Possible Pats Coaching Changes

Van Everyman

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Sounds like Watson was told he could have input on the GM search by Cal McNair and then blindsided by the Caserio hire:

Multiple reports indicate that Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson is irked because although he offered his input regarding possible GM candidates, the Texans did not consult with him before they hired former Patriots personnel man Nick Caserio.
According to ESPN, the Texans did not inform Watson they were hiring Caserio. The quarterback found out via social media. Per NFL Media, owner Cal McNair informed Watson he would be involved in the search process for a new GM and coach, and provide feedback.
The 25-year-old Watson has spent four years in the NFL, all with the Texans. This season, he completed 70 percent of his passes for a career-high 4,823 yards, to go along with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His current deal runs through 2025.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/07/sports/deshaun-watson-reportedly-upset-with-texans-over-way-hiring-new-gm-nick-caserio-was-handled/
 

Mloaf71

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jsinger121

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Belichick will have a decision to make on Mayo. I’d be shocked if he got a head coaching job this year but he could leave for a DC job so BB may need to promote him if he wants to keep him.
 

E5 Yaz

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Belichick will have a decision to make on Mayo. I’d be shocked if he got a head coaching job this year but he could leave for a DC job so BB may need to promote him if he wants to keep him.
Chances Belichick promotes him over his son?
 

jsinger121

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Chances Belichick promotes him over his son?
I don’t think Steven is going anywhere so to me I’d pass on giving him the DC and give it to Mayo to ensure he stays in New England for the time being. No one around the league is hiring BB’s son. Belichick needs to keep good coaches on his staff and I believe Mayo is one of them.
 

OurF'ingCity

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It's not really accurate to characterize Mayo as "just" the inside linebackers coach. From all reports, he and Steve Belichick were essentially co-DCs.

Agree that BB is soon (not necessarily this year, but possibly) going to have to pick one of them to be formal DC - and I could obviously see Mayo presuming it's not going to be him given the family connection.
 

Oppo

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I’ve seen people compare Mayo to both Flores and Vrabel (outside of sosh), probably just bc he’s a young former player/current coach

Mayo
2019-2020 LB coach

Flores
2004-2007 scout
2008-2009 ST coach
2010 ST + offense asst
2011 Def asst
2012-2015 Safeties coach
2016-2018 LB coach

Vrabel
2011 Ohio State LB coach
2012-2013 Ohio State DL coach
2014-2016 Texans LB coach
2017 Texans DC

Granted those Pats positions tend to have a more fluid role, I think Mayo could use another year or 2 before being a serious HC candidate. Could def see someone trying to get him as a DC this year or more likely next year though.
 

54thMA

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Kraft's track record involves getting sideways with a great coach he inherited (Bill Parcells) in the middle of what was a run of success, making a disastrous hire of Pete Carroll, who ran that success into the ground, and then hitting a home run with Belichick. It's a mixed bag. I don't have any special faith in Kraft sans Belichick, but others may disagree.
Agreed on all three points.

He should have stayed out of Parcells way, not doing so fractured that relationship.

Carroll was in a no win situation following Parcells, his result all three years he was here was worse than the previous year until he was shown the door.

That said, you do have to wonder if Stewart had been drilled out of bounds instead of being allowed to tightrope up the sideline for a 40 yard TD or if Bledsoe did not break his finger the following year how things would have went.

And if I am not mistaken, after a 5-11 first year and starting out slowly in year two, didn't Belichick admit he got the impression that he was on the hot seat; how would things have gone had Bledsoe hadn't nearly gotten killed by Mo Lewis? Would Belichick had gone to Brady eventually that year?

Who knows.

I'm not sure about having faith in Kraft either once Belichick steps down.
 

lexrageorge

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And if I am not mistaken, after a 5-11 first year and starting out slowly in year two, didn't Belichick admit he got the impression that he was on the hot seat; how would things have gone had Bledsoe hadn't nearly gotten killed by Mo Lewis? Would Belichick had gone to Brady eventually that year?
I've read in several sources that Brady outplayed Bledsoe during the pre-season, and that Brady likely would have gotten some starts by mid-season regardless of Bledsoe's health.
 

OurF'ingCity

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I'm not sure about having faith in Kraft either once Belichick steps down.
Agreed, but my hope is when Belichick retires he takes some sort of emeritus/consultant role with the team such that he can weigh in on his own successor. I trust Kraft+Belichick to pick a new coach much more than I do Kraft alone.

(That said Josh McD may very well already have handshake deal to take over the team once Belichick retires.)
 

luckiestman

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Agreed, but my hope is when Belichick retires he takes some sort of emeritus/consultant role with the team such that he can weigh in on his own successor. I trust Kraft+Belichick to pick a new coach much more than I do Kraft alone.
Jets tried shenanigans like this with Parcells and it is one of the reasons why Bill B didn’t take the job/resigned.
 

rodderick

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Agreed, but my hope is when Belichick retires he takes some sort of emeritus/consultant role with the team such that he can weigh in on his own successor. I trust Kraft+Belichick to pick a new coach much more than I do Kraft alone.

(That said Josh McD may very well already have handshake deal to take over the team once Belichick retires.)
Which HC in their right mind is coming to New England to have Bill Belichick looming over him? It's going to be hard enough to replace the guy without him being in the building.
 

Super Nomario

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Agreed on all three points.

He should have stayed out of Parcells way, not doing so fractured that relationship.

Carroll was in a no win situation following Parcells, his result all three years he was here was worse than the previous year until he was shown the door.

That said, you do have to wonder if Stewart had been drilled out of bounds instead of being allowed to tightrope up the sideline for a 40 yard TD or if Bledsoe did not break his finger the following year how things would have went.

And if I am not mistaken, after a 5-11 first year and starting out slowly in year two, didn't Belichick admit he got the impression that he was on the hot seat; how would things have gone had Bledsoe hadn't nearly gotten killed by Mo Lewis? Would Belichick had gone to Brady eventually that year?

Who knows.

I'm not sure about having faith in Kraft either once Belichick steps down.
I think this is too simplistic and dismissive of Kraft and his role. First of all, Belichick declined the Jets job and took the Patriots job because he liked Kraft and had a good relationship with him, and because he didn't trust the Jets ownership and was leery of tirefire owners after the Cleveland debacle.

But on an ongoing basis, Kraft has done the right things. He has kept Belichick happy, for one. Does anyone know what Belichick's contract status is? How much he's paid, how many years are left, etc.? They just handle it. And up until they decided not to extend Brady beyond last year, that always just got handled, too. Kraft kept his two most important pieces in place for two decades; that's amazing.

And while it's easy to say you just hire Belichick and get out of the way, I don't think a lot of owners would have. Belichick is a great coach, but his media presence rubs some folks the wrong way. Kraft has never said anything about it, or made Belichick change his approach, or anything.

They've invested resources in the team. They built an expensive practice bubble that they use about once a year. They built a new stadium. They built two private planes (they were the first team to do so). They gave McDaniels a Godfather offer to get him to rescind on Indy last-minute. I'm probably forgetting several things.

Look at the Eagles stuff over the last week - the leaks, the owner meddling in the assistant coaching staff, the disconnect between coach and GM. There's dysfunction. That starts at the top. I lived in the Bay Area while Jed York horribly mismanaged the end of the Baalke / Harbaugh era and I am never going to take Robert Kraft for granted again.
 

54thMA

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I think this is too simplistic and dismissive of Kraft and his role. First of all, Belichick declined the Jets job and took the Patriots job because he liked Kraft and had a good relationship with him, and because he didn't trust the Jets ownership and was leery of tirefire owners after the Cleveland debacle.

But on an ongoing basis, Kraft has done the right things. He has kept Belichick happy, for one. Does anyone know what Belichick's contract status is? How much he's paid, how many years are left, etc.? They just handle it. And up until they decided not to extend Brady beyond last year, that always just got handled, too. Kraft kept his two most important pieces in place for two decades; that's amazing.

And while it's easy to say you just hire Belichick and get out of the way, I don't think a lot of owners would have. Belichick is a great coach, but his media presence rubs some folks the wrong way. Kraft has never said anything about it, or made Belichick change his approach, or anything.

They've invested resources in the team. They built an expensive practice bubble that they use about once a year. They built a new stadium. They built two private planes (they were the first team to do so). They gave McDaniels a Godfather offer to get him to rescind on Indy last-minute. I'm probably forgetting several things.

Look at the Eagles stuff over the last week - the leaks, the owner meddling in the assistant coaching staff, the disconnect between coach and GM. There's dysfunction. That starts at the top. I lived in the Bay Area while Jed York horribly mismanaged the end of the Baalke / Harbaugh era and I am never going to take Robert Kraft for granted again.
That's great that Kraft has done all the right things with Belichick, he obviously is a man who learns from his mistakes.

Good for him as well as Patriots fans.
 

DJnVa

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A few days after some “Why isn’t Josh interviewing???” stories.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Seems like the weakest head coaching position in the league in terms of power, but there are only 32 of them, Philly is obviously a top football market, and McDaniels is overdue to take one. He’s immensely overqualified for his current position, and I think some teams like the Lions may kick themselves for avoiding him because they just fired a ‘Patriots’ guy.
 

BigJimEd

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Does McDaniels really like Wentz? Considering cap space and everything else, that does not seem like a good opening unless you are true believer in Wentz or Hurts. Considering he has passed on jobs in the past, I'm a little surprised with his apparent interest. He could also have a good relationship with the owner which goes a long way.
 

Harry Hooper

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IIRC, on the NFL ownership scale, Lurie as an owner has had a good rep historically.
 

Cellar-Door

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NDame616

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Grain of salt and such...

Beetle and Zo were talking today about the possibility of....Matt Patricia....coming back as.........Offensive Coordinator ?

Apparently Zo has dropped this nugget a few times and Curran talked about it on his podcast
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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Maybe, but I'd like to see some fresh blood, maybe Pep Hamilton is available or Tony Elliot from Clemson? Or you could go for a fired head coach (Lynn, Pederson, B.O.B)
I saw a story about Bill O'Brien likely becoming OC at Alabama, but nothing formal yet so I guess he could always reconsider if he wanted to stay in the NFL.
 

DJnVa

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Super Nomario

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On the NESN Patriots podcast, they mentioned that if Belichick really thinks O'Shea as the next guy behind Josh, that he likely would've had him back in NE this season.
Belichick couldn't offer him a promotion this season though. O'Shea is WR coach and passing game coordinator and they couldn't do the latter with McDaniels around. If McDaniels leaves, it's a different story.
 

E5 Yaz

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I'd get a huge laugh out of the Eagles telling Josh he was their guy ... then pulling out at the last minute.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the McDaniels window is closed. He might bengsten Belichick, but there are newer, trendier names out there now
 

DJnVa

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Belichick couldn't offer him a promotion this season though. O'Shea is WR coach and passing game coordinator and they couldn't do the latter with McDaniels around. If McDaniels leaves, it's a different story.
No...they meant that if BB really wanted the guy he likely would've brought him in BEFORE the Browns hired him.
 

Captaincoop

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I'd get a huge laugh out of the Eagles telling Josh he was their guy ... then pulling out at the last minute.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the McDaniels window is closed. He might bengsten Belichick, but there are newer, trendier names out there now
He obviously has a tremendous track record over time, and personally I think he's a top notch offensive mind. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that he's lost some luster with the struggles of the Patriots offense over the past two seasons. I could see some people starting to wonder how much of his success was just coaching Tom Brady (again, I don't feel that way myself).
 

E5 Yaz

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He obviously has a tremendous track record over time, and personally I think he's a top notch offensive mind. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that he's lost some luster with the struggles of the Patriots offense over the past two seasons. I could see some people starting to wonder how much of his success was just coaching Tom Brady (again, I don't feel that way myself).
I don't feel that way either, but I think that perception, what happened with the Colts job, and fresher faces coming along all work against him