Why Bill O'Brien is biggest key to Pats' success
Monday represented the official start of the offseason training program for the 2023 version of the New England Patriots. Tuesday represented the first time coaches and scouts spoke publicly about the team and the season to come, ushering in a new era that leaves the disappointment of 2022 clearly in the rear view mirror.
Speaking from their new media room at Gillette Stadium, everyone from positional coaches to coordinators and player personnel directors had their first chance to speak with the local media. Everyone from Jerod Mayo to Bill O’Brien, Cam Achord, Matt Groh and more had a chance to offer some thoughts and answer a few questions shedding some insight on where the Pats are headed with the NFL Draft on the horizon, and what’s going on with their reconfigured braintrust following the frustrations and failures of the 2022 season. Mostly positive and optimistic tones were struck, but one theme seemed predominant: it’s a new season and everyone is going to have their chance to prove their worth and earn their keep.
One such person who’s excited about the future in Foxboro, and whom fans seem equally happy to have around, is Mayo, whom the Patriots made a very public point of keeping this offseason.
“It would take a lot for me to leave, but this is where I want to be,” said Mayo, whose role has changed slightly this offseason, noting there were “some things they allowed me to participate in” and that he hopes to be in the Patriots draft room next week. Mayo said he doesn’t have an official title or business cards yet either. No word on whether the eventual HC of the NEP is in those cards.
Groh, Patriots director of player personnel who is currently in his busiest time of the year, gave a 20-minute Q&A where he noted that the team is “trying to follow the model of finding good football players”. The Patriots’ drafts have graded out better in recent years since Groh, the son of former NFL and college coach Al Groh (also a friend of Belichick), joined the ranks.
As for what could be on tap next week, he offered that O’Brien has been “a wealth of knowledge and he's been a really good resource for myself." O’Brien brings not only knowledge of certain pro players still in the game but also a strong working knowledge of personnel in the college game, those entering the draft from Alabama, the SEC and beyond. Groh also noted the team has an idea of what it would take to trade up from the 14th overall position, if that strikes their fancy, as well as hinting that finding more speed could still be in play at the draft next week. “I don’t think you can be fast enough.”
The most anticipated of the bunch is O’Brien, the new offensive coordinator who is now in his second stint as the play-caller for the Pats. Many are looking to him for guidance on everything from the revised playbook to the potential QB battle and beyond, to which O’Brien offered the biggest takeaway of the day, and likely the new catchphrase of Pats Nation: “Everyone is starting with a clean slate.”
Those words for many, from players to fans, will be a breath of fresh air after the frustrations of an offense that regressed in 2022 took hold from the 300s to the sidelines.
“What you did in the past, or whether it’s a player or a coach or anybody in the organization, really has no bearing on what happens moving forward,” O’Brien said.
He did not name a starting quarterback either, which will add some fuel to the fire that Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe will be in an open competition for the QB1 job, though ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Sunday that many believe the opportunity to work with Jones was one of the main reasons O’Brien returned to one of his former pro homes. Still, for Jones, whether or not he has to beat out Zappe, just hearing that the past is where it belongs - in the past - has to be a sigh of relief after his public clashes and private outcries for help during a disappointing sophomore pro season.
O’Brien said it’s been great to be back in New England – “Good staff, great guys.” He seems very comfortable with the roles he’ll serve and the spotlight on him as many have noted how important his work will be for the team to return to functionality if not success and prominence again.
Even Achord, the special teams coach who was looking to curry favor with the local fan base(s) by wearing a Bruins t-shirt and a Celtics hat, had a chance to wax positively, which may seem odd given the team’s troubles there last year.
Achord said on the return of special teams ace and team captain Matthew Slater: “You can’t say enough good things about him and his leadership.” He also noted that Joe Judge will be assisting him on special teams this season, adding that another set of eyes will help the group.
A pivotal draft is just over a week out. Real practices are several weeks away. Meaningful football and the 2023 campaign is months down the road. Much is yet to come and be decided about this version of the Patriots, a team looking to restore some reputation and some luster to their case of Lombardis. And on this Tuesday morning in Foxboro, hope and a level playing field for all were welcomed back, the first signs of growth in one of the most intriguing springs in Pats Nation in a long time.