1 -- Two years ago about this time, then-Patriots tight end coach Nick Caley had plenty of supporters who believed he should fill the open offensive coordinator job in New England created when Josh McDaniels left to become head coach in Las Vegas.
Unfortunately for all involved, Caley didn’t get job. He had to sit back and watch from inside Gillette Stadium as ill-prepared, unqualified options Matt Patricia and Joe Judge combined to run the Patriots’ offense and Mac Jones’ career into the ground.
Now, two years later and with Caley having spent the last year as the tight ends coach on Sean McVay’s supposedly magical staff in Los Angeles, the young assistant is reportedly getting a second, in-person interview for the open offensive coordinator role on Jerod Mayo’s new staff in New England. According to ESPN, Caley “is viewed by some close to the process as well-positioned to ultimately lead the offense.”
Better late than never. Caley made sense as a rising young coach back in the winter of 2022. Given his mix of experience in New England, with the old-school McDaniels offense, and now time spent on the supposedly modern offense McVay runs, Caley might just be the perfect blend of familiarity and freshness that’s desired these days under Mayo’s collaborative culture in Foxborough.
Caley has drawn rave reviews for his work over the years in both New England and Los Angeles, including public support from longtime legendary Patriots’ offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. It feels like it might just finally be Caley’s time to shine.
We wanted Caley for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator job two years ago. He makes even more sense now.
2 – As New England approaches interviews with an ever-growing list of candidates for the critical offensive coordinator job, the question grows whether Mayo & Co. are doing their due diligence or struggling to find someone fit to fill out the role. Shane Waldron interviewed before deciding to take the OC role in Chicago. Zac Robinson was seen as an ideal fit but instead followed Raheem Morris to the Falcons. Dan Pitcher stayed put and was promote by the Bengals. New England is now adding interviews with guys like 49ers tight end coach Brian Fleury who weren’t on their radar initially.
Mayo needs to get his offensive coordinator hire right more than he needs to get the hire done quickly. But times does matter. The Shrine Bowl is under way this week. The Senior Bowl is coming fast. New England needs to map out what it’s going to be on offense, what kinds of players it will be looking for in the draft and free agency and, maybe most importantly, fill out a productive, cohesive offensive coaching staff after a year in which it was anything but that behind the scenes in Foxborough.
3 – While the Patriots can’t seem to find an offensive coordinator, it looks like Bill Belichick can’t find a job for 2024. With Morris getting the Falcons job, it looks like the Hoodie won’t be coaching on an NFL sideline this coming season, at least not to open the year. That leaves us with a couple thoughts.
First, Belichick’s name will certainly come up if/when teams like the Eagles, Cowboys, Bills or Jets get off to a slow start in 2024. Belichick was and is seen as a perfect option for a Super Bowl-ready team with a strong QB presence that might need help getting over the top. Those teams in Philly, Dallas, Buffalo and New York chose to stick with their coaches this winter, but it’s hard not to wonder if that could change late next September or October if they struggle and Belichick is waiting in the wings?
While he waits for a job – which could be a curious approach given that he’ll be a potentially record-setting 73-year-old coach for the 2025 season – most think Belichick will test his talents on TV. With an Emmy already in his possession thanks to his work on NFLN, there’s reports that some think Belichick will “revolutionize” TV with his preparation and analysis.
Exaggerate much? What would be cool is if some streaming service like Amazon hired Belichick to do an alternate broadcast to its games similar to what the Mannings do for ESPN, but with Belichick in his most raw, authentic mode of analysis, the kind he’s reserved in the past for meetings with his players and an occasional TV production meeting. THAT would be adults-only, TV gold. Maybe even pair him up with his recently-retired GOAT buddy Nick Saban. But it’s unlikely to ever happen because if Belichick is still looking to get back into coaching he’s unlikely to be brutally and entertainingly honest. And if that’s the case, if we get press conference-style Belichick who’s holding back his true feelings, then really what’s the point? Then he’ll just be another bland, vanilla talking head.
4 – DeMarcus Covington is certainly a solid, respected choice for promotion to defensive coordinator in New England. He’d spent the last seven seasons on Belichick’s staff, working up from coaching assistant to outside linebackers and then defensive line coach. His defensive line was the foundation of the team’s defensive success of late, both against the run and the pass. Covington, a co-defensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois in 2016, brings a youthful, affable style of his job that’s not dissimilar to what Mayo displays. It’s clear NFL coaching is more and more becoming a young-man’s game and the 34-year-old Covington fits the mold perfectly.
5 – Covington’s promotion, though, would seem to be more significant to his career advancement than it is necessarily for New England. Mayo will clearly oversee the Patriots defense, as he’s done in recent years. And with Bill Belichick shut out of coaching jobs, it appears the door is still open for Steve Belichick to remain in New England on Mayo’s staff. If that’s the case it would seem likely the younger Belichick might continue to call plays as he’s done so successfully in recent years. As such, Covington’s role and responsibilities might not quite be at the coordinator level as defined with other teams. But Mayo said in his opening press conference that he realized job titles were important to the outside world and play a large role in career advancement. At the very least Covington’s promotion proves Mayo a man of his word. And regardless of the titles or exact roles, the continuity provided to the New England defense through Mayo, Covington and potentially Steve Belichick should ensure that side of the ball has the potential to remain successful and the strength of the team moving forward.
6 – As we approach roster-building time in the NFL – both in free agency and the draft – it will be interesting to see how the Mayo/Eliot Wolf/Matt Groh collaboration approaches the process. Certainly we’ll all focus on how they “burn some cash” and utilize critical draft picks, including No. 3 overall. It might be equally as telling which players from the current roster are retained or let go. Bill Belichick had final say on the roster, now the Mayo-led collaboration can put its stamp on the talent and that will begin by assessing which guys remain a part of the mix both in terms of impending free agents and returning talent still under contract. Actions in roster-building often speak as loud or louder than words.
7 – Prediction Time!: No, there’s no Patriots game to be played this Championship Sunday in the NFL. Those days are well behind us in these parts and it might be a while before they return. But there certainly are a couple of intriguing fun football games for fans in these parts to try to enjoy as work continues on the Mayo era inside Gillette.
Sunday’s early game looks like the game of the day on paper with Patrick Mahomes and his defending-champ Chiefs in their usual (six years in a row!) spot in the AFC title game, just this time it’s on the road in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson is the presumptive MVP and looks to lead arguably the best team in football to his first Super Bowl. From a New England perspective there’s a lot not to like in this matchup. Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking to add to their budding dynasty and chase to match some of the accomplishments Tom Brady’s Patriots achieved. Jackson is the dream QB who got away (a couple times) and now could lead the playoff-rival Ravens to glory. Either team’s win might leave a bad taste in the mouths of residents of Patriot Nation. But here we’re rooting for Jackson and the Ravens and expect them to get the job done. Both defenses in this game are more than solid and both QBs can basically carry their teams to victory on any given play. K.C. will likely put up the good fight on the road, but we’ll go with a 27-20 win for Baltimore.
In the NFC the quarterback matchup is less sexy and less certain. Brock Purdy and Jared Goff need to prove worthy of the big stage, even if they each lead impressive rosters of offensive talent. The 49ers are the best team in this game and playing at home as a significant favorite. But Dan Campbell’s upstart Lions are America’s darlings right now. Well, we’ll be rooting against and picking against America’s darlings. The pick here is for the San Francisco defense to pressure Goff into falling apart and Christian McCaffrey’s offense to make big plays on the way to the 49ers' 30-17 win.