The coaching roles and evolution of the Patriots offense are probably the biggest storyline in New England this offseason.
Former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is living the head coach high life in Las Vegas.
Joe Judge is back in New England, the former special teams coach curiously working with the quarterbacks. Matt Patricia is back on the field in an assistant coach role, the former defensive coordinator working with the offensive line.
Mac Jones is in the midst of his critical first full offseason in NFL, looking to make that oh-so-important Year 2 Jump after a Pro Bowl rookie year.
And, at least the way things look during Patriots OTAs (organized team activities) on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium, Bill Belichick is overseeing the entire offensive evolution in Foxborough very closely.
That was the jumping off point of discussion for the latest Audacy/WEEI “6 Rings” podcast that had the boys breaking down the second day of media access to OTA action in New England.
The biggest takeaway from the short session in shorts and T-shirts had to be the intense, hands-on focus Belichick had on the offensive side of the ball. The 70-year-old head coach had his eyes on everything going on with the offense. He took a hands-on approach to coaching up pass catchers in terms of how to run their routes and how to catch the ball. He was giving rookie QB Bailey Zappe a hands-on lesson on how he wanted the ball thrown.
But Belichick was far from the only guy taking a notable hands-on approach on the offensive side of the practice field. So, too, was the sophomore quarterback Jones. No. 10 in the red practice jersey was very energetic and active in the abbreviated session, and at one point showed veteran receiver Nelson Agholor exactly where and how he wanted a short, in-cutting route run. It was very much veteran QB kind of stuff.
That Belichick/Jones hands-on discussion was just part of the latest “6 Rings” podcast which also got into a bit of debate as to whether the Patriots group of offensive weapons is as bad as some outsiders seem to think. One media outlet even ranked New England’s weapons in it its Tier 7, worst among all NFL teams.
To hear the entire “6 Rings” discussion of Belichick, Jones, the weapons and much more, click here!