Everyone saw just how poorly the New England Patriots' offense performed in 2022 under an unusual setup with longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia calling plays and longtime special teams coach Joe Judge working as the quarterbacks coach.
It turns out it was even worse behind the scenes. A report from the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan and Karen Guregian on Thursday detailed the inner turmoil between players on the Patriots' offense and their coaches during the 2022 season.
One anonymous source within the Patriots' organization told Callahan and Guregian that the offense “was disheveled. They were always scrambling to get things done.”
Multiple other sources within the organization questioned Belichick's decision to replace longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left following the 2021 season to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, with two coaches that had very little experience on the offensive side of the ball.
Many media members questioned Belichick's approach entering the season and during training camp, when the offense had several unproductive practices, and in the preseason when they failed to do much against the Raiders' backups in one game. Two days prior to the regular, Belichick told The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy that he believed Patricia and Judge are “good coaches,” but added, “if it doesn’t go well, blame me.”
A couple of members of the Patriots' organization seemed to do just that.
“It’s always been about winning and doing what’s best for the team. I really believe (Belichick) when he says that,” a source told the Boston Herald. “I just think he really didn’t understand how hard it was going to be.”
“I love coach (Belichick), but he f—ed us,” another source told the Boston Herald.
As a result of Belichick's decision, the offense took a major step back in 2022 after the unit helped the team win 10 games and reach the playoffs in 2021. A year after ranking in the top 10 in many stats and metrics (such as scoring the sixth-most points in the league), they fell into the bottom 10 in many of those same areas. They ranked 26th in total offense, 27th in third-down conversions, and dead last in red zone efficiency.
Mac Jones also took a step back from a strong rookie campaign that saw him play like the best quarterback from his draft class. As he threw for 2,997 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games, Jones' frustration with how the offense was performing become apparent over a three-game stretch in December. In the first of those three games, Jones yelled on the sideline using expletives to show his frustration over the quick and short passing games not working as they lost to the Buffalo Bills.
"Throw the f—–g ball! F—–g quick game sucks! F–k!"
– Mac Jones during the Patriots' 24-10 loss on #TNFpic.twitter.com/LdojOW9alg
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 2, 2022
“That game was bull—,” a source told the Boston Herald.
Judge appeared to be public enemy No. 1 in the Patriots' building with Belichick blasting him during practice while Jones and Judge traded multiple profanity-laced outbursts, according to the Herald. Jones “didn’t like [Judge] at all,” a source to the Herald.
“(Judge) would speak extra loudly in meetings, trying to project like he was the guy,” a source told the Herald. “And I think that kind of rubbed people the wrong way.”
The report also acknowledged the coaching staff's failure to implement the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan-like offense that featured more zone runs while trying to run quicker plays. As the experiment wasn't working in training camp, players “were getting worried” and questioned what would happen when defenses did certain things but were told by the coaches that they would settle those issues when they got them, according to the Boston Herald.
“By the end, they were just making 1,000 adjustments instead of building them in at the beginning,” a source told the Boston Herald.
Patricia and Judge called fewer play-action plays this season, which was a staple of the old Patriots offense. Yet, the Patriots found success in the little-used play-action passes, with Jones completing 9-of-9 for 92 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' regular-season finale loss to the Bills.
“You tell me,” a source told the Boston Herald when asked what was wrong with the old system. “I don’t know.”
The Patriots might be getting a taste of that old system back though in 2023. They hired Bill O'Brien, who was on their staff from 2007-11, to be their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks after a multiple-week-long search on Thursday.
Patriots hire Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach: https://t.co/D5StcYwStQ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 26, 2023
“I am looking forward to working with Bill again,” Belichick said in a statement on Thursday, which came out a couple hours after the Boston Herald's scathing report of the Patriots' offensive dysfunction in 2022. “He is an outstanding coach and an asset to our staff.”
Jones is “very excited” to work with O'Brien, MassLive's Mark Daniels reported Tuesday when it was first reported that O'Brien was returning to New England. The duo briefly worked together in 2021 when O'Brien was first hired as Alabama's offensive coordinator and Jones helped him learn the system in the months prior to getting drafted by the Patriots.
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