Published 01:30, January the 13th, 2009
Who’s next?
With McDaniels gone, we look at who could be the Pats’ next offensive coordinator
Now that Josh McDaniels has taken the reins in Denver, here are four guys who could be the next Patriots’ offensive coordinator:
Pete Mangurian. New England’s current tight ends coach has been in the organization since 2005, but worked as an offensive coordinator at the professional level for just one season, with the Atlanta Falcons in 2003. That Falcons team was one of the worst in the league offensively that year — they were 29th in total yards (4,357) and average yards per game (272.3), 20th in the league in points per game (18.7) and 31st in total passing yards (2,408). In the end, the 2003 Falcons finished 5-11. However, to be fair, that was the year Michael Vick was injured in the preseason, creating havoc at the quarterback position — Atlanta split QB duties that year between Vick, Brad Johnson and Kurt Kittner. But overall, it’s not the sort of resume that makes you think he’ll be asked to serve as an offensive coordinator again at the NFL level. The 53-year-old will likely continue in his current role as tight ends coach. Odds: 20-1.
Mike Martz. This former head coach and offensive coordinator has always been a favorite of Belichick. Few coaches have more respect for Martz than the Patriots’ head coach — he’s taken every opportunity to praise the former Rams head coach, who also served as offensive coordinator for the 49ers and Lions. His high-octane, wide-open approach would likely go over big with everyone on the offensive side of the football. However, the 57-year-old Martz has always been all about Martz. When it comes to publicity, he is like a moth to a flame, and would likely chafe at the restrictions Bill Belichick places on his coordinators, who are allowed to address the media once a week. In the long run, that might ultimately go against him. Odds: 15-1.
Bill O’Brien. If there’s a young, in-house candidate who could follow the same path as Eric Mangini and Josh McDaniels, it could be O’Brien. The 39-year-old has risen quickly through the ranks, first serving as a coaching assistant in 2007 before becoming the wide receivers coach last season. Even without Tom Brady, the receivers this past season put up impressive numbers this past season under O’Brien, particularly Wes Welker, who has more catches (223) over the last two seasons than any receiver in the NFL. O’Brien already had experience as an offensive coordinator, at the collegiate level with Georgia Tech (2001-02) and Duke (2005-06). He has several things working in his favor, but maybe the most important is the fact that he already has two full seasons under his belt in the New England system, and Belichick has already shown a proclivity to promote from within. Odds: 10-1.
Bill Belichick. Belichick has already stepped into the role of position coach on at east two positions. After the death of Dick Rehbein in 2001, he became the quarterbacks’ coach, helping work with Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady as New England won its first Super Bowl. In addition, after the 2004 season when Charlie Weis departed for Notre Dame, Belichick took a more active role in the offense until McDaniels was ready to assume the offensive coordinator job before the start of the 2006 season. It’s likely that if the Patriots don’t feel that there’s anyone in-house capable of taking the reins — or if no one appeals to them outside the organization — they’d consider doing the same thing this time around. The New England offense is stocked with plenty of veterans, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Belichick assume a de facto offensive coordinators role, working with an in-house candidate (O’Brien?) for a season. Then, much like McDaniels did, that same candidate would take over the job on a more permanent basis. Odds: 5-1.
