WHO’S CALLING OFFENSIVE PLAYS?
It’s fairly clear that things are still being worked out on the fly. In Thursday’s preseason game, Patricia called offensive plays while Hoyer was on the field to start the game before working with the offensive line during defensive series while Judge spoke with the quarterbacks. Then when Zappe entered the game, Judge called plays. Jones and the rest of the core starters sat in preseason Week 1.
When asked if Belichick knew who would call plays during the regular season, the head coach told a reporter, “Don’t worry about that.”
“We'll work it out,” Belichick said.
Patricia has been the primarily “play-caller” in practice.
Months ago, Michael Lombardi, Mick’s father and a longtime Bill Belichick confidante, dismissed the notion that Patricia would call offensive plays because Lombardi couldn’t figure out how Patricia would take on those duties without speaking to the quarterback between series. Belichick showed a willingness to attempt that coaching construct Thursday.
It’s not unprecedented for a quarterback to meet with a coach other than the offensive play-caller between offensive series. Some offensive coordinators call plays from the booth, but it’s certainly rare for a quarterback to meet with a QB coach while the offensive play-caller is 10 feet away working out issues on the offensive line.
(The most worrisome part to me. Losing Bricillo, the last coach with ties to Scar, may hurt more than losing Josh McD. I won't worry about Patricia becoming the play caller until I'm convinced BB won't have a big share of those duties and, as of now, I'm still told BB will be heavily involved in playcalling.)
WHAT DOES THE ‘NEW’ OFFENSE LOOK LIKE?
The Patriots’ offensive line has been a weakness in training camp, and it’s at least worth wondering if it's due to Patricia’s attention being split while Yates is just too inexperienced. Another complication is the Patriots installing new schematics into their offense.
Hoyer said this week that there are elements that are similar to what he ran with the San Francisco 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan in 2017.
“But I think there’s also elements of what we’ve done always here,” Hoyer said.
A source described the updated offense this way: There’s been an early shift to new elements, but it’s going to end up being a blend rather than wholesale changes.
In practice, the Patriots have utilized outside-zone run concepts that are popular in Shanahan-style schemes and hosted Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, who worked under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and 2019 before a brief stop in New England as quarterbacks coach in 2020, as a visitor this spring.
Belichick has said the offense is “streamlined.” Wide receiver
Jakobi Meyers, who’s been with the Patriots since 2019, recently said he’s had to learn “new terminology and remember what means what.”
There were whispers that the Patriots could add Alabama elements to the offense this offseason, and Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien was another visitor this spring.
Ultimately, [two] of the
goals are to simplify the offense and make it easier for newcomers to learn, per a source with knowledge of the situation.
BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD?
There have been early dividends in that regard. Rookie second-round pick
Tyquan Thornton has made early strides at wide receiver that previous young wideouts struggled to attain. Thornton has earned first-team reps in the Patriots’ offense, and he impressed in New England’s first preseason game. The team felt he was open frequently, and he caught two passes on two targets for nine yards and a touchdown.
The Patriots also feel schematic changes have helped 2021 free-agent additions wide receiver
Nelson Agholor and tight end
Jonnu Smith feel more comfortable and make second-year leaps in the offense.
The Patriots don’t have an exemplary set of playmakers on offense, but they certainly possess enough overall talent and depth around Jones. Starting offensive linemen
Trent Brown,
David Andrews,
Michael Onwenu and
Isaiah Wynn all earned 74.4 or better PFF grades last season. Starting left guard
Cole Strange was a first-round pick, albeit a controversial one. Agholor and fellow veteran wide receivers Meyers,
Kendrick Bourne and
DeVante Parker all have loads of starting experience in the NFL. Thornton is a second-round pick, and wide receiver
Kristian Wilkerson will garner interest around the NFL if waived after a strong 2022 preseason debut. Smith and fellow tight end
Hunter Henry are among the highest paid at their position.
Damien Harris and
Rhamondre Stevenson both graded as top 10 running backs last season. And Jones was the league’s best rookie quarterback in 2021 with an 80.0 grade.
*College grade (past history tells me to subtract 10-12 points to get an estimate of 1st year NFL grades)
The Patriots’ offense probably couldn’t continue to function at a high level with the same system predicated on mastery and timing without an experienced play-caller like McDaniels running it. And Belichick wasn’t willing to pry O’Brien away from his friend Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban at Alabama. So, some change was needed, and the scheme needed to be tweaked. Sources around the NFL are torn on whether Patricia and Judge are the men to run it, but within the walls of Gillette Stadium, the staff is confident that the offense will jell in time for the season.
