Alabama football offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien is returning to the New England Patriots to serve as the team's offensive coordinator, according to a Tuesday tweet from ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
The Alabama football offense took fourth place in the Southeastern Conference with 477.08 total yards per game, fourth in passing yards per game with 281.54 and second in points per game with 41.08, according to the SEC.
Senior football advisor and offensive line coach Matt Patricia took up the play calling duties for the Patriots last season with the absence of an official offensive coordinator last season, wrote WCVB5 Boston in a Tuesday article. New England earned just over 3,800 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
O'Brien first joined the Patriots' coaching staff in 2007 as an offensive assistant. He joined multiple members of that Patriots staff, including O’Brien, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, pro scout Brian Flores and linebackers coach Matt Patricia, in earning head coaching roles later in their careers when he took the Penn State Nittany Lions spot in 2012 and became the Houston Texans' head coach in 2014, according to Pro Football Reference.
O'Brien continued to hit the recruiting trail even when rumors swirled about his eventual return to New England. NFL Network National Insider Ian Rapoport said the Patriots had three offensive coordinator candidates: Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, Patriots tight end coach Nick Caley and Bill O’Brien.
“Then you have Bill O’Brien, who is certainly a prime candidate here,” Rapoport said on NFL Network. “Most people believe he is the favorite, I would say, to get the offensive coordinator job.
“Not that anything is done at all — I’m just saying he has firmly established position as someone that many people inside the organization wanted back. Currently the Alabama offensive coordinator, who is out right now recruiting.”
Follow Us
Subscribe