Bill Belichick effectively torpedoed the Patriots’ 2022 season with his decision to put Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in charge of the offense. The move not only asked way too much of two inexperienced coaches on that side of the ball, but put too much on Belichick’s plate to make it work, too.

New details from the season have emerged via Albert Breer’s latest column at The MMQB. And they certainly don’t do much to paint the Patriots’ offensive operation in a better light. Breer reported that, essentially, Patricia and Judge needed extra help from Belichick on Sundays.

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• Belichick “was active on the headsets on game day, having the sort of oversight over the offense that he’d traditionally had over the defense, and moonlighting as play-caller at points,” as Breer explained it. That would add to the list of reasons why the offense was often slow to get plays in to quarterback Mac Jones, or just generally disorganized.

  So, now it’s fair to wonder if whenever the 2022 Patriots offense made a good play-call, it came from Belichick, and not his two in-over-their-heads assistants.

  Bright side: those issues should be gone in 2023, now that Bill O’Brien is in the fold as offensive coordinator. They still need to fill out some of the offensive coaching staff, but with O’Brien alone, there’s a promise that the overall operation will be competent, acceptable, NFL-worthy. Which the 2022 version of the offense, without question, was not.

• 

  Dec 24, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) checks with head coach Bill Belichick, left, and senior football advisor Matt Patricia, second from left, during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

• O’Brien and the Patriots’ reworked offensive staff will at least give the players more structure, focused and organized pre-game preparation, and plays that put them in position to succeed. By extension, fundamentals like ball security and situational awareness ought to improve as well.

  There’s still work to do with the players, though. Jones will need to control his emotions better on the field and continue to trend in the direction of protecting the ball well. They will need a starting tackle, on the left or right side, or both sides, if they no longer trust Trent Brown in an every-week role. And the team is

  The #Patriots are split internally on whether to upgrade their WR talent. But if they acquire a veteran No. 1 receiver this offseason, it will be via trade.
  
  And DeAndre Hopkins isn't the only name to watch. https://t.co/UdEOPTmZ3v pic.twitter.com/YVY9nRvw44

  — Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) January 18, 2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly split internally on whether they need to add an established No. 1 receiver, or roll with who they have.

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  Dec 12, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) looks at a play card prior to huddling teammates during the first half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

• There’s plenty of time for the Patriots to address their roster needs. The 2022 season isn’t even over yet, with the Chiefs and Eagles squaring off in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12.

  They have less time to figure out the coaching staff, because they may want to have that figured out well before the 2023 NFL Draft and the start of organized team activities (OTAs). But it’s at least comforting for Patriots fans to know that Belichick won’t have to “moonlight” as the Patriots’ shadow play-caller in 2023.

  That should go a long way toward not just resurrecting the offense, but freeing up Belichick to work on defense and special teams, his true specialties. Ideally, New England has seen the last of the level of dysfunction on display in 2022.

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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