'Open Belief' Around NFL That Bill Belichick Could Call Offensive Plays For Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) -- Another week has passed with no new coaches added to the offensive staff in New England. And with each week that passes, it looks more and more like the Patriots will head into the season with what they've got.
What they've got is Nick Caley, the tight ends/fullbacks coach who's expected to have elevated responsibilities this year. They also have Joe Judge, returning to the team after a failed stint as the Giants' head coach. He's expected to be the quarterbacks coach, working with Mac Jones. Then there's Troy Brown at wide receivers coach, and Matt Patricia, who's expected to be the offensive line coach.
That's all in terms of assistants. But there's also Bill Belichick.
And according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, some folks around the league believe Belichick could be deeply involved in running the offense this season.
"The intrigue deepens on the New England Patriots' approach to offense without a true playcaller. There's sort of an open belief leaguewide that coach Bill Belichick could call the plays or, at the very least, have more involvement in the offense," Fowler reported. "He's involved in everything, to be sure, but he could really dig in here."
Belichick has always had an influence on the offense. But when it came to the play-calling on an every-down basis, Belichick put a lot of trust in Josh McDaniels to operate independently. With McDaniels now gone, and with a lack of experience on the offensive coaching staff, it appears as though Belichick may use his near-50 years of NFL experience to help the team as needed.
The soon-to-be-70-year-old Belichick has never called offensive plays before -- at least, not with a specific title. His last season coaching offense exclusively was 1977, when he was the Lions' wide receivers coach. He coached defense and special teams for the Giants from 1979-90. And outside of his two head coaching stints (Cleveland, 1991-95; New England, 2000-present), he's only held defensive coaching responsibilities. (Belichick played a heavy role in the offensive play-calling in Cleveland, though he said it was a group effort.)
But of course, Belichick is considered the greatest coach of all time, or at least the greatest coach of his generation. That is why, according to Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard, "most around the league" believe the Patriots "will be able to figure out the coaching well enough."