”
Whether O’brien is here for the long haul, or not, it behooves the Patriots to plan ahead. As Belichick discovered early on, it’s good business to always have someone in place.
Saluting Brady
The biggest news of the week was Tom Brady announcing his retirement for a second time.
Former Patriots teammate Rodney Harrison believes it is, as Brady said, for good. In terms of Brady’s legacy, and overall impact, Harrison relayed a couple of stories and shared some of his thoughts.
The Patriots Hall of Fame safety had told this story last year when Brady first called it quits, but it bears repeating.
“When I first came to the Patriots, he was one of the guys who really welcomed me in and made me feel comfortable. He was extremely generous to me,” said Harrison. “He took me to Pine Valley, one of the top two or three courses in the United States. Flew me in his private jet, and we hung out for a day. He just wanted to bond with me. That’s the type of guy he is. He made you believe in yourself.”
Brady did that, made the players around him better, and inspired with his competitiveness and desire to win. Harrison said he’s never come across another player who was as disciplined as Brady.
The GOAT’S lasting impact?
“I think Tom’s impact on this generation,” said Harrison, “and the generation before that is he inspired guys like Matt Ryan, or Mac Jones and guys that aren’t necessarily that mobile, to know that, hey if I’m smart, if I’m patient, if I work hard, if I’m diligent in my reads, if I have my footwork right, I can still be a great quarterback in this era where it’s a lot of athletic quarterback, and everyone’s dependent on mobility.”
Brady signed a lucrative deal with FOX to be a gam analyst. Harrison, who’s never been shy about telling it like it is, said he’d help coach up Brady for his next endeavor.
Said Harrison: “The biggest challenge for Tom is, being in that booth, and not telling the audience the obvious. If somebody’s doing bad, he can’t be afraid to criticize his peers.”
QB or bust
Woody says now that the Jets have their new offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, there’s one more shoe to drop in New York — a new quarterback.
Forget 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson, Mike White and/or Joe Flacco: the Jets are looking to upgrade.
“I am 100 percent sure there’s going to be a new quarterback,” Woody told the Herald last week. “The owner ( Woody Johnson) is all in. He’s going to do whatever it takes to upgrade the quarterback position. So when the owner says he’s going to do whatever it takes, you better know the Jets are going to move heaven and earth to try and get their quarterback position fixed. And that’s with a veteran quarterback.”
Aaron Rodgers is one veteran who has been linked to the Jets, thanks to his connection with Hackett, a former Packers coach.
Woody didn’t know if it would be Rodgers or someone else, he just knows the Jets are poised to make a move.
“The time to make a bold move is now. They have this championship defense, and they have weapons on offense. They just need the triggerman,” he said. “That’s why they’re going to make a big move to bring a big-time quarterback in.”
The Dolphins might be in the same boat, even if they’ve publicly backed Tua Tagovailoa, who missed the final three games, including the playoff loss to the Bills. His concussion history leaves pause.
“I think it would be criminal for the Dolphins to not have some sort of contingency plan at the QB position,” said Woody. “What happens next year, when his head slams against the turf, and he’s in concussion protocol again?
“If I’m Steven Ross, and I’ve invested all of these resources, traded and paid for Tyreek Hill, traded inseason for Bradley Chubb, gave up a first-round pick for him … I’m not letting one guy derail that. If Tua goes down, then what?”
Even Bill Parcells questioned Tua’s long-term future, and the Dolphins need to add insurance at the position.
“I’m not certain they have stability at the quarterback position,” Parcells recently told The 33rd Team. “They seem to think they do. Tua Tagovailoa looks good from time to time, but he was hurt in college, and he’s been hurt a couple of times in the pros. I’m not sure they can rely on him.”
Mahomes/brady
During the weekly episode of “Inside the NFL,” Julian Edelman praised Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for not only playing through an ankle injury in the AFC Championship game, but performing at an elite level.
“It brings me back to times when I saw Tom Brady play really hurt. People didn’t know that Tom Brady had a broken foot in 2016 when we went out and won a Super Bowl,” said Edelman. “That’s what great quarterbacks and great players do in this league. Everyone is banged up — the great ones figure a way out how to adjust their game to perform at a high level. And that’s what Patrick Mahomes did. That’s why to me, this is his best performance of his career.”
A broken foot for Brady? When he brought the Patriots back from 28-3 against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI?
While Brady’s penchant for playing through injuries is well-known, that’s a new one for the newly retired quarterback.
Is it possible Edelman meant 2010? That’s when Brady reportedly played much or all of that season with a stress fracture in his foot. He had surgery for that in January 2011.
In 2018, he played with a huge 11- stitch gash on his throwing hand. In 2021 with Tampa, he played with a torn MCL. Guess it’s par for the course with the great ones.
It’ll be interesting to see how Mahomes functions on that ankle in the Super Bowl.