Coming off a disappointing season, the New England Patriots offense is now back at square one. The leading coaches from last season are either gone (Matt Patricia) or have been moved elsewhere on the staff (Joe Judge), while Bill O’Brien was brought in as the unit’s new coordinator.
O’Brien was hired with one immediate goal in mind: get the Patriots’ offensive operation back on track after what was a messy 2022 campaign. If the first and so far only open day of organized team activities is any indication, things are already looking up in that regard.
O’Brien was in full command as the leader on the sidelines during last Wednesday’s practice, with quarterback Mac Jones running the show on the field. The operation looked smooth and organized, something that was not always the case in 2022.
“Biggest thing is communication, so getting everyone on the same page,” said center David Andrews. “You start with 11 guys on the same page, you have a lot better chance of having success than not. This is what this time’s for. It’s not a physical thing. It’s communication, operation, learning the offense, working with guys, learning your teammates, doing things like that.
“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. And that’s the biggest thing. It takes 11 guys on offense every play to be successful.”
The Patriots did have some encouraging moments on the offensive side of the ball last year, but at the end of the day shot themselves in the foot far too often. Missed assignments, questionable play calls, confusion, penalties and a lack of confidence and coherence all hurt the unit and stunted its development in its first season after long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Fixing those issues is a main objective this offseason, and something Mac Jones himself feels the team has already made some strides so far.
“The communication is the most important part, and trust,” the third-year quarterback said. “It all starts with that with a new coach. He’s done a great job controlling the room. I feel like everyone’s on the same page.”
While the early signs looked, at the very least, more traditional than last year, the Patriots are still rather early in the process of building their team from an operational standpoint. Andrews, the longest-tenured member of the offense, said as much himself.
“We still have a lot of things to work on, a lot of kinks to iron out coming off a long weekend, so we’ll see,” he said. “We’ll keep building here over the next two weeks and see where it ends.”
The Patriots will have plenty of opportunity ahead. They will hold four organized team activities this week, followed by a three-day mandatory minicamp June 12-14.
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