Bill Belichick isn't at all concerned with widespread skepticism of his decision to split offensive play-calling duties this season between a pair of assistants who have never played that role. If Mac Jones and the New England Patriots offense underperforms in 2022, though, the legendary head coach is still ready to take all the blame.
The Patriots elected against hiring an offensive coordinator to replace Josh McDaniels, who left to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Belichick instead promoted Matt Patricia to senior football advisor and brought back Joe Judge as offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach, tasking both former head coaches with calling offensive plays for the first time.
“I think they’re both good coaches,” Belichick said of Patricia and Judge, per Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe. “Ultimately, it’s my responsibility, like it always is. So if it doesn’t go well, blame me.”
Patricia was hired by the Patriots in January 2021 to serve in a variety of roles after being dismissed as head coach of the Detroit Lions. He went 13-29 during his tenure in the Motor City before being fired in late November, failing to replicate the success on either side of the ball that made him a coaching star as New England's defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017.
Judge, meanwhile, was hired by New England in early February, three weeks after he was fired as head coach of the New York Giants. New York went 10-23 during his two seasons in the Meadowlands, failing to climb from the depths of the NFC.
Belichick alluded to similar inexperience of his prior play-callers in defending Patricia and Judge.
“I don’t see it any differently than it was in the last 22 years,” he said. “Look at our other offensive coordinators. We had Charlie [Weis]. Then Josh. He’d never called offensive plays. Billy O’Brien [who succeeded McDaniels] never called plays in the NFL. Josh came back. We’ve changed coaches in every area, multiple times. Defensively, Matt Patricia had never called plays. Then he won a couple of Super Bowls. Brian Flores [who succeeded Patricia] had never called plays. That worked out all right. Steve [Belichick] has been calling defenses…We have plenty of coaches that didn’t have previous experience and it’s worked out pretty well with most of them, but not all of them.”
New England kicks off the 2022 season on Sunday at the Miami Dolphins.
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