Robert Kraft is happy to have Bill O'Brien back as the offensive coordinator for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
The Patriots owner gave his first public comment on the re-hiring of O'Brien on Friday, sharing excitement to have him back as the team's offensive coordinator.
“I think he was an excellent choice,” Kraft told a group of local reporters in Arizona covering the Super Bowl. “And he has a learning-curve experience of our system. He knows how to build a great offense. And I'm excited to see what happens next year.”
During a morning meeting with local reporters, Robert Kraft says he’s very happy to have Bill O’Brien in the fold as Patriots offensive coordinator.
“An excellent choice.” pic.twitter.com/gkTRX4zdVj
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) February 10, 2023
Kraft spoke with a handful of local reporters over breakfast Friday morning, but that was his only comment that was on the record, per NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry.
The re-hiring of O'Brien came after the Patriots' offense struggled and was a large reason why they fell to 8-9 and missed the playoffs after going 10-7 and making the playoffs a season prior. Belichick made the interesting decision to place Matt Patricia, a longtime defensive coach, as the team's offensive play-caller and longtime special teams coach Joe Judge the quarterbacks coach following the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Belichick's decision backfired. A year after ranking in the top 10 in several offensive stats and metrics, the Patriots ranked in 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.
Four days after the season ended, the Patriots announced that they were beginning the process to find a real offensive coordinator. It was reported that a “very influential voice in upper management” wanted O'Brien to return.
Couple other notes on the #Patriots
– There is one very influential voice in upper management who definitively wants Bill O'Brien as the OC.
– On personnel, there are some within org who feel the WR room needs a real upgrade. "We don't have one player you gotta game plan for." https://t.co/AGD9zW0JMO— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 13, 2023
Two weeks after the Patriots said they began their search for an offensive coordinator, they announced they hired O'Brien for the role. O'Brien coached in New England from 2007-11, working as the quarterbacks backs coach for a couple seasons before becoming the offensive coordinator in 2011.
O'Brien's strong tenure in New England, along with solid tenures as the head coach of Penn State and the Houston Texans, might be a reason why Kraft has reportedly viewed him as a replacement for Belichick in the past.
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