New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick experimented with something new in 2019. Belichick allowed special teams coordinator Joe Judge to take on duties with the offense as a receivers coach.
The Patriots’ special teams unit has been one of the NFL’s best, with swarming coverage of kicks and punts and a handful of blocks and touchdowns on field goal defense. The punting unit has been solid, with Jake Bailey enjoying a steady rookie season. And even with kicking problems, which followed Stephen Gostkowski’s trip to IR, the Patriots have normalized with Nick Folk.
The receiver position has been a different story, with New England struggling to get production from the position. There has been significant turnover, with Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown coming and going. N’Keal Harry, a 2019 first-round draft choice, started on injured reserve before returning at midseason. And Mohamed Sanu joined the team at the trade deadline in exchange for a second-round pick. All the while, quarterback Tom Brady has experienced a statistical decline, whether because of age or because of a poor supporting cast. That has put pressure on Judge to get the most out of a difficult situation with his newly-inherited position group.
“He’s done a great job with the kicking game and as you said, he’s expanded the role a little bit,” Belichick said during a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the team’s wild-card matchup against the Tennessee Titans. “That’s kind of had a little bit of a ripple effect in the way we’ve organized the kicking game, but that’s all worked out pretty efficiently. And Joe has done a great job of organizing that as well as taking on some other things with the offense, in particular receivers, so he’s done a great job. He’s an excellent coach.”
Giants requested permission to interview Patriots’ special teams coordinator Joe Judge for their head-coaching vacancy, per source. Other special teams coaches have made jump to HC; Judge could be next to do it.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2019
Because of Judge’s successes, he is drawing head coaching interest around the NFL. The New York Giants have requested permission to interview him for their vacancy, per ESPN. The 38-year-old has risen from special teams assistant at Alabama in 2009, a position he held until the Patriots hired him for the same job in 2012. New England promoted him to coordinator in 2015, and he’s continued that job through this season, though he’s had more help than ever from assistant Cam Achord, as Belichick alluded to.
This may not be the year Judge gets a head coaching gig. But it may be the year McDaniels departs. If that is the case, the Patriots will have a big vacancy to fill on offense — one that Judge might help fill. Depending upon McDaniel’s plans, perhaps Judge is due for an increased role in New England in the coming year.
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