FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill O’Brien’s mission might prove to be impossible.
But he’s smart enough to know that Step 1 of recovering from last season’s debacle, and getting Mac Jones and the offense back to some level of competency is to erase last season from their memory banks.
Just purge it out of their system.
O’Brien, speaking with the media Tuesday for the first time since coming aboard as the team’s offensive coordinator, said his theme for the players on offense was simply this: “to move forward.”
O’Brien must have uttered the words “fresh start” and “clean slate” a dozen times while answering questions during his session with the media.
He gets it.
He knows he has to cleanse Jones and the rest from the offensive purgatory they endured last season, with two inexperienced coaches at the helm.
He knows he has to get Matt Patricia and Joe Judge out of their system, to give himself the best chance of succeeding, and moving forward with his new plan and a system he believes will benefit everyone.
O’Brien hit on that right away with the first question he was asked about Jones, and how good he believes the Patriots quarterback can be.
“The big thing for us right now is everybody start with a clean slate,” he said, completely pushing aside the question, not to mention use of Mac’s name. “Every year is different … so what you did in the past, whether it’s a player or a coach or anybody in the organization, really has no bearing on what happens moving forward.”
The players will tell you the coaches impart that message and wisdom every year, whether it’s good or bad, but that motto is even more meaningful this year with the offense.
It’s no secret. Bringing in O’Brien stands as the Patriots biggest, and most impactful offseason move.
Everyone from Robert Kraft, to former players Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, have chimed in and endorsed “Billy O” and what he’s going to bring to the table, and ultimately mean for Jones and the offense going forward.
He’s the appointed savior. So it’s up to him to deliver.
And yes, O’Brien is very good at what he does, and runs rings around Patricia and Judge when it comes to offensive acumen.
That said, there’s still a lot of pressure on him to turn things around and be a miracle worker of sorts with the group he inherits.
After all, can Jones truly be fixed after he regressed under Patricia last season? Or is he really not that good?
And can O’Brien propel an offense that doesn’t compete talent-wise with anyone in the division, much less the AFC.
Does he have a wide receiver combo like Miami’s Tyreek Hill & Jaylen Waddle? How about Cincinnati’s JaMarr Chase & Tee Higgins? Las Vegas’ Davonte Adams & Hunter Renfrow? Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs & Gabe Davis?
O’Brien will most certainly make the Patriots better. But will it be good enough for them to compete week to week with the monster schedule and offenses they have to keep up with in 2023?
Will the Patriots be able to outscore the potent offenses led by Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, and Aaron Rodgers, assuming he lands with the Jets?
All of that remains to be seen.
O’Brien, however, isn’t going to blink or concede anything. He said he was looking forward to the challenge.
“This is something I’m really excited about, working with this staff, working with these players,” he said. “Every year is new … that’s the way the NFL is set up.”
As it stands, head coach Bill Belichick is noncommittal about his starting quarterback. He refuses to make Jones the lead horse, instead saying “everyone will get a chance.”
Conceivably, Bailey Zappe could be at the helm.
Ultimately, it’ll be up to O’Brien to sort all of that out, and go with one or the other.
Asked his thoughts about Jones and the emotion he showed last season, O’Brien, who tends to wear his emotions on his sleeves himself, wasn’t keeping a scorecard last season.
“It really is a clean slate. However you played, or however you coached, or whatever you did in the past, in the end it’s all about what are you going to do starting (now)?,” he said. “Football is a game of emotion at times, but at the end of the day, this is a new year, a new start and we’re excited about it.”
O’Brien admitted that the coaching staff had already watched plenty of tape from last season, as well as seasons past, and “gleaned a lot.”
All of which falls under the heading of things to avoid when it comes to running an offense.
As for what he has in mind in terms of the playbook, and how he plans to implement what he’s learned along his ride from New England, to Houston, to Alabama, O’Brien sounded like a true Patriot.
Cracked O’Brien: “I think it would be crazy for me to stand up here and tell you what we’re doing offensively.”
Guess that’s Step 2. Keeping the actual plan for moving forward under wraps.
