They might tweak the protection scheme or how you call something, which sometimes leads to a tendency to "fight the system.". NEW ORLEANS Alabama football offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has been a popular recipient of criticism from fans this season and last. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Could he join NFL's Patriots? Whatever happens with Patricia, Payton and the Broncos is all fine with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who continued to sing his former assistant's praises when asked about the interview with . O'Brien was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, and at Pennsylvania State University from 2012 to 2013. Here's how his offenses performed in Houston. The previous five -- Steve Sarkisian, Mike Locksley, Brian Daboll, Lane Kiffin and O'Brien -- are all now either NFL head coaches or offensive coordinators or Power 5 head coaches. Do we need to play better on both sides of the ball? After being fired by Houston in 2020, O'Brien returned to college in 2021 as the University of Alabama's offensive coordinator under head coach Nick Saban. A Massachusetts native, O'Brien will be charged with improving a Patriots offense that dipped notably in most key areas in 2022, including: Red zone efficiency: 11th (39 TDs in 63 trips) to 32nd (19 TDs in 45 trips), Third-down efficiency: 10th (43.5%) to 27th (34.8%), First downs: tied for ninth (362) to 28th (288), Sacks allowed: eighth (28 for 241 yards) to 19th (41 for 279 yards). It was also reported that OBriens previous work at Penn State impressed Nebraska football. Key has done well for the program, but a report from The Athletic says Bill O'Brien is favored to be the 'top choice' for . O'Brien drew interest primarily from the Jacksonville Jaguars who [] According to a league source, the Patriots have sent four assistant coaches to work players through positional drills here at the Scouting Combine: Its been an active offseason for the Patriots staff, which coached the winning West squad at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas in February. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Come Sept. 4 in the Alabama opener with Miami, O'Brien will become the first assistant to direct offenses and call plays for both Belichick and Saban. Alabama has averaged 40.8 this season heading into the matchup Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN) against Kansas State (10-3). Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride. "The primary target is former Patriots OC, former Penn State and Texans head coach, former Alabama OC Bill O'Brien," a report from Tom Curran . Bill O'Brien joined head coach Nick Saban's staff in January of 2021 to serve as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after six-plus years as the head coach of the NFL's Houston Texans. Some have potentially linked OBrien as a candidate for a handful of other openings currently out there including Nebraska and Colorado. All the things that Billy has accomplished and achieved since then havent surprised me at all, said McDaniels. Some reports have linked him to the New England Patriots. Where are analysts ranking Joey Porter Jr. in mock drafts? But at the end of the day, the role of any coach is to push you to become the best version of yourself. OBrien rapidly rose through the ranks in New England, becoming wide receivers coach (2008), quarterbacks coach (2009-10), and eventually succeeding McDaniels as offensive coordinator in 2011. He even inherited McDaniels' play-calling duties after his acceptance of the Denver Broncos head coaching job in 2009. This is how a guy with eight career starts to his name got a 4-year, $72 million contract that destroyed Houston's salary cap as O'Brien limped along to finish with the same record that Brian . 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 in points scored per game (32.1). 2 in passing yards per game (317.8), and No. Following the dismal finish, Jones expressed his desire for a bit more persistence in the way he is coached. That's actually a slight improvement over 2021, when Alabama averaged 39.9. He spent the last two seasons as Alabamas OC. His interview was very impressive. Las Vegas Raiders head coach, and former New England Patriots offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels knows exactly what it is like to the top dog in Bill Belichicks offensive coaching staff. I like that.. Nebraska football has yet to make any kind of official decision. I think I want to be coached harder, Jones said at the conclusion of his second year as the teams starting quarterback. Another candidate with Penn State ties also remains an intriguing possibility. Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Certainly," O'Brien said. Mac Jones is clearly a competitor, andhe's said he wants to be "coached harder." This offense was led, of course, by Tom Brady. He hadn't spoken with reporters since August. Auburn Wire explored an initial list of potential candidates to succeed Harsin at Auburn, and OBrien was among the names on the list. 247Sports shared way-too-early spring football bowl projections. Bill Belichick coaching tree failures: Brian Flores looks to avoid a long line of NFL head-coaching flops Could he join NFL's Patriots? It starts with me. While OBriens return to New England has been met with overwhelming praise, his presence alone will not be enough to cure the teams offensive ailments especially that of current Patriots signal-caller Mac Jones, whom McDaniels coached during his rookie season of 2021. It will also be interesting to see if he wants to try to make a return to the NFL or remain at the collegiate level. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. I had the same offensive coordinator during my first four NFL seasons with the Patriots. The two apparently have a close connection and still keep in contact. Cassel: Why a Bill O'Brien-Mac Jones pairing could work well, Curran: O'Brien rejoining Patriots 'probably going to happen', he's said he wants to be "coached harder. Patriots Talk: Devin McCourty goes deep on Patriots hire of Bill OBrien| Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube. February 28, 2023 / 12:03 PM He knows the position really well, understands the league, understands how to get the most out of players at this level. That's what I loved about him. Billys worked with a lot of quarterbacks before, and theyve all had success, and hes impacted all of those guys in a positive way, said McDaniels, alluding to OBriens work with Tom Brady and Deshaun Watson, among others. According to a league source, the Patriots have sent four assistant coaches to work players through positional drills here at the Scouting Combine: Troy Brown (receivers/returners), Mike . Bill OBrien is set to begin his second season with the Crimson Tide after a first season that saw his quarterback win the Heisman Trophy and multiple players get drafted in the first round. Additionally, defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington served as a coordinator at the Senior Bowl. Well,O'Brien worked with probably the most competitive quarterback I've ever been around in Tom Brady. Were all responsible for what we do. O'Brien and . "Im not going to analyze somebody publicly, good, bad or indifferent," Saban said then. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is sitting on top of the world these days, and admittedly, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick might have . Occasionally he'd get into a "war of words" with guys, but that was part of how he did it, and he got the most out of his players. 2024 defensive back Tevis Metcalf will visit Alabama for Junior Day. "That source also suggested, in hindsight, it might have been a mistake to go easy on the quarterback.". Where could Penn State be heading? Upon his return to college, he helped develop Bryce Young into a Heisman Trophy winner. I was fortunate in New England: By the time I took the field as a starter in my fourth season, I had been exposed to so much in this offense. Now the hope is Jones can get back to the play of his feel-good rookie campaign with the help of OBrien. We work hard to do that. "Are there areas we can be better at? That may not mean a return to the postseason for the Texans, but it should make the memory of this offseasons unhappiness fade away even faster. If I go out there and mess up, hes gonna let me know. Last season was no different as offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien was linked to several jobs, particularly in the NFL. display: none; His most recent job was Alabama offensive coordinator over the last two seasons. It's even more difficult for today's quarterbacks to adjust to a new play-caller, because there's less time on task. He took over for Joe Paterno after the 2011 Jerry Sandusky scandal that rocked the Nittany Lions football program. Coaching Carousel Could Be Bill O'Brien's Wheel of Fortune. Even if you're not changing the offensive system, you still have to adapt to a different personality. Hell do a great job.. When we added Billy back in 2007, he was a guy that came from college [Duke] and really wanted to make it in the NFL, said McDaniels. I have a lot of respect for Coach O'Brien based on what he's achieved in New England as offensive coordinator, in Houston as the Texans' head coach and now at Alabama as their OC. Coach Belichick knows how to coach the coaches, because this guy was on it. "I dont really pay attention to that," O'Brien said. Perhaps attending Nick Sabans school of wayward coaches has done him some good. We want Lamar here. Baltimore also can slap a franchise tag on Jackson Line of the day was delivered by Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. when asked about his playing style: I just run through dudes faces.. The offseason is shorter, and the new collective bargaining agreement limits the amount of time players can be in the building during that time. FOXBORO -- After a roller coaster of a second NFL season for Mac Jones, the Patriots quarterback is now being twisted left and right during the offseason. Then I moved to Dallas and had Scott Linehan. The last time Saban brought in two new coordinators in the same year was after the Crimson Tide's 2017 national championship season. With O'Brien headed back to the NFL, Saban will be looking for his sixth offensive coordinator in the past eight seasons. Bill O'Brien was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on October 23, 1969, as William James O'Brien, son of John O'Brien and Anne Murphy O'Brien. He has not yet received an offer from the Alabama coaching staff. Of course, it should be noted that for the vast majority of that time, the Pats scoring phase was led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. I think hes a great coach. He was a graduate assistant from 1995 to 1997, and then running backs coach from 1998 to 2000 before moving up to offensive coordinator/QBs coach from 2001 through 2002. O'Brien's coaching career started at Brown, where he coached tight ends in 1993 and inside linebackers in 1994. "Really just focused on this game and doing a good of job as I can with the players and coaching staff to have a productive offense on Saturday.". According to a league source, the Patriots have sent four assistant coaches to work players through positional drills here at the Scouting Combine: Troy Brown (receivers/returners), Mike Pellegrino (cornerbacks), Cam Achord (special teams), and Joe Houston (special teams). You're learned the offense a certain way and now it's being taught differently, so that can make you stop and say, "Wait a second, we didn't do it this way. McDaniels worked with OBrien and Jones when each entered the NFL OBrien as a Patriots offensive assistant in 2007 and Jones as the clubs top pick in 2021. Belichick didn't name an official offensive coordinator for the Patriots in 2022, leaning on Matt Patricia as the primary playcaller despite Patricia's mostly defensive background in his NFL career. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy under O'Brien in 2021. ", BILL O'BRIEN FUTURE:Will Bill O'Brien return to Alabama football? Its accountability. INDIANAPOLIS Josh McDaniels knows a good matchup when he sees one, and the Raiders coach has the sense theres a real good one developing in New England. During the offseason, wide receiver Andre Johnson had a lot of questions about the direction that the Texans were taking after a 2-14 season in 2013.