Patriots' new offensive coordinator doesn't hold back his praise for Bill Belichick
The New England Patriots brought in a familiar face over the offseason, and it's someone who knows Bill Belichick and his system quite well. And to make it even better, the two share the same name. Bill O'Brien was hired as the Patriots offensive coordinator in January, marking his second stint in New England. He […]
The New England Patriots brought in a familiar face over the offseason, and it's someone who knows Bill Belichick and his system quite well.
And to make it even better, the two share the same name.
Bill O'Brien was hired as the Patriots offensive coordinator in January, marking his second stint in New England. He formerly served as the offensive assistant, wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator from 2007 to 2011.
He works closely with Belichick, and it's no secret that O'Brien has a lot of admiration for the Patriots coach.
"I love working with Bill and working for Bill. Bill is very involved with all aspects of what we're doing, what the defense is doing, what special teams are doing," O'Brien said. "We've had some great meetings. He's definitely involved with all facets of what we're doing, what the defense is doing, what special teams do, and I think that's what makes him the rarest of coaches. He's a very rare coach who can do all those things and understand all three phases."
O'Brien has already made an impact on the offense, with Mac Jones even saying things feel like they are going back to "normal." And the two seem to have a solid relationship, with both showing respect for one anther.
While he was not with the team during any of the Super Bowl championships, O'Brien has seen first hand the impact Belichick has on a team. The winning mentality is one he truly instilled in the Patriots identity, and although that has not been apparent throughout the last few seasons, New England is looking to turn a new page.
"Bill told the team the other day that this is his 49th training camp. I mean, when you think about that, like that amount of wisdom and experience and obviously the amount of success that he's had. I've just always enjoyed working for Bill. I learn from Bill every single day," O'Brien said. "Bill challenges you. He makes you better every day. And it's been great to be back and we just have to, like I said earlier, we got to try to keep getting better. We can keep trying to improve, we'll have a shot to be a good football team. And that's what Bill's pushing us to do."
Belichick has already shown a lot of faith in O'Brien, and it will be interesting to see how his coaching style translates to games.
And as O'Brien said, he has "a lot of water under my bridge," since his last time with the Patriots.
Featured Image via Sophie Weller – A to Z Sports
