Patriots stubbornly stick to their inner circle with re-hire of Bill O’Brien

Stubborn. The eight-letter word that comes to mind upon hearing the news that the New England Patriots have a “new” offensive coordinator in Bill O’Brien.

Celebrate the news, if you will. After all, this hire is most certainly an upgrade from Matt Patricia and Joe Judge running the show. But when the bar is that low, anything can be considered an upgrade.

That said, it happened again. Once again, Bill Belichick’s stubbornness to venture outside his inner circle for coaches was put on full display. It almost seems as if the head coach is resistant to branching out beyond and finding someone else that might serve a greater purpose.

Bill O’Brien is an upgrade for the offensive coordinator, but as we said before, the bar was so low that anyone could have come in, and it would be an upgrade. Yet the New England Patriots continue to be stubborn, and that’s “The Patriot Way.”

Bill O’Brien taking over for Matt Patricia and Joe Judge as offensive coordinator is a plus, but there is a minus because the Patriots will not look beyond their inner circle when it comes to hiring coaches.

What stands out if you really look at O’Brien’s tenure as a coordinator and head coach? Clashing with Tom Brady on the sidelines?

Granted, O’Brien’s two-tight end system allowed the Patriots’ offense to flourish. But keep in mind that at the time, one of the tight ends was the tight end who connected with Brady for the quarterback’s first touchdown pass in the first quarter of a Super Bowl (It took Brady ten Super Bowls for that to happen). The other? He was good, but we won’t mention his name.

O’Brien did well as the head coach at Penn State in his two seasons there, posting a 15-9 record. This was after the Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked Happy Valley, and O’Brien should be commended for that.

But it was his tenure in Houston that stands out. Not just as a coach but having general manager duties as well. Despite a 52-49 record and a 2-4 postseason record, notably their 2019 season, where they had a 24-point lead in the divisional round against Kansas City before losing 51-31 to the eventual champions, it was O’Brien’s ego and personnel decisions that attracted much notoriety.

Trading DeAndre Hopkins for David Johnson? Drafting Deshaun Watson but opting for Tom Savage for a half before realizing the rookie was better? Both decisions were baffling. Following an 0-4 start in 2020, O’Brien was given his walking papers before heading back to college to Tuscaloosa to reunite with Nick Saban, another member of the Belichick circle.

In the two seasons that O’Brien resided in Tuscaloosa, the Tide didn’t live up to their own standard, losing a national championship game and not making the college football playoff, having to settle for a Sugar Bowl appearance.

Now, O’Brien is back in Foxborough, without Brady, and instead is tasked with managing Mac Jones and trying to revitalize his career after a disastrous sophomore slump. Also, O’Brien has the tall order of bringing the Patriots’ offense back to the 21st century.

At least he won’t be the general manager this time; that’s still on Belichick, but hopefully, Belichick gives O’Brien the right parts to work with, else nothing will have been accomplished except a name change at a position.

Patriots fans have to hope that stubbornness finally pays off, but given recent history and after a thorough background check, there’s a chance that it won’t, and the Patriots will look once again in their group and give someone else a chance to be the offensive coordinator.