The New England Patriots are bringing two former head coaches back to Foxborough. However, they’re both switching to new offensive roles.
Speaking to reporters Monday morning, Bill Belichick said Joe Judge and Matt Patricia will return to his coaching staff this season. Judge coached special teams before joining the New York Giants, and Patricia served as New England’s defensive coordinator before getting a promotion with the Detroit Lions.
Belichick nevertheless hired them to help fill the void left by former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels leaving for a head-coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Per TheMMQB’s Albert Breer, Belichick isn’t concerned about Judge and Patricia working new assignments.
“I’m not really worried about that,” Belichick said. “They’re great coaches. Matt’s a great coach. Joe’s a great coach.”
Patriots coach Bill Belichick on Matt Patricia and Joe Judge moving to offense, points to guys like Josh McDaniels and Brian Daboll that moved defense to offense in the past.
“I’m not really worried about that. They’re great coaches. Matt’s a great coach. Joe’s a great coach.”
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 28, 2022
Despite adding familiar faces to his offensive staff, Belichick has yet to name a new offensive coordinator to replace McDaniels. Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, he joked that he doesn’t have to worry about assigning play-calling duties just yet.
Bill Belichick mentions Matt Patricia when discussing the offensive coaching staff. Of who will be calling plays, he says with a smile, “we won’t be calling any for a while.” Belichick does say his offensive staff is complete.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) March 28, 2022
Patricia got his first NFL job as an offensive assistant for Belichick in 2004. After another year assisting the offensive line, he focused on defense for 12 seasons before going to Detroit.
His tenure started with the Detroit Free Press uncovering a sexual assault indictment from 1996 that didn’t result in prosecution. Patricia went 13-29-1 before getting fired in 2020. The team reportedly celebrated getting away from him after the end of his first season in 2018.
Judge started as a special teams assistant in 2012 and was promoted to special teams coordinator three years later. The Giants fired him after going 4-13 in his second season, which ended with the G-Men scoring 26 points in their final four games and running a quarterback sneak on third-and-long.
Giving potentially ill-fitting jobs to old friends is a risky move for an organization looking to develop second-year quarterback Mac Jones.
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