After the worst offensive season of the Bill Belichick period, the Patriots are making modifications.
On Thursday evening, the workforce launched a press release saying it should start a training seek for its subsequent offensive coordinator. Last season, the Patriots selected to not exchange former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and averaged 18.1 offensive factors per sport below new management. Belichick and Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft reportedly agreed earlier this week the offensive teaching workers, led by first-year play-caller Matt Patricia and first-year quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, can be reassigned and reassembled.
To fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule, the Patriots should interview one exterior minority candidate throughout their offensive coordinator search. It’s potential Belichick may rent a number of new assistants to run his offense, although historical past signifies he’ll flip to somebody with earlier expertise in New England. He may additionally promote from inside.
So who may succeed McDaniels a yr after he left for Las Vegas? Start with these seven candidates:
1. Bill O’Brien
The apparent selection, O’Brien just lately accomplished his second season on the University of Alabama, the place his contract has reportedly expired. As of Thursday morning, there was no contact between the Patriots and O’Brien, per stories. The 53-year-old coach served because the Pats’ offensive play-caller from 2009-11 and their official offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011.
After leaving New England to grow to be the top coach at Penn State, O’Brien gained 4 division titles in seven years main the Houston Texans. In addition to coordinating offenses, O’Brien has expertise creating quarterbacks.
2. Kliff Kingsbury
The newly fired Kingsbury, who was relieved of his head-coaching duties this week after 4 years in Arizona, was considered one of Belichick’s first draft picks.
The Patriots drafted Kingsbury within the sixth spherical of the 2003 draft as a quarterback out of Texas Tech. He later loved a profitable teaching profession within the school and coordinated a number of explosive passing attacked. Kingsbury parlayed that success into head-coaching jobs at Texas Tech and later with the Cardinals, whom he took to the playoffs as soon as in 4 years.
Before a 27-13 win at Arizona, Belichick praised Kingsbury’s work throughout a December press convention.
“He has a good offensive system, we saw that in college. Had a lot of explosive plays and players at Tech. They’re explosive at Arizona and have been since he got there,” Belichick mentioned. “Aggressive on fourth down, aggressive within the kicking sport, aggressive on protection. Their complete model is fairly aggressive.
“But offensively they run it, they throw it, get the ball outside, get the ball down the field, quarterback’s athletic. They’ve got a good attack.”
3. Adam Gase
The former Jets and Dolphins headman has been out of teaching for 2 years, however yearly obtained a few of Belichick’s highest reward once they went head-to-head as division rivals.
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Prior to his two head-coaching stops, Gase led record-setting offenses in Denver and later Chicago. Prior to his final sport towards Gase’s Jets, Belichick mentioned of the offensive whiz: “Well, I’ve a whole lot of respect for Adam. I believe he’s an excellent coach. He’s all the time been powerful to educate towards. He’s all the time made issues tough on our protection. It goes again to Josh [McDaniels] in Denver. So, identified one another for some time via a mutual connection there.
“But, I think he’s done an excellent job. I thought he did a good job with Miami and I think he’s done a good job with the Jets. He’s, as I said, a coach I have a lot of respect for and he gives us a lot of problems. He’s a tough, tough coach to coach against, so that’s really the way I feel about him.”
Belichick reportedly tried to rent Gase in 2018, after he was fired by the Dolphins and earlier than he accepted the Jets’ job.
4. Chad O’Shea
A former Patriots assistant of 10 years, O’Shea extra just lately labored because the Dolphins offensive coordinator (2019) and the Browns extensive receivers coach and passing sport coordinator (2020 – current).
In 2019, O’Shea left for Miami with former Pats defensive play-caller Brian Flores, who took over as head coach. He was fired a yr later for working too advanced a system, although it was the identical offense the Patriots had run over his decade as an assistant. O’Shea doesn’t have any expertise teaching quarterbacks or offensive linemen, two areas of want for the 2023 workers, however his system expertise is plain.
5. Doug Marrone
A darkish horse!
Marrone is presently the Saints offensive line coach, a job he took after spending the 2021 season because the offensive line coach at Alabama below Nick Saban, a Belichick confidant. Prior to his Alabama cease, Marrone was the Jaguars head coach from 2017-2020, a job Belichick twice endorsed him for, in accordance with one report. Belichick battled towards Marrone’s Bills when Marrone was the top coach in Buffalo for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
“I think that coach Marrone and the program they have down there will be good for us to work against. I have a lot of respect for what he did in Buffalo,” Belichick mentioned in Aug 2017. “They were a very tough team to compete against when they were in our division. He did a great job throughout his career at Syracuse and as an assistant in this league. I have a lot of respect for Doug and the program he runs.”
Marrone additionally served because the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2006-2008.
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6. Mike Groh
Another darkish horse!
The older brother of Patriots director of participant personnel Matt Groh, and the Giants’ extensive receivers coach, Groh has twenty years of teaching expertise throughout the faculty and NFL ranks. He labored because the Eagles’ offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019, and earlier than that their extensive receivers coach throughout a 2017 Super Bowl marketing campaign.
Groh has additionally coached quarterbacks and labored below Saban at Alabama for 2 seasons. With his in depth background in West Coast offense, one thing the Patriots unsuccessfully tried to repeat and paste as a part of their offense’s basis final yr, Groh may supply the suitable mix of contemporary concepts and acquainted pedigree.
7. Nick Caley
The Patriots’ tight ends coach is at a profession crossroads, together with his contract set to run out this offseason. Belichick handed him over final yr in favor of Patricia and Judge, two coaches with minimal offensive expertise who proved to be a whole catastrophe. Will Caley wish to return to New England, the place he is coached offense yearly since 2015?
And if he does, will Belichick promote him so quickly after believing Patricia and Judge have been higher choices?
Recent historical past says no, however the Patriots are in new territory. Thursday’s assertion noticed to that.
Source: www.bostonherald.com