The New England Patriots’ controversial new offensive setup has James White’s stamp of approval.
Appearing on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” one day after he announced his retirement, the now-former Patriots running back said folks have been too quick to criticize New England’s offense, which is being jointly led by offensive line coach Matt Patricia, quarterbacks coach Joe Judge and head coach Bill Belichick.
Though Patricia and Judge both have been NFL head coaches, neither has extensive offensive coaching experience, and the Mac Jones-led unit they’re directing has struggled in training camp.
White preached patience, saying he’s confident the Patricia-Judge-Belichick triumvirate has the Patriots on the right path.
“I think a lot of people are kind of rushing to judgment when it comes to all that,” White said Friday morning. “Bill’s coached a lot of football. Matty P’s coached a lot of football. So has Joe Judge. I think you’ve just got to let those guys work. A lot of coaches coach a lot of different positions before they end up being an offensive coordinator. They could have coached on the defensive side of the ball at first. I don’t think a lot of people really realize that. A lot of coaches coach a lot of different positions before they get their quote-unquote main job.
“So I think you’ve really got to let those guys work. There’s a lot of talent in that offense from the quarterback position, offensive line, tight ends, running backs, receivers. They’re very deep at the receiver position. I think Matt Patricia, Joe Judge, Bill Belichick are putting those guys in the right position to be successful, and I think Patriots fans will be happy with the product that they put out there this year.
“I think they have a lot of talent, and the coaching staff is trying to do their best job to put guys in the best position to succeed.”
The Patriots are operating without an official offensive coordinator following Josh McDaniels’ offseason departure, and it remains unclear who will call their offensive plays this season. Patricia and Judge split those duties in Thursday night’s preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants, with the former handling the first two series and the latter taking over for the rest of the game.
Belichick sidestepped repeated questions about the matter during his postgame news conference.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said when asked who will call plays during the regular season. “We’ll work it out. … We’re going through a process.”
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