Do Titles Matter? New England Doesn’t Think So
AP Photos | Charles Krupa
As the New England Patriots prepare for their upcoming 2022-2023 NFL season, many look to the lack in ‘titles’ for different members of Bill Belichick’s coaching tree. What kind of impact will this make in the long term?
With Bill Belichick as the General Manager and Head Coach for the Patriots, other coaches don’t have roles that are as set in stone. This includes the Offensive and Defensive Coordinator positions, among other coaches who float around with other positions and sides of the ball. Let’s take a look at if this will affect the Patriots’ season as we head into training camps. New England has a reputation of leaving one’s ego at the door when they come in. They have been noted to treat all players equal, and expectations for sustainability, hard work, and dedication to the team are high. The same goes for the coaching staff, although like other organizations, things are a little different.
CBS Sports Photos
The Patriots, as of now, do not have a set Offensive Coordinator or a Defensive Coordinator as well. At the end of the day, coaches all have their voices heard and every member of the staff contributes in their own way, but does this affect the way the season plays out? I think it does.
With the lack of official titles at these two positions, there is a workload that is shared between multiple people. Josh McDaniels, who was the Patriots’ Offensive Coordinator for 10+ years left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. This left a gap that hasn’t necessarily been filled, although the Patriots brought back ex-Giants head coach Joe Judge, who was New England’s Special Teams Coordinator in the past. He has been brought back as the new QB Coach, but is said to have a huge role in play calling and offensive scheme this upcoming season. Like Matt Patricia, who was also brought back to the Patriots last year, Judge doesn’t seem to have the largest resume with the offensive side of the ball, but will be diversifying his coaching mind this year. Yet for some reason, he doesn’t have the title of the Offensive Coordinator.
Judge said in a recent interview that he and the rest of the coaching staff would be working together as a “collective unit” and that evidently nothing has been decided as to specifically who is calling plays and who has a say over anyone else. In typical Patriots fashion, Judge’s answer was vague, but it is interesting to see how the season develops without an Offensive Coordinator. On defense, things aren’t exactly different, either.
Thomas Carannante
On defense, like last year, there is no designated Defensive Coordinator again. As we all know, Bill Belichick is a defensive minded coach. He usually has a high say in what schemes are used and what stunts are called, etc. The one oh his staff who seems to get the most attention for this role is former Patriots defensive legend Jerod Mayo, who is currently the linebackers coach. Mayo was looked at for head coach openings for other teams because he has built up a reputation within the Patriots organization as a well rounded coach for the defensive side of the ball.
Another name to look out for is Steve Belichick, who is listed as the Safeties coach for the team. He also dodged questions during a recent session with press, and noted that he won’t be calling plays/stunts himself, adding to the mystery of who gets the calls. Surely there’s more concrete roles and privileges behind closed doors, but the speculation and puzzle behind who does what is always interesting in Foxborough.
