1 – A year after Matt Patricia returned to the Patriots organization following his failed stint as the head coach in Detroit, the exact role that Bill Belichick’s longtime assistant is filling in New England remains unclear.
From afar it seems that Patricia, like his boss, almost has a hand in every aspect of the work going on at Gillette Stadium.
A year ago there were reports that he was the one putting actual pen to paper signing free-agent contracts for New England. Then, he showed up in the draft room. Later, he was a central figure organizing the overall action on the training camp practice fields.
His role has been equally as varied this offseason. He traveled to college pro days and the NFL meetings side by side with Belichick.
Patricia’s name, along with Joe Judge, was top of Belichick’s mind at those NFL meetings when discussing the Patriots post-Josh McDaniels offensive coaching staff and those who would be most directly involved with coaching second-year quarterback Mac Jones.
But, it doesn’t sound like Patricia is simply transition back to the coaching staff – it’s been reported that the former defensive coordinator could be coaching the offensive line in New England in 2022 – after a year in which he was officially listed as a senior football advisor.
When newly-promoted Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh handled New England’s annual pre-draft press conference this past week via Zoom, Patricia’s name still kept popping up in regards to a role in the front office activities.
While talking about transitioning in his new role, Groh emphasized how much he’s leaning on those around him in the personnel department. With much of Groh’s background coming on the college side of scouting, he noted his reliance on Eliot Wolf, Steve Cargile and Marshall Oium for their knowledge on the pro side of things. “And obviously we've got no better resource than coach Belichick and what Matt Patricia's able to add through all his experiences with everything on the pro side.”
Later, while Groh was discussing New England’s trade with the Dolphins for veteran wide receiver DeVante Parker he again looped Patricia into the conversation.
“I would say Matt Patricia did a great job of being on that early and kind of getting the information to us as quickly as he could, and we were in on that early and it really came together well for us and we're really excited about having DeVante here,” Groh said.
Having roles on some level both in the front office and coaching is not necessarily unprecedented. One of Groh’s predecessors leading the Patriots personnel department, former New England V.P. of Player Personnel Nick Caserio, performed duties on the practice field as well as in the game day coaches’ booth in addition to his more traditional work leading the scouting department.
But Patricia’s varied contributions these days feel like even more than that.
Do Your Job is one of the t-shirt-selling mantra’s in New England. For Patricia, that job seems to include all aspects of the team, interestingly it’s much like what his aging boss and decades-long mentor Belichick does.
2 – While much is made about the fact that the Patriots aren’t expected to list an official offensive or defensive coordinator on Belichick’s coaching staff in 2022, it’s not the only job that officially goes unfilled in New England. Belichick himself doesn’t actually carry a title for a job that he’s handled since the day he landed back in New England in 2000.
“Obviously coach is the general manager,” Groh said this week.
That is and always has been obvious but generally goes unsaid. Belichick makes all the football and roster decisions in Foxborough. He’s the reigning PFWA Executive of the Year for his work putting together the 2021 Patriots that returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
Officially, though, Belichick is simply listed as the head coach in the Patriots media guide and team staff directory. He’s also downplayed the value and necessity for job titles often in his two-plus decades running the show in New England.
3 – Many fans and media alike were left with one simple takeaway after the Patriots were emphatically dispatched from last January’s playoff action by Josh Allen and the Bills: New England’s speed and athleticism simply didn’t appear postseason worthy.
It sounds like those who help make the personnel decisions agree. The Patriots were very much playoff team, but certainly didn’t compare to the other true Super Bowl contenders on display four months ago.
“Without a doubt we're looking to get faster everywhere.
It's not just defense, it's offense, it's special teams,” Groh said with less than two weeks to go before the 2022 NFL Draft.
The new personnel boss in New England noted there are different ways to reach that goal, especially on defense where the Patriots looked old and slow down the stretch a year ago. One option is utilizing players in different roles, getting more undersized athletes on the field. That certainly could be an option for Steve Belichick and Jerod Mayo, whose defense returns a trio of contributing safeties in Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips and Kyle Dugger, but also added versatile back-end veteran former first-round pick Jabrill Peppers to the mix in free agency. Three-safety looks have been common in New England over the years, but might four safeties be in line for simultaneous action in 2022?
4 – One of the longstanding debates regarding Patriots’ defensive personnel has been Belichick’s preference for bigger linebackers who generally don’t bring the types of speed and athleticism to the position that’s more common to the modern NFL game. With Kyle Van Noy having been cut and Dont’a Hightower currently an unsigned free agent, New England could be undergoing a dramatic overhaul at linebacker this offseason. According to Groh that could very well mean a new type of linebacker landing in Foxborough, more out of supply chain issues than necessarily a philosophy switch at the position.
“It's a different game than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago and that player has also changed. There's not as many of those big linebackers, they just, they don't exist. Colleges want them smaller because they've got to be able to adapt to the college game. So, you can't just create these guys out of thin air and so it's with all the positions, it's what the college game provides us. We have to just take what they are going to give us from year to year,” Groh said. “So, it's really just as simple as there are not a lot of those guys in college anymore, so you're not going to see a lot of those guys in the NFL anymore.”
5 – Another hot-button position in Patriot Nation is wide receiver. N’Keal Harry obviously never lived up to his status as a first-round pick in 2019, Belichick’s only first-round pick at the position in New England.
Historically the team has struggled to draft and develop receivers other than 2002 second-round pick Deion Branch and late-round flyers on David Givens (2002) and Julian Edelman (2009).
Over the last few years, though, the drafting of impact wide receivers has become commonplace across the NFL. Ja’Marr Chase changed the Bengals offense for his QB buddy Joe Burrow. Justin Jefferson was an instant star replacing Stefon Diggs in Minnesota.
Groh explained that the way young athletes are coming up through high school and 7-on-7 passing leagues has receivers as NFL-ready as ever.
“We've got another great class of wide receivers this year, and I think it's just going to keep coming. Every year there's going to be more and more of these guys,” Groh said.
Meanwhile the contracts and trades for elite NFL receivers exploded this offseason, the pass catchers becoming more of a premium position than ever. While the Patriots have solid receiver depth chart and a complement of talents at the position, finding a true go-to, No. 1 option for Mac Jones remains on the to-do list.
“Wherever teams can add an instant impact player, which is what these wide receivers are in the game today, they're going to do it and you can't just sit around and wait and hope to get one of these guys in the draft. You've got to be proactive about going to go get one of them,” Groh said.
6 – One final note from Groh’s pre-draft comments that should ease the fears of those who unhappily think it’s a forgone conclusion that New England might be looking to trade down or even out of the first round on draft night. Much of that narrative is based not only in the perception that the Patriots need to add young talent at a longer list of positions, but also the idea that this year’s draft class is far more deep than it is top-heavy.
That theoretically might put a premium on second- or third-round picks for a Belichick-led team that has taken that approach often in the past.
“I feel like that's a popular narrative every year. We're always looking for value, no matter where it is. We want our 21st pick to be valuable, just like we want our 54th pick to be valuable and kind of commensurate with where we see that player helping our franchise,” Groh said. “Hopefully your first-round pick is coming in and providing something for you right away and similarly with the second- and third-round picks. But I think every year it's pretty easy to say, 'OK, well here's a group of players in that second and third round,’ there's just more of those players than there is to say those guys at the very top of the board.”
7a – Kendrick Bourne brought an immediate positive impact to the Patriots as a free agent signing from the 49ers a year ago. Off the field the wide receiver has an infectious energy, smile and personality. On the field he became arguably New England’s top playmaker over the course of the season enjoying career highs of 55 catches and 800 yards with five touchdowns. Enjoying his good fortune in Foxborough, Bourne gave back to those around him. The Portland, Ore. native passed along word via his Instagram account that he’d purchased a home for his parents. “Thank you Jesus Christ and your father GOD for allowing me to do something this special for the people that brought me on this earth!” Very cool moment for Bourne and his family, and not hard to see why the receiver is so liked and respected in the New England locker room.
7b – Belichick celebrated his 70th birthday on April 16 while still going strong in New England. Belichick’s consistency leading the Patriots and approaching his all-encompassing job with the focus, energy and drive of a man half his age truly is remarkable. In an NFL world where 30-something Rams Super Bowl-winning coach Sean McVay apparently pondered retirement, Belichick’s ageless drive may not get the attention and adulation that it truly deserves. In many ways, Belichick’s insatiable desire to do his job at 70 is as remarkable as what his former quarterback continues to do. Belichick’s current starting quarterback, Jones, was among the many to pass along well-deserved, celebratory birthday wishes to the GOAT coach on social media.
