Patriots Mailbag: Coaching Staff Still Has More Questions Than Answers

Welcome the first 2022 offseason edition of the New England Patriots mailbag. To your questions:

@thisryanjackson
is offensive coordinator matt patricia the end of the world?
So, to be clear, we still don’t know exactly what the Patriots’ coaching staff will look like for this upcoming season. With at least four assistants leaving (likely five with Ivan Fears reportedly expected to retire), you’ll likely see more additions beyond the return of Joe Judge.

But Patriots radio analyst Scott Zolak on Friday shared his prediction for how the 2022 staff will be constructed. And fans were justifiably perturbed.

Here was the setup Zolak laid out on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s midday show:

Quarterbacks/passing game coordinator: Nick Caley
Tight ends/co-run game coordinator: Joe Judge
Offensive line/co-run game coordinator: Matt Patricia
Wide receivers: Troy Brown

Patricia, Zolak said, is the most likely candidate to take over play-calling duties, with possible input from Caley. He didn’t mention running backs, but Vinnie Sunseri is the most natural choice to take over that job, replacing Fears.

Multiple outlets this week have mentioned a possible move to offense for Patricia. The longtime Patriots defensive coordinator spent two resoundingly unsuccessful seasons as the Detroit Lions’ head coach before returning to New England as a “senior football advisor” last year.

Zolak said multiple times that these are his assumptions, but he has a closer connection to the team than most. His thoughts on matters like these are, at the very least, notable. Zolak also was adamant that Bill O’Brien, who’d be the most desirable replacement for Josh McDaniels, “will not be the offensive coordinator.” Adam Gase isn’t likely to fill that void, either, he said.

If this prediction proves accurate, it would be tough to be optimistic about the Patriots’ offense. Patricia has never called offensive plays and has not worked on that side of the ball since 2005, when he was New England’s assistant O-line coach. Caley also has no play-calling experience and has never worked with quarterbacks.

Judge, whose official title is “offensive assistant,” has never coached tight ends, though that would be a comparatively minor concern. The much bigger problem would be the Patriots trusting Mac Jones’ Year 2 development to a group of coaches who not only haven’t proven they can develop QBs, but haven’t even attempted to do so in the past.

It seems likely that head coach Bill Belichick will devote more of his attention to the offense this coming season, which would make sense since New England’s entire defensive staff, to the best of our knowledge, remains intact. But the Patriots need to be doing all they can to put Jones in the best possible position. Pairing him with someone like O’Brien makes far more sense than the potential plan outlined above.

It is important to remember, though, that the Patriots often take months to announce new coaching hires and role changes. I’ll reserve final judgment until I see exactly what Belichick has in mind here.

Patriots Positional Outlook: Wideout Group Needs Offseason Upgrade

Feb 17, 2022

@NFLdudefantasy
Higher odds of drafting a WR1 or trading/paying for one in free agency?
Good question. Their history suggests the latter.

The Patriots have only drafted one receiver in the first round under Belichick (N’Keal Harry in 2018) and haven’t taken one in the second or third since 2013 (Aaron Dobson). There are a number of wideouts worth targeting in that range this year — Chris Olave, Jameson Williams, Treylon Burks, Jahan Dotson and John Metchie, to name a few — but with needs at positions like linebacker, cornerback and offensive tackle, New England might opt to devote those early-round picks to other spots.

The Patriots also don’t have a ton of salary cap space to play with this offseason, however, which makes a big-money signing unlikely. Maybe Chris Godwin’s torn ACL or Allen Robinson’s down season will drop their respective values, but there’s a good chance both will be out of the Pats’ price range.

If he’s ready to return to football, I’d advocate trading for Calvin Ridley, who’s a borderline top-10 receiver when active and has been on the Patriots’ radar in the past.

@Duke0fHampshire
Does Devin Hester missing his chance at first ballot HOF chance hurt Mathew Slater’s chance of making it at all?
I guess you could say Hester getting in in his first year of eligibility might have boosted Slater’s odds, but I view them as completely different cases. Both did the bulk of their work on special teams, sure, but Hester played a much higher-profile position as a wildly productive return man. Slater is one of the best punt/kick coverage players in NFL history, but his contributions are less visible and don’t garner nearly the same widespread attention from fans and media members.

Hester was a finalist on his first ballot, so he’ll likely get in, even if it takes him a few years. I believe Slater belongs in the Hall of Fame, but I have no idea whether the voters will agree.