The New England Patriots experienced a literal change of pace during OTAs on Wednesday under the leadership of new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
At this time last year, New England’s unexpected offensive triumvirate — Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge — spent the time getting their footing. OTAs are a teaching camp. But it felt like the coaches couldn’t do much in the way of teaching because they were still learning about their own roles. Practices moved slowly. Judge and Patricia gesticulated and dictated while players stood idly. There were only traces of the mechanical efficiency that defined the Patriots’ dynasties.
On Wednesday, New England was on schedule. The Patriots were back to doing their job. There was no time for chit-chat. You got no sense that they had missed practices due to a violation of NFL rules. To the contrary, New England looked polished under O’Brien and quarterback Mac Jones.
“It’s been normal,” Jones said when asked about working with O’Brien.
Normal.
Imagine that.
That’s definitely not the word I would use to describe last year’s situation. Belichick seemed to be taking a massive risk with Judge, a former special teams coordinator, and Patricia, a former defensive coordinator. An unnecessary risk. And one that did not pay off.
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The hiring of O’Brien? That made a ton of sense. O’Brien is an offensive coach. He had worked, briefly, with Jones at Alabama. And of course, O’Brien had worked with Belichick in New England, where O’Brien led one of the team’s most creative and productive offenses — even if it was only for a year (2011).
“I wouldn’t say [he’s] starting from scratch,” Belichick said of O’Brien Wednesday. “I had a great relationship with Bill all the way back before we hired him the first time [in 2007]. … I love working with Bill.”
Where there were rumblings of discontent from those close to Jones last year, there is a new sense of enthusiasm. There’s faith in “The Patriot Way” again.
“[O’Brien] has done a great job in controlling the room,” Jones said. “I feel like everyone’s on the same page. … There’s a lot of familiarity, but it’s a new relationship still. We’re just working on that trust.”
The well probably isn’t as deep as it once was. If this situation gets ugly — and it could, considering how deep the AFC East looks — then maybe Jones’ relationship with Belichick and the organization could get complicated again. Maybe the clamoring for Bailey Zappe returns within the fan base. Maybe Jones can’t get back to the competence he displayed in his rookie season.
But for now, the Patriots offense looks like it has the right pieces in place for 2023. O’Brien called plays during the team’s first session. It wasn’t smooth all the time. Jones threw an interception on his opening drive of practice — a set of 7-on-7 drills. On the same drive, receiver Tyquan Thornton dropped a pass.
After that drive, Jones didn’t miss a single attempt for the rest of practice — he hit his next 14 passes. Jones and Thornton linked up later for a long touchdown and a slant pass — a good sign that the speedster, who looked lost last year during his rookie season, might contribute both as a deep threat and in the quick game.
And then there were the tight ends: Mike Gesicki and Hunter Henry.
O’Brien, whose rise in the NFL coincided with his excellent usage of Patriots tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, seems to know exactly what to do with Gesicki and Henry. It was a good sign to see Gesicki, the newcomer, and Henry, who had a down year in 2022, drawing a high volume of targets in this practice session.
“Those two are going to work as a pair,” Jones said. “It might be different guys at times, but Mike definitely has playmaking ability. He’s a smart football player, and I’m just excited to work with him.”
The Patriots have set up their quarterback for success with an offensive coordinator, and they have set up their coordinator for success with the tight ends he likes to use in surprising ways.
And I haven’t even mentioned JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was not present for this voluntary session. New England’s offense might not break records — or even finish in the top 10 in any passing categories. But that’s not really what the Patriots need, given their elite defense.
They need competence on offense. They sorely lacked it last year. This year, they seem to be trending the right direction. The reason is obvious: O’Brien.
Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.
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