The New England Patriots are currently in the midst of chasing their third Super Bowl in four years for the second time. The Patriots have enjoyed an unparalleled level of success, and Patriots coaches are hot commodities. Multiple reports have stated that defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will leave to take head coaching positions with the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts, respectively. New England had been fortunate enough to have both coordinators since 2012, but what will be New England’s plan to replace coordinators?
New England Patriots Coordinator Plan – An Inside Search
The 2005 Off-season and a Familiar Situation
Anyone who has watched the Patriots knows that Bill Belichick prefers to promote from within. The Patriots run a complex scheme on both sides of the ball, and it’s crucial that the person calling the plays understands the system before controlling an entire unit. Instead of bringing in coaches from other teams and hoping they pick it up on the fly, Belichick looks for coaches already on the staff to fill the voids.
Oddly enough, the Patriots had found themselves in an eerily similar situation back in 2004. After winning their third Super Bowl in four years, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel left the Patriots for head coaching opportunities of their own. That off-season, Belichick needed to fill both roles and try to minimize any negative effects from the change.
2004’s defensive backs coach, Eric Mangini, became the defensive coordinator for the 2005 Patriots. He likely would have held the title longer, but he darted after the season to coach the New York Jets. Dean Pees then held the reigns from 2006-2009. The 2005 Patriots didn’t have an offensive coordinator, but quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels served as the de facto offensive coordinator. He would officially be granted the position in the 2006 season, and would hold the title until 2008.
Despite the drastic coaching transition, New England thrived from 2005 – 2008. While they didn’t win a Super Bowl over that time frame, they still had an incredibly successful run. On average, those teams won just over 12 games a year, reached two AFC Championship games and another Super Bowl. New England survived its drastic coaching change to remain one of the major powers in the NFL.
Similarly, there was another drastic coaching change over the 2008-2009 seasons. McDaniels left for Denver in 2008 and Pees left for the Baltimore Ravens in 2009, leaving New England forced to look for new coordinators. This time, the voids were filled by Bill O’Brien in 2011 and Matt Patricia in 2012. The Patriots opted not to have offensive or defensive coordinators in 2010, but still managed to go 14-2 that season.
The Offensive Coordinator Options
Historically, Belichick likes his coordinators to have been with the team for a while. McDaniels first joined the team in 2001, O’Brien started off in ’07, and Patricia began in ’04. Each one of these coaches had to wait years before being promoted to a coordinator position.
Belichick is also comfortable with not having a coordinator at all for a year or so at a time. The Patriots have gone the 2005, 2009, and 2010 seasons without an offensive coordinator. New England has also gone without a defensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011.
Ultimately, New England has a few likely answers on either side of the ball. For the offensive coordinator, the most likely candidate was Brian Daboll before he joined the Buffalo Bills. With Daboll gone, the only obvious candidate left is wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea. O’Shea has been with the organization since 2009 and is well regarded among the organization. O’Shea’s been able to get the most out of the receiver position during his tenure, most notably turning college quarterback Julian Edelman into one of the most agile and reliable receivers in the league.
The Defensive Coordinator Options
Defensively, the logical choice would be current linebackers coach Brian Flores. Flores’ tenure with the organization dates all the way back to 2004, and outside of Belichick there’s likely nobody that knows the system better than him. However, there is a potential problem there. Flores interviewed for the position of Arizona Cardinals head coach, and reportedly is in the running for the job.
If he leaves, the next in line would likely be cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer. Boyer’s been around since 2006 in a variety of roles and would likely do a fine job. Alternatively, the Patriots could elect to not carry a defensive coordinator similar to the 2010-2011 seasons. Boyer would call the plays, but wouldn’t be given the full title until proving himself.
Most likely, these jobs are going to O’Shea and Flores. New England’s offense should not suffer any dropoffs with O’Shea at the helm. Flores will likely earn a head coaching position someday, but it would be surprising for it to be this upcoming season. It’s not easy for a coaching staff to lose both coordinators in the off-season, but it happens. Bill Belichick has thought ahead far enough to ensure that there are enough in house options that finding a guy for the job is a seamless as possible.
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