Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph raised some eyebrows with his comments regarding Matt Patricia and the New England Patriots offense at a media conference on Thursday.
He claimed the unit looked like a “defensive guy is calling the offense.” Granted, he did follow up those comments by clarifying that it looked like any offense would look with a defensive coach overseeing things—heavy emphasis on running plays, quick passes, clock control and limiting turnovers.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked to give a response to those comments on Friday, and to no one’s surprise, he dodged the question like Neo in The Matrix.
“Whatever he said he said. Ask him about it,” said Belichick.
Joseph wasn’t wrong in what he said, considering the Patriots offense has generally played it safe under Patricia’s play-calling. They’re a team desperately lacking in the sort of explosive plays that scare opposing defenses.
Instead, they lean on a more predictable approach to play to the strength of their defense. It has mostly led to the unit sputtering on the field and boiling frustrations for players, including quarterback Mac Jones.
— sportsvids99 (@sportsvids991) December 2, 2022
Of course, the Patriots will have an opportunity to make Joseph eat those words in a pivotal Monday Night Football showdown in Week 14.
