Players on the New England Patriots offense asked questions in hopes of gaining clarity. Unfortunately for them, their coaches didn't know enough to give it to them.
The Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan and Karen Guregian reported how that became a "frequent source of frustration" during New England's offensive meetings, citing sources inside the organization for a feature story published Thursday. While it more or less confirmed what fans already knew, it also peeled back the curtain into the Patriots' poor coaching, which was one of the biggest reasons behind the team's dysfunction during the 2022 campaign.
The Herald indicated those specific questions were presented to offensive play-caller Matt Patricia, offensive assistant Joe Judge and others as New England tried to implement a revised offense.
"A lot of guys would ask, 'Well, what's going to happen if (the defense) does this?' And you would see they hadn't really accounted for that yet," one source told the Herald. "And they'd say, 'We'll get to that when we get to that.'
"That type of attitude got us in trouble."
In fairness to Patricia and Judge, neither had any experience in the Shanahan-style offensive system the Patriots initially tried to implement. However, some players (the Herald estimated a half-dozen) did have experience in those systems. It prompted some to question how New England's offense would counter a defensive adjustment, but the assistants who Bill Belichick tasked to lead the offense weren't able to provide answers.
"By the end, they were just making 1,000 adjustments instead of building them in at the beginning," one source told the Herald.
Fortunately for the 2023 Patriots, the offense will be led by established offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. The team officially announced the hiring Thursday.
Players should take some comfort in knowing the veteran O'Brien will be able to provide them answers to the questions they might have.
