He’s back: ‘Fiery’ O’Brien returns to Pats as offensive coordinator
Bill O’Brien has agreed to return to the Patriots as their offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized.
O’Brien spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator for the University of Alabama. Before that he was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to
2020, leading them to four playoff appearances before being fired in 2020 after an 0-4 start.
He also served as Penn State’s coach from 2012 and 2013. That followed a four-year stint as a Patriots assistant in which he coached receivers and quarterbacks before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2011. That season New England finished ranked third in points and second in yards.
O’Brien becomes the first official offensive coordinator Patriots coach Bill Belichick has hired since Josh McDaniels left following the 2021 season to take the Las Vegas
Raiders coaching job.
Instead of replacing McDaniels this past season, Belichick got more involved in the offense’s operations. He also made Matt Patricia, an assistant with a long defensive pedigree, the Patriots’ primary offensive playcaller with assistance from quarterbacks coach Joe Judge.
The move was a failure, with second-year quarterback Mac Jones regressing during an underachieving season that saw the Patriots offense ranked in the bottom half of the league in points per game (17th) and last in the NFL in red zone touchdowns.
The only seasons the Patriots ranked worse in scoring was 2020 (27th) with Cam Newton at quarterback and during Belichick’s first season in 2000 (25th).
This season ended with New England finishing
8-9 and missing the playoffs — their second sub.-500 campaign in two seasons and just the third under Belichick.
That same day, team owner Robert Kraft sent a letter to season ticket holders promising “critical evaluations of all elements of our football operation.”
O’Brien is known for an
at times intense style and was given the name “teapot” by Patriots players for his tendency to let his temper boil over.
It played out when he infamously clashed with former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on the sideline after Brady threw an interception during New England’s win over Washington in 2011.
In a radio interview in 2017 Brady called it emblematic of O’Brien’s passion to succeed.
“That’s Billy’s style,” Brady said. “Billy’s gonna let you know if he doesn’t like something that you did. He handles it in the right way, in a way that
you really respected. You know he’s fiery, you know he just wants to get the job done.”
ELSEWHERE
49ers: San Francisco defensive lineman Charles Omenihu has been arrested after a domestic violence allegation.
San Jose police said Tuesday that Omenihu was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for misdemeanor domestic violence. Omenihu has posted bail and is no longer in custody. The case will be submitted to the district attorney for possible charges.
The 49ers said they are aware of the arrest and are “in the process of gathering further information.”
The police said they were called to Omenihu’s home on Monday afternoon to investigate a domestic violence incident. According to the police report, a woman who said she was Omenihu’s girlfriend said he pushed her to the ground during an argument.
Officers did not observe any visible physical injuries but the woman did complain of pain in her arm. She declined medical attention.
The 25-year-old Omenihu is in his second season with the 49ers and part of their defensive line rotation.
He had a career-high 4 sacks in the regular season and added two sacks and a forced fumble in a wild-card win over Seattle on Jan. 14.
Omenihu played 15 defensive snaps in a win Sunday over Dallas. He injured his oblique during the game but was able to return. He is listed as day to day this week before the NFC title game on Sunday at Philadelphia.
Packers: Aaron Rodgers says he hasn’t decided whether to continue playing next season.
However he is adjusting to the possibility he could end his career somewhere other than Green Bay.
The four-time MVP quarterback is still deciding whether he wants to return to the Packers, retire or request a trade.
“Any time there’s a situation where change is possible, what’s the old adage?” Rodgers said Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on SiriusXM and YouTube. “People want to say, ‘Oh, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.’ I always say the grass is green where you water it. I think that’s the most important thing to remember.”