Patriots Ex McCourty: 'Nothing Good' About Patricia's 2022 Offense
The New England Patriots' experiment last season of having Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, two coaches without any prior offensive play-caller experience, run the offense together after the departure of Josh McDaniels turned out to be an unmitigated disaster.
The Patriots not only missed out on the playoffs, as they finished with an 8-9 record, which put them third in the AFC East, but their once-promising young quarterback, Mac Jones, and even the offense regressed.
“That wasn’t a good thing,” former Patriots safety Devin McCourty said about the offense last season in an interview on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show. “There was nothing good about that. I think a lot of people talk about the season, but from training camp, there was nothing good about that.”
Those then worrying signs turned into a nightmare as the Patriots' offense under Patricia's direction finished 26th in total yards and 17th in points per game last season.
In retrospect, it is hard to imagine how last season could've gone any differently, as the move to hire two inexperienced offensive coaches to replace McDaniels made it seem like the Patriots, specifically coach Bill Belichick, believed anybody could call the offense.
While Patricia's stint as the offensive play-caller didn't end the way either side would've wanted, as the Patriots brought back Bill O'Brien to call the offense before the former defensive coordinator took a job as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles, shouldn't undo his prior work as the defensive coordinator.
“He’s a really good football coach,” McCourty said about Patricia. “He’s a defensive mind and that’s what he is and that’s what he’s made his living on in the NFL. So, he’s gonna get back to doing that. … I think everybody in New England, even Matty P, is happy that whole experiment is over and he’s back to doing what he loves doing: coaching ball and talking defense.”
Patricia and his former team will meet again on Sunday, this time on opposing sidelines, as the Patriots play host to the Eagles inside Gillette Stadium, where kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m (EST).
