Every NFL offseason is full of change, and the defending AFC 6th seed New England Patriots, are no exception. Not only did they lose All-Pro cornerback JC Jackson in free agency and trade away Shaq Mason for pennies on the dollar, but longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left for his second chance at head coaching in Vegas.
The Patriots still haven't officially named a new OC and haven't had a true defensive coordinator since Matt Patricia in 2017 (we all know Bill holds the role now), but that lack of a title didn't hurt them in 2018.
According to former All-Pro linebacker and current coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots don't do titles; he's just coaching defensive players.
Now according to the most reliable source, wikipedia, the Patriots coaching staff has some titles.
But they're currently the only team in the NFL without a designated offensive AND defensive coordinator (or QB coach). Some believe that Belichick's son Steve will be the de-facto DC this season, but you know you aren't getting that information out of him.
In the clip, Mayo made it clear that different positional groups spend time with multiple coaches. It's an interesting dynamic with seemingly no hierarchy. I'm curious if other teams will follow suit. It could end up saving teams money without those high-profile coordinator salaries on the books.
Despite some pushback, many parts of society are getting more fluid. My hair is almost three feet long and looks fantastic.
NuMetal and rap-rock had their time in the sun. Basketball has evolved from five clear-cut positions to ball handlers, bigs, and wings, with plenty of examples of guys who thrive in multiple spots.
It's an interesting question. Do teams need coordinators or even specialized coaches? Does the title matter? I don't know, but I am a tad worried about the confusion it could cause. Too many cooks!?
This could simply be more Patriots head games with their opponents trying to gain an edge, but my biggest concern is Mac Jones's development. It's a quarterback-driven league, and how many times have you heard from other QBs that a lack of stability at the coordinator position fucked with their development? Mac had a promising rookie year, and now he doesn't even have an official QB coach in year two. Alex Smith had five different OCs his first five seasons and looked like a bust. Then once there was some stability, he turned into a solid pro. I'm sure you could think of some other examples too!
Defensively, I actually kind of love what Mayo said, especially with how the game has changed. Safeties and linebackers are more similar than they've ever been in their responsibilities and body types. The days of Ted Johnson-type linebackers are gone and never coming back like A.I.M. It's beneficial for guys to work on multiple techniques, situations, etc. Throughout the double-dynasty, we've seen countless examples of versatile Patriots making an impact on the game in a variety of ways.
Sure it doesn't always work.
If the Patriots want to act like annoying high schoolers or college students who don't want to put a title on their relationship to gain an edge against their opponents somehow, go for it. Try to be the smartest man in the room some more. Nothing Ole Dozo says is going to stop them. I'll admit they know more about football than me (even though I was a "key returner" in the papers going into my senior year and a "key loss after" I graduated....five of those seven losses were by one score...don't get me fucking started on that wasted year).
Still, I'm worried about it doing more harm than good offensively. I'm all for trying new things and being innovative, but I don't want Mac Jones to be the guinea pig. Especially with a genius like Joe Judge seemingly taking on the lion's share of the work.
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