Patriots Offensive Coordinator Search: Bill O’Brien ‘Primary Target’; Other Candidates?
FOXBORO — As legendary sports and entertainment commentator Jim Ross would say, ‘business is about to pick up’ in the New England Patriots pursuit of a new offensive coordinator.
Following a season which produced less-than-favorable results (diplomatically speaking), the Pats have embarked on an initiative, co-sponsored by coach Bill Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft, to upgrade their offensive output in 2023 by hiring an established offensive coordinator.
New England chose to split the duties in 2022 between special assistant/offensive line coach Matt Patricia, and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge -- with the former taking on the primary play-calling duties for the offense.
The unit, including quarterback Jones, displayed notable regression from their 2021 output under the pair's guidance. The Pats finished 7th-worst in total yards while scoring only 21.4 points per game (17th in the NFL). At times, the disconnect between the players and the coaching staff was so overt that Jones was observed hurling expletive-laden frustrations, believed to be in the direction of his coaches.
With Patricia and Judge reportedly set to be reassigned, here is a quartet of names to watch as interviews get underway in the coming days.
The Frontrunner: Bill O’Brien
While some have categorized his interest in the job as tepid, a source close to Patriots Country has indicated that O’Brien’s name is among the Pats top candidates for the position. In fact, it makes almost too much sense to fail, at this point.
Having served under Belichick from 2007-11, O’Brien helped navigate a Patriots offense, which featured ball protection, efficient running and spreading the ball to multiple pass catchers. In addition, he possesses the familiarity with an offensive system designed to accentuate the abilities of quarterback Mac Jones. Having spent the past pair of seasons as Alabama’s offensive coordinator under head coach Nick Saban, O’Brien ran a similar scheme for the Crimson Tide in 2021. This, combined with his previous experience working under Belichick, would lessen his initiation period with New England.
According to multiple reports, O’Brien is the favorite of several ‘influential voices’ throughout the organization, a point which was echoed today by NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, per his sources.
“The primary target is former Patriots OC, former Penn State and Texans head coach, former Alabama OC Bill O’Brien,: Curran wrote. “There is unanimity on all sides that O’Brien’s the best person for the job and -- while there are other candidates with merit -- the familiarity ownership and Mac Jones have with O’Brien and O’Brien’s willingness to return mean it would be an upset if he doesn’t get the job.”
Three Other Names to Watch:
Chad O’Shea
O’Shea has long been linked to the Patriots' as a potential fit for a top-level . In 2009, O'Shea became New England’s wide receivers coach, and remained in that role until 2019. However, it should be noted that his input into the Patriots offensive strategy continued to grow during that time.
In February 2019, the Miami Dolphins announced O'Shea as their offensive coordinator, where he joined Brian Flores. Despite being familiar with each other from their shared time in New England, Flores and the Dolphins elected a new direction for the Fins’ offense, thus firing O'Shea after one season. Though rumors of a Foxboro reunion began to swirl around him, O’Shea was hired by the Cleveland Browns. For the past three seasons, he has served as Cleveland’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, under head coach Kevin Stefanski, with whom he worked as an offensive assistant with the Minnesota Vikings. O’Shea’s ability to work with quarterbacks in the passing game means that he would at least get a look from the Patriots brass in their pursuit of a new conductor for their offense.
Mike Groh
While admittedly a dark horse in the hunt, Groh has the pedigree to warrant consideration. Not only is the older brother of Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh, he is also the New York Giants' wide receivers coach — a team in the midst of a successful playoff run under rookie head coach (and ex-Patriot) Brian Daboll. Groh has almost 20 years of coaching experience across college football, as well as the NFL. He worked as the Philadelphia Eagles' wide receivers coach during their Super Bowl championship run in 2017, before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019.
Like O’Brien, he also has experience in the Nick Saban system at Alabama as their wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2011 and 2012 seasons. Having familiarity with both a gap-run scheme, as well as an offshoot of the West Coast concepts (which New England unsuccessfully attempted to incorporate in 2021) Groh may offer an attractive blend of styles, if the Pats request an interview with him.
Charlie Weis, Jr.
Like father, like son?
The Weis name will long hold a prominent place in the pantheon of Patriots history. However, the son of longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Sr, has forged quite the collegiate reputation of his own. The 29-year-old found moderate success as the offensive coordinator at Ole Miss in 2022, navigating a top-10 offense in the nation in his first season — despite the departure of star quarterback Matt Corral.
He also spent time at both Florida Atlanta and Southern Florida over four seasons as both offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Weis was also an offensive assistant under Saban at Alabama from 2015-16. He also has some professional experience, serving on the Atlanta Falcons’ staff in 2017, as an offensive assistant under then coach (and current Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator) Dan Quinn.
Having been widely praised for his innovative style and comprehensive understanding of the game by several of his previous employers, Weis is considered a name to watch for potential pro openings for many years to come. Though it an admitted long shot for the Pats to hire him, his consideration for the position should not be dismissed.
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