The Patriots’ offense aims to get everyone on the same page. The New England Patriots offense is starting over after a poor season. Bill O’Brien was recruited as the unit’s new coordinator after the departures of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, two of the leading coaches from the previous season.
As the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator, O’Brien’s top priority is to clean up the offensive shambles that was the 2022 season. If the first and only public day of structured team activity so far is any clue, things are looking up.
Read more: A 90-day house arrest has resulted in the arrest of Gervonta Davis.
On last week’s Wednesday practice, O’Brien led from the sidelines with authority while quarterback Mac Jones directed the play. It appeared to be a well-oiled machine, which was not necessarily the case in 2022.
David Andrews, the team’s center, said, “The biggest thing is communication, so getting everyone on the same page.” You have a much better chance of success if you begin with 11 guys on the same page. This is why we have to take this time. There is nothing tangible about it. It’s about being able to talk to each other, running the offense, learning your teammates’ strengths and weaknesses, and so on.
“If we can start everything with a good operation, good communication, 11 guys on the same page, it’s not going to be 100 percent a good play, but we’re on the right track,” he said. This is the most crucial point. Every offensive play requires 11 offensive players.
While the Patriots’ offense showed flashes of promise last season, the team ultimately hurt itself by making too many avoidable mistakes. The team struggled in their first season without long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels due to missed assignments, dubious play calls, uncertainty, penalties, and a lack of confidence and cohesion.
Mac Jones believes the team has made some progress in the right direction this offseason toward addressing those problems.
The quarterback, who is in his third season, emphasized the need for open lines of communication and mutual trust. “That’s the first step, hiring a new coach. He’s done a fantastic job of keeping everyone in check. We’re all on the same page.
The Patriots are still in the early stages of operationally creating their team, even though early signals appeared at least more traditional than last year. Andrews, the offense’s veteran player, confirmed this.
The team “still has a lot to work on, a lot of kinks to iron out coming off a long weekend, so we’ll see,” he said. As they say, “We’ll keep building here over the next two weeks and see where it ends.”
The Patriots have a bright future ahead of them. There will be four planned team activities this week, and then an obligatory minicamp will be on June 12-14.
