The Matt Patricia era has gone so horrendously wrong for the New England Patriots that Bill O’Brien’s possible return is being treated like the second coming of Andy Reid right now.
In comparison to Patricia, O’Brien really is the crème de la crème of offensive coordinators, but let’s not act like Alabama coach Nick Saban is doing Patriots coach Bill Belichick a solid by letting his offensive play-caller go back to the NFL. The pitchforks in Tuscaloosa have been out for quite some time after a clear offensive drop-off for the Crimson Tide.
Look, I’m not saying the Patriots shouldn’t be trying to replace Patricia with O’Brien. That move would be an obvious no-brainer if it’s on the table. But at the same time, it’s a move that should be put on ice with the Josh McDaniels and Las Vegas Raiders catastrophe escalating.
McDaniels announced on Wednesday that Derek Carr was being replaced by Jarrett Stidham as the starter for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Things have even devolved to the point where Carr won’t even be the backup.
The franchise quarterback will be taking an early season exit to avoid any distractions that might arise from McDaniels’ shocking decision.
If owner Mark Davis thought the cries for McDaniels’ firing were bad before, then wait until he hears the backlash after this latest controversy. Stidham potentially stinking it up against the best defense in football seems inevitable, as does the possibility of the Black Hole feasting on its own head coach.
The Patriots would be wise to wait and see what happens.
If Davis finally steps in and drops the hammer on this charade, Belichick and company could move right in to grab the burped up bones of McDaniels and hightail it back to New England.
McDaniels has obviously struggled as a head coach in the NFL, but he hums like a bird as an offensive coordinator. Mac Jones was a Pro Bowler as a rookie under his watch. But without him, the offense has been an accident waiting to happen, and the second-year quarterback regressed to the point where he got booed off the field and replaced by rookie backup Bailey Zappe in Week 7.
There are “Zappe” chants that still break out at Gillette Stadium, even to this day.
O’Brien would be a huge upgrade over Patricia, but McDaniels would be a mega one. And yet, it all comes down to a decision needing to be made by Davis, the man overseeing the Death Star at Allegiant Stadium—or rather, the Mid-Star at this point.