Belichick Has Got Everyone at the Combine's Brains Twisted into Pretzels by the Set Up of His Coaching Staff

When Josh McDaniels left to take the head coaching job in Las Vegas, it should not have come as a shock to anyone in the Patriots organization. Not since Steve Carrell's last season on "The Office" has it been so obvious that someone had one foot out the door of a workplace. He famously got hired by Indianapolis a few years ago before leaving them at the altar. He's had a dozen or so interviews since. And he asked for and received permission to take three of Bill Belichick's assistants with him. So obviously there was time to plan for the optimal way to replace him. 

To me and millions of likeminded Pats fans, the solution was the no-braineriest of no-brainers. As McDaniels walked out his office door for the last time, we expected him to bump into Bill O'Brien carrying a box filled with personal items ready to take over. We're now into March and there's still no word of that happening. So instead what we've got appears to be chaos. Like when a British king wouldn't have a proper line of succession to the throne, and you'd end up with a 10-year-old Richard II as king or something. At least that's how it looks from the outside. 

To the best of anyone's knowledge, Matt Patricia might be working with the offensive line. Joe Judge has the vague title of offensive assistant. Receivers coach Troy Brown and tight ends/fullbacks coach Nick Caley might have increased roles. But that's all just speculation. No one really has the first clue who's going to have his/her lips pressed against the laminated play sheet or who'll be responsible for the critical job of turning Mac Jones into a highly successful veteran. 

And with Belichick doing his annual vow of silence at the Combine, the football world is baffled by it, according to two Do Your Pod guests:

NBC Sports Boston - Our Patriots Insider Phil Perry recently landed in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, and on a new Patriots Talk Podcast with Tom E. Curran, Perry passed along some intel on how New England's competitors view its current coaching setup. 

"I can just tell you, Tom, from talking to some people here and some folks around the league: People are flabbergasted at how this Patriots staff has come together," Perry said. "It's focused on that offensive side specifically: What they're going to do in terms of coaching the quarterback and calling the plays?" 

Perry added that some are still giving Bill Belichick the benefit of the doubt, and that there's a sense of, "Well, it's Bill, and he'll figure it out." But the fact that neither Judge nor Patricia have directly coached the position groups they reportedly could lead in 2022 is causing a bit of a stir in Indy.

"My understanding is the coaches themselves will be talking a little bit more about roles for 2022 this week," Perry said. "So, if that's how it shakes out, there are a lot of eyebrows raised here in Indianapolis. I'll say that."

Again I say, I wanted Bill O'Brien here, for the obvious reasons that he ran this very offense at a high level for years, he's worked with Jones at Alabama, and he's a smart man who can command a room. But I'd be lying if I said I'm not entertained by the whole situation. Belichick going all cloak and dagger on everyone always is. Their reactions to him keeping what he's doing a secret is funny every time it happens. The other 31 franchises have their psyches tied into balloon animals. The talk shows in Boston are predictably losing their shit about the idea of two failed head coaches - one a defensive coordinator and the other a special teamer - who accomplished nothing with Matthew Stafford and Daniel Jones respectively, trusted with Mac Jones' development. And everyone has collective amnesia, forgetting that Belichick has never not had a plan for anything. Least of all, who's going to be running his offense. 

He's just not telling anyone because he doesn't have to tell anyone. Instead he's sitting back letting their scrambled brains burn calories trying to figure out what that plan is. It's almost cruel the way he's playing everyone. Including his loyal fanbase. But I can't pretend I don't love the intrigue of it all. 

All we know for sure is that whoever appears to be the voice inside Jones' helmet in 2022, he'll be a head coach somewhere in 2023. Then we get to do this all over a year from now.