5 Immediate Changes That Will Make the Patriots Playoff Contenders
By Tyler Maher
2. Fire Bill O'Brien
While we're at it, let's fire the offensive coordinator, too.
Bill O'Brien was brought in to fix the offense after Matt Patricia and Joe Judge broke it last year. Instead, the offense has somehow been even worse under O'Brien.
The Patriots rank dead last in scoring, 26th in yardage and are near the bottom of the league in a bunch of other metrics. They can't run the ball and they can't throw the ball. Mac Jones looks broken, and so does Bailey Zappe.
It's not like O'Brien has nothing to work with, either. Jones was a Pro Bowler in 2021. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for over 1,000 yards last year, and Ezekiel Elliott is one of the best running backs in recent memory. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a former Pro Bowler as well, and Hunter Henry + Mike Gesicki is a strong tight end duo.
O'Brien hasn't been able to make it work, and the Patriots can't afford to wait any longer. They need someone to kick their offense into gear, and O'Brien (age 53) clearly isn't the guy. Again, someone younger and more forward-thinking would serve New England well here.