Tom Brady isn't the only person the New England Patriots are welcoming back on Sunday.
Matt Patricia will also be making his return to Foxborough over the weekend, but he'll be on the opposing team's coaching staff as he accepted a job with the Philadelphia Eagles to be a senior defensive assistant over the offseason.
The return of Patricia comes after he led the Patriots' offense last season as the unofficial offensive coordinator, and it didn't go well for everyone involved. The offense cratered after a solid 2021 season, ranking 26th in total offense and 32nd in red zone efficiency.
It seemed even worse from a relationship standpoint, too. Mac Jones had profane-laden outbursts about the playcalling in two consecutive primetime games late in the season as rumors percolated about the relationship between Jones, Patricia and Bill Belichick not being too great.
In an interview with WEEI's “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday, former Patriots safety Devin McCourty was blunt on the relationships between Jones, Patricia and Joe Judge, who served as the quarterbacks coach last season.
“I said it. I’ve said it this whole offseason: That wasn’t a good thing. There was nothing good about that,” McCourty said. “I think a lot of people talk about the season, but from training camp there was nothing good about that.”
"That wasn't a good thing…there was nothing good about that" Devin McCourty discusses Matt Patricia's role with the offense last season. pic.twitter.com/4wZ4BtIX61
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) September 6, 2023
While the 2022 season soured many Patriots' fans opinions of Patricia, it didn't sour McCourty's thoughts of the coach. Patricia was the team's defensive coordinator for six seasons (2012-17) before becoming the head of the Detroit Lions in 2018, winning a pair of Super Bowls during that time and reaching another Super Bowl over that stretch.
New England also held some of the league's best defenses over Patricia's six years as defensive coordinator, which is why McCourty thinks it's a good thing that he's back to coaching that side of the ball.
“He’s a really good football coach, he’s a defensive mind. That’s what he’s is and that’s what made his living on in the NFL,” McCourty said. “But yeah, I think everybody in New England — and I think even Matty P — is happy that whole experiment is over.”
“I think Coach Patricia is a really smart guy and I have a lot of respect for him. I really enjoyed actually working with him. We put in a lot of hours together, so definitely shot him a text when he when he ended up there and wished him nothing but the best,” Jones said Tuesday. “I really do respect him and I had a lot of good times with him too.”
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