Patriots fans aren't the only ones concerned about New England's offensive coaching staff.
In fact, actual Patriots players also might have reservations about the group Bill Belichick has put together.
Of course, the exact details of that group remain unclear. We know that Joe Judge (fired by the New York Giants), Matt Patricia (fired by the Detroit Lions), Nick Caley, Vinny Sunseri and Troy Brown all will be working on offense. But, to this point, their specific roles haven't been revealed, and all of them played coy earlier this week when asked about their jobs.
However, the biggest names are Judge and Patricia, both of whom reportedly could see play-calling duties this season. Judge on Monday hinted at being the new quarterbacks coach, while Patricia figures to be in charge of the offensive line. Maybe they split play-calling duties; maybe one of them is given the keys after a competition in training camp (there's an actual report about that). We'll just have to wait and see.
Regardless, according to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, Patriots players thus far haven't liked what they've seen.
"I've heard from people in the last couple days about what's going on with the offensive coaching staff," Bedard said on his latest Patriots podcast episode. "And the initial reports I'm getting back are not good at all. And that includes what they're hearing from the players internally. It's not going in a good direction."
The biggest concerns seemingly are about Judge, whose previous work as New England's receivers coach didn't go so well and whose aggressive demeanor rubs some people the wrong way.
During Monday's virtual news conference, Judge gave a long and, frankly, confusing answer to a question about whether it's a good idea for Mac Jones to have so many different offensive coaches working closely with him. The remarks apparently baffled some around the NFL.
"People who were with the Patriots, have Patriots ties, heard about Joe Judge's press conference, went and watched it," Bedard said. "And they're all texting me, saying like, 'What the eff is (Judge) talking about? Like, this is all wasted energy.' "
With so many unknowns, it's hard to get a clear picture of what the Patriots are trying to do on offense. And it's equally difficult to feel one way or another about different reports and criticisms.
But, at this point, it's hard to feel good about any of it.
