Q: Hi Evan, what is the biggest issue with the Patriots offense: Mac, Matt Patricia, the offensive line, or the rest of the personnel? - @ashley1992_
Hey Ashley, good question. Let's rank them: one, the offensive line. You can have a rudimentary scheme and an inexperienced play-caller, but if you can block, that'll cover up a lot. Two, Patricia, because his play sequencing and non-imaginative schemes hurt this team. Three, Mac, mainly his inability to play under pressure causing the issues with the offensive line to be exacerbated. That leaves the other personnel in the last spot. They still have enough to be a respectable offense at the skill position if 1-3 were in order. Are they great there? No. But they need to get the most out of their receiver group.
Q: Hypothetical: Bob Kraft adopts you and gives you full decision-making power. What would be your plan to turn this into a championship contender again? - @ChefdDds89
Pretty simple. Use the cap space this offseason to acquire a stud receiver, rebuild the offense line through the draft, and throw some money at an offensive coordinator. Every offseason, there's a disgruntled veteran receiver who wants a new contract and doesn't get it from their current team; go out and get that guy. Then, I'd take the rest of my assets to rebuild at offensive tackle and hire an experienced offensive coordinator. My goal would be to set Mac up for a potential year-three breakout in every way possible (see: Tua, Hurts). If Jones can't put it together in a viable situation, then we start talking about the quarterback position. But I want to see Mac fail in a stable offense before writing him off completely.
Q: Of all the options available right now, who appears to be the most likely candidate to be the offensive coordinator next year? Do you expect a change? - @SaltyCandyCane
We can all agree that the Patriots need to tinker with their offensive coaching staff in the offseason, and even Belichick is entertaining questions about it to an extent. It would be shocking to see the Patriots head into the 2023 season with the same coaching set up on offense. However, it's challenging to assess who is a legitimate option to bolster the staff, so we are throwing darts at this stage to come up with names. The rumors that Bill O'Brien wants to return to the NFL don't necessarily mean he wants back in as an OC. The situation in Houston went south quickly, but O'Brien was an above .500 (52-48) coach with the Texans, who went to the playoffs four times. His move back to the NFL could be as a head coach rather than an offensive coordinator. These types of candidates list usually materialize after the conclusion of the regular season.
The Patriots remain in the mix for a playoff spot in the AFC.
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