At the first day of Patriots training camp, Matt Patricia leading the offensive play calling for New England.
If you're wondering who the heck will call plays for Mac Jones and the New England Patriots offense this season, you may have just gotten your answer.
The Patriots held their first official training camp practice of 2022 on Wednesday, with 98.5 The Sports Hub's "Zolak & Bertrand" broadcasting live from Gillette Stadium. And about 50 minutes into the session, while New England was running a 7-on-7 red zone drill, co-host Scott Zolak made a notable observation.
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Here's co-host Marc Bertrand relaying what Zolak spotted with his binoculars:
"There is one particular coach who has relocated himself on the field, has a walkie-talkie with a direct line to the quarterbacks' helmets and is calling in plays. And the person who is doing that for the Patriots offense is Matt Patricia. Matt Patricia is calling offensive plays for the Patriots here on Day 1 of training camp."
This isn't a stunning development; our Tom E. Curran has noted that Patricia is the team's "active offensive coordinator," even if he doesn't have the official title. But Bill Belichick declined to name official offensive or defensive coordinators for this season and recently dodged a question about when he'll reveal who's calling plays on offense.
So, Wednesday's practice is the first hard evidence we have that Patricia -- whose official title is "senior football advisor/offensive line" -- likely will call plays for the Patriots in 2022.
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That would be a first for Patricia, who spent six seasons as New England's defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017 before a failed three-year stint as Detroit Lions head coach.
Patricia's interactions with Jones will be worth monitoring closely as the Patriots continue life without former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Quarterbacks coach Joe Judge should play a key role in offensive strategy as well. But based on what we saw in Day 1 of camp, the "mystery" of the Patriots' play-caller has been solved.
