Bill O'Bland: Patriots New Offensive Coordinator Trumpets Return with Yawn
Bill O'Brien is back!
Wait, scratch that. Certainly don't need the exclamation point. Make it: Bill O'Brien is back, and already fitting in with the New England Patriots' bland, generic coach-speak DNA.
O'Brien was officially announced as the team's new/old offensive coordinator Thursday. On Friday morning the team released an interview with the man charged with repairing a broken offense and restoring a regressing quarterback.
As detailed in the Boston Herald's bombshell report about sweeping dysfunction in the coaching staff and locker room, O'Brien has his work cut out for him. The Patriots missed the playoffs at 8-9 and the de facto offensive minds of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge severely stunted Mac Jones' development.
O'Brien was a dismal general manager in Houston, where he infamously traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins for scraps. But in Foxboro, he's charged with affixing the jumper cables to New England's dormant 2022 offense.
In an interview only Bill Belichick could love, O'Brien's first comments are not to be confused with a hype video.
We think O'Brien could be an old fix for a new problem. We also know that - in a vacuum, without context or knowing who was talking - his comments could be from any generic businessman returning to a former company.
“Having worked here before, having grown up here—just a great opportunity for my family. And yeah, very excited,” said O’Brien. “I’ve had a lot of different experiences, but at the end of the day, the opportunity to come back here presented itself and it was something I couldn’t pass up. So hopefully, I can bring some of those experiences to the table here and help our football team. I’m looking forward to getting back and working with Bill and doing what’s best for the team. That’s what this place is all about.”
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