The Patriots have raised some eyebrows with their approach to offensive coaching this offseason after coordinator Josh McDaniels departed the franchise to become the Raiders head coach.
Joe Judge is back working with quarterbacks. Head coach Bill Belichick has been more “hands on” with instructing the team’s players on that side of the ball. And Matt Patricia has been working with the offensive line and is now a prime candidate to be the club’s play-caller.
Of course, none of the Patriots offensive staff has been working with a public title.
Still, safety Devin McCourty — who played under Patricia for years when he was the team’s defensive coordinator — said on Thursday that Patricia can be successful as an offensive assistant.
“I think at the end of the day, he’s just a really good coach,” McCourty said, via Zack Cox of NESN. “Obviously, a ton of knowledge across the board.”
McCourty also noted that Patricia’s experience as a head coach with Detroit should help him.
While Patricia went just 13-29-1 in three seasons as Detroit’s head coach, he did have plenty of success as a defensive coordinator. Time will tell if he’ll be able to replicate that success on offense if he does indeed call the team’s plays.