The New England Patriots are having a season to forget, especially offensively. The coaches are not convincing – is head coach Bill Belichick to blame with his personnel decisions?

When asked about a possible Super Bowl favourite, the answer for many NFL fans has always been the same for almost two decades: New England Patriots.

With quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, the Pats celebrated success after success. The successful duo brought a full six championship rings to Foxborough together – then in 2019, they parted ways. Brady went to Tampa Bay and won his ninth Super Bowl there. And in Boston?

Almost three seasons have passed there, and there is not much left of the former successes at Gillette Stadium. The franchise missed the playoffs in two out of three years, and the team was particularly disappointing in the last regular season. With eight wins and nine losses, the Pats missed out on the postseason by a wide margin. But who is responsible for that?

Bill Belichick to blame for Patriots crisis?

Various sources in and around the Patriots organization are likely blaming head coach Bill Belichick. “I love Coach Belichick, but he f*cked it up (org. ‘He F*cked Us’),” one insider is quoted as saying by the “Boston Herald”.

Reasons for possible – and unusually harsh – statements in the direction of Belichick, who is almost regarded as a saint in New England: The hiring of Matt Patricia as play caller for the offence and Joe Judge as quarterbacks coach. Two hires that led to arguably the worst offensive performance by a Patriots team in the Belichick era.

A look at the statistics speaks volumes. In the past regular season, the Patriots offense ranked only 26th in the league in total yards, 17th in scoring, 24th in the normally dominant running game and a drop from 14th to 20th in passing over the past two seasons.

Not enough experience in Matt Patricia

Meanwhile, a background report by Bleacher Report suggests that while Belichick has tried to do right by the team, he has shown anything but a happy hand with the appointment of Patricia and Judge.

“It was always about winning and doing the best for the team. I really believe Belichick when he says that. But I also think he didn’t understand how hard it was going to be,” another source is quoted as saying.

The disaster began last offseason when longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left New England to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Belichick subsequently appointed Patricia and Judge – two coaches with Patriots pasts – to their new roles.

From 2012 to 2017, Matt Patricia had already been the Pats’ outstanding defensive coordinator before joining the Detroit Lions as head coach. He eventually returned as a consultant and O-Line coach in 2021. No experience as a play caller for an offence. No way!

Mac Jones not a fan of Joe Judge

Joe Judge has also been employed at Foxborough, working as a Special Teams Assistant from 2012 to 2014, then as Special Teams Coordinator from 2015 to 2019. After a failed year as head coach of the New York Giants, he also moved back – as the new quarterbacks coach.

According to sources used in Bleacher Report, Judge increasingly overstepped his authority in training camp, leading meetings and coaching “across positions.” This drew the ire of Belichick and the position coaches.

But that was not enough. Starting quarterback Mac Jones, of all people, is said to have disliked Judge and had regular arguments with him in practice garnished with swear words.

The signal caller, who was still selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021, has been anything but convincing this season. 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games marked a significant drop in performance.

When he was injured and rookie Bailey Zappe successfully stepped into the breach (2-2), there were more and more voices that Zappe should remain the starting QB despite the return of Mac Jones.

Tactical problems with the Patriots

Tactical problems also existed. Various players were said to be frustrated because the usual offensive style of the Patriots was changed to the one Mike Shanahan had once used with the Denver Broncos.

This was despite the fact that none of the assistant coaches in charge of the New England offence were familiar with this system. Even before the start of the season, players were said to have expressed concern that their coaches did not understand their own style of play sufficiently.

In addition, several professionals are said to have felt that the offence was too simplified and that the passing concept was not sufficiently implemented.

New England Patriots: Bill O’Brien new offensive coordinator

But where do we go from here? In order to forget the miserable offensive performances of the past season, personnel consequences are already being drawn in New England. According to consistent media reports, Patricia will not be given a position at all next season. Judge is to stay on, but will be relieved of his duties as quarterbacks coach.

Meanwhile, a replacement has already been found: Bill O’Brien is the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The 53-year-old brings with him a lot of head coaching but also coordinating experience. After many years with the Houston Texans, he spent the last two years as offensive coordinator under Nick Saban with the Alabama Crimson Tide. He has also been with the Patriots.

He performed his new role in New England from 2009 to 2011. For the stumbling Patriots offense, he can and must be the stabilizer the team so desperately needs to build on past success.