With former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels departing to take the head coaching gig in Las Vegas, the Patriots will be faced with the task of finding a new play-caller on offense. Well, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN, since the role has not yet been filled, it appears that head coach Bill Belichick, offensive assistant Joe Judge, and former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia are all currently sharing the duties of the role. 
That list of names may be bit surprising. Patricia is currently on staff as a senior football advisor, after a rough tenure in his first head coaching job in Detroit. While Patricia is know for his time in New England as a defensive coach, he began with the Patriots as an offensive assistant and, subsequently, assistant offensive line coach. Many believe that, in his return, he will work mainly with the team’s offensive line, once again.
Judge is another branch of the Belichick-coaching tree that has returned after a less-than-stellar stint as the Giants’ head coach. Judge worked with the Patriots’ special teams unit during his first tenure with the team, adding wide receivers to his docket in his final year before going to New York. Listed on the Patriots’ website as an offensive assistant, it’s presumed that Judge will be working directly with Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and the other quarterbacks.
Finally, the Hoody, himself. Belichick has never officially held play-calling duties. While it’s generally accepted that he’s always had an influence on the Patriots’ offense, McDaniels was always granted free-reign to call plays. Belichick hasn’t even coached with a focus solely on offense since he was the Lions’ receivers coach back in 1977. Besides that role in Detroit, as an assistant, Belichick has always coached defense and special teams. To his credit, though, in Belichick’s first head coaching job in Cleveland, he was heavily credited for his role in the offensive play-calling, though he claimed it was a group effort.
Besides the three named in Reiss’s article, tight ends/fullbacks coach Nick Caley is expected to take on increased responsibility. Troy Brown is in place to coach the wide receivers and kick returners. Ivan Fears and Vinnie Sunseri both share the oversight of the running backs. And Billy Yates holds the position of assistant offensive line coach.
This whole article may end up being a moot point if Belichick and company bring in an offensive coordinator ready to utilize the Patriots’ existing system and call plays in it. For now, though, the role is seemingly vacant, with Belichick taking a village approach to handle the duties.
What a dumpster fire. It’s clear that Brady made Belechik and now this rudderless ship is just getting sad at this point.
Made the playoffs last year with a less than talented roster…….if anything it’s belichick the gm failing not the coach
Dumpster Fire? Ha, look in the mirror!
Yeah I wouldn’t call it a dumpster fire just yet. Gotta remember that football is the ultimate TEAM sport. BIg Bill is a football mastermind. While everyone sees discord, he’s grinning inside ready to strike.
Hilarious that Belichick can win eight Super Bowls as a coordinator and head coach yet some idiotic keyboard jockey will still trash him and call his team ‘rudderless’. Football really does have the dumbest fans of the four major sports.
Can you imagine not knowing that the NFL is the Not For Long league. Remember, if you will, that The Pats have largely sucked since Brady left. Bill spent an unprecedented amount on mediocre free agents. His drafting has been terrible for years. His GM marks are piss poor to say the least. NE England played a puppy crap soft schedule last year. They got the Jets twice, Jags, Falcons, Panthers, Texans, a broken browns team and the Titans without King Henry, Brown or Jones. Yet every time they played a good team they lost. Heck they got swept by Tua and the Lolphins. They backed into the playoff and got absolutely decimated and Humiliated by the Bills. If Hyde hadn’t come down with that interception, it might still be floating over Orchard Park. Now fast forward to the off-season.
Bill spent out his butt and now can’t afford the only cover corner that was worth a dam in JC Jackson. He then spent stupid nostalgia money on a 35/36 year old safety. Has no actual starting NFL caliber LBers. Did nothing to add to the oldest and slowest front seven in football. Let both his starting Center and Guard go. Then proceeded to waste a 1st rounder on a 3rd round guard. So now you have a team that has holes on the O-line (perceived strength) and not one viable NFL LB or Boundary Corner. The DLine is mediocre and that only if Matt Judon stays interested past the first quarter and decides not to half ass it. (See last five games of the season). So yeah this Pats team is poorly constructed and relying on AJ McCarron 2.0 to QB them to greatness. (Hint, what you saw last year is McCorkles ceiling).
So we have No Cap Space, Bad Drafting, bottom 10 QB that lost his OC and most of the staff, the most pedestrian group of pass catchers In the NFL, an Oline that has significant holes, a slow front seven relying on a bunch of 4/5 round redshirts and a bottom 5 group of corners in a press man heavy defense. Couple that with playcallers with no experience and the Fact that the Bills, Dolphins and Jets got significantly better while the Pats were getting worse. The whole AFC decided to arms race and the pats lost ground. Who is going to be your savior, Davante Parker? Raiders wet dream, Tyquan Thorton? Lol
Now imagine if you will understanding all of this, turning a blind all to the evidence, then becoming the ultimate key board warrior and going with the line “but…but…Bill Belly..” like Bill Is going to coach up his group of scrappy try-hards”… cool story bro. Pats fans can’t see the foundation crumbling around them and have resorted to being the cowboys of the AFC, IE..“ but, but, our rings”… Brady Made Belly. Enjoy fighting the Jets for last place.
That’s an insane amount of words. You could have just said ‘I know nothing about football’ and saved yourself the few hours it took your pea brain to write it.
So your
Points are “but my Bill Belly” “ pea brain” and the very original, “ you don’t know football”..?
Very well thought out rebuttal. Gotta love Boston sports fans.
Brady made Belly/warriors in four
My points are that you’re nothing but an idiotic keyboard warrior who knows absolutely nothing about football if you’re calling a Bill Belichick team ‘rudderless’. I loathe the Patriots but calling an *EIGHT TIME* Super Bowl champion a ‘dumpster fire’ is about the dumbest thing a pea-brained idiot like yourself can write. You know nothing, you are nothing. Moron.
Maybe you should ask your mom for more meatloaf before you keep writing. My child gets cranky too when they haven’t eaten
So he loses his oc and replaces him with a former dc and stc after they both failed as head coaches of teams with horrible offenses. I respect the legend but his decisions are puzzling at times.
“Legend”… Who? Tom Brady? or his coach?
You are!
Guy won 6 rings as a head coach and two more as a DC. Yea he had the best qb of all time. Keep in mind he is also the GM. Brady doesn’t win those rings without Bill same as Bill doesn’t win them without Brady.
Thanks for the rehash of the same old same old. What’s the “new” news???
“Belichick’s first head coaching job in Cleveland, he was heavily credited for his role in the offensive play-calling, though he claimed it was a group effort.”
Sounds like Belichick might go back to a group effort yet again. Odd considering it didn’t work too well the first time around.
3 pronged decision making worked for Moe, Larry and Curley but wouldn’t it just be much easier for the Pats to hire a replacement for Daniels?
The Bill Belichick coaching disciples that have moved on to lead their own teams:
Al Groh, Nick Saban, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Jim Schwartz, Josh McDaniels (third time), Bill O’Brien, Matt Patricia, Brian Flores , and Joe Judge…. OUCH
I think that it is safe to say that the Patriots are leaving the light on for McDaniels and his return to the O-Cord position. I would be willing to bet that Bill didn’t even have Josh’s office cleaned out, just sealed off waiting for the reunion.
Whenever Belichick took an unconventional path in the past he relied on his coaches and vet players to help him correct mistakes during the season and right the ship.
Now that’s he’s 70 yrs old and both his roster and coaching staff are lacking, it will be interesting to see what he is able to do if this season starts to go sideways.
As someone who hates the Patriots, I really hope he lets Joe Judge call plays. Maybe Mac Jones will be kneeling it on first down.
Get ready for a joke of a team this season