Some thoughts on the Patriots' coaching staff as we wait for the Patriots and Bill O'Brien to get down to business and lock this up:
- It feels like this is inevitable at this point. The Patriots haven't interviewed anyone that remotely has the same credentials as O'Brien, and there haven't been any reports that O'Brien is a candidate anyplace else.
- That's not to say O'Brien hasn't generated interest — he has. According to one league source, O'Brien has heard from every team with an offensive coordinator opening, but there have been no announced interviews.
- Why would that be? This is just an educated guess, but O'Brien's family situation is very high on the priority list after they remained in Houston while he coached two years at Alabama. His son, Jack, has special needs and his care would seem to be a factor. It may be easier to return to the great hospitals in Boston than, say, starting over with a new care team in another city ... not that they haven't done that before.
- So where do things stand? Why is it taking so long? Said one source close to the situation: "It is a really long process and no one is in a rush. You can't just pick up the phone and hire someone anymore."
- I would add ... especially when Bill Belichick is part of this. He does everything on his own timetable, which has gotten longer as he has gotten older.
- Could this drag on, considering the Patriots are set to leave this week to coach The Shrine Bowl, which starts Friday? I would expect Belichick to wrap it before then, but who knows? Having the new coaching staff on board for that is not a big deal. It's mostly a scout deal, and they will have coaches there. Mike Reiss reported this: "Most of the staff is set to work the Shrine Bowl -- there is some chatter in league circles that wide receivers/kick returners coach Troy Brown may fill the head-coaching role at the Las Vegas-based game -- and DL coach DeMarcus Covington is set to serve as defensive coordinator at the Senior Bowl." Andrew Callahan added: "CBs coach Mike Pellegrino and SAFs coach Brian Belichick are expected to lead the defense and assistant WRs coach Ross Douglas will be the offensive coordinator, per source."
- Is O'Brien totally locked up? I wouldn't quite say that. Could O'Brien be OK slow-playing this, hoping that a head coach chance (like friend Monti Ossenfort in Arizona) comes calling? Sure, it's possible. And I would also look out for Mike Vrabel, O'Brien's assistant with the Texans, entering the mix. The belief is that O'Brien could hire his own offensive staff with the Titans. Will he get that chance with the Patriots? That's a big question.
- Some would say that Nick Caley is a legit candidate. Sure, if you don't consider what happened in the past year with Caley getting passed over for Matt Patricia. So Belichick, after doing what he did last season, is just going to admit he had the guy all along and blew it? Don't see it. So that's why I don't consider Caley a legit candidate. I mean, he's smart as hell and has that potential, but how much has he been involved in the offense outside his tight end responsibilities? That would have to be investigated.
- The feeling is that another OC interview, Adrian Klemm, could be the offensive line coach/run game coordinator under an O'Brien staff. His three-year tenure with the Steelers underwhelmed, and he did not last the entirety of his only season fully in charge of the line.
- It sure would have been nice if Belichick cast a wider net than his personal Rolodex for any of these roles. Chad O'Shea, a former assistant here, interviewed with the Jets for OC and is scheduled to talk to the Ravens today.
- There are a ton of proven offensive line coaches available but, to date, the Patriots have only interviewed Klemm. Maybe that changes once O'Brien comes aboard. Mike Devlin was O'Brien's trusted line coach with the Texans and is the assistant line coach with the Ravens.
- Will O'Brien have freedom in picking his own staff? It doesn't sound like it. It's looking like Troy Brown and Billy Yates will be reassigned and de-emphasized, with a new line chief line coach and receivers/pass game coordinator (Patriots have interviewed the well-respected Shawn Jefferson and Keenen McCardell).
- As we talked about on Felger & Mazz last week and in our members' chat here, some around the team believe that Matt Patricia could be out altogether now that his Lions contract has run out. Joe Judge could be out as well, but he's still getting paid by the Giants. That has been a factor with staffing in the past.
- Can confirm Albert Breer's report that Jerod Mayo has been in on the Zoom interviews. Mayo, as we've reported, is the successor-in-waiting-on-staff (like Josh McDaniels was ... and then he departed) and this could be an indication that they want his opinion for life After Bill. Definitely interesting and notable.