Patriots Super Bowl Hero Reacts to Matt Patricia's 2022 Role
Fans were not the only ones perplexed when New England Patriots named Matt Patricia the offensive coordinator. Even Super Bowl-saving cornerback Malcolm Butler was confused by the move to name Matt Patricia the play-caller on offense, a side of the ball he never coached.
"Yeah, I was shocked," Butler said in an interview. "I was kind of shocked he was doing offense. Matty P is a defensive guy, 100 percent; he's a defensive guy. I am not saying offensive guys are soft; [but]he likes tough guys; tough guys play defense."
As some may have guessed, the Patricia experiment didn't go as head coach Bill Belichick planned. Second-year quarterback Mac Jones and the Patriots offense as a whole regressed.
Jones, the once promising rookie, led the Pats to a 10-7 season in his first year as a starter, and despite the blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card, signs looked to be pointing toward a bright future.
But with former play-caller Josh McDaniels gone, as he took the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, Patricia couldn't keep the wheels turning.
"I don't know if it is the coach, the offensive coordinator or him," Butler said of Jones' struggles. "I don't know. I'm not trying to judge or throw nobody under the bus."
Well... judging by the move to let go of Patricia, it seems the judgment of where the problem was for the Patriots was already made. Now it will be up to Bill O'Brien to restore confidence to Jones and the Patriots offense.
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