Ian Rapoport Says Bill O'Brien is 'a Strong Option' to Return as the Patriots OC

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In this season giving, it appears both fate and Bill Belichick are giving long suffering Patriots fans a Festivus Miracle:

Source - Could a familiar face return to New England in 2023 to guide the offense in the right direction?

Sources say Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien is a strong option to return to his former home and assume his old role as OC under Bill Belichick for next season. This would be a potential answer to an important question facing the Patriots in the future.

O'Brien has been the Crimson Tide's OC for two seasons under Alabama head coach Nick Saban and will call plays against Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve.

A few things about this real quick, since it's Christmas Eve and I should be drinking by now with my family. First, I said just under a year ago O'Brien's return to New England was a natural:

That said, if McDaniels or Mayo do still end up getting hired elsewhere, it's not like it will be the end of the world. Take McDaniels. At least with him, there is an obvious and immediate replacement. If he were to give his his two-weeks notice, Belichick would invite him to take a seat, press "1" on his desk phone speed dial, and as it get picked up on the first ring say, "Hey Nick. Yeah, that's why I'm calling. How soon can you get him on flight?" 

Not only has Bill O'Brien run the Patriots Erhardt-Perkins system better than it's ever been run (2007-2011), he just spent a year being immersed in the very same college system Mac Jones was weaned on. Bringing him back would be the no-braineriest of no-brainers.

Next, this move would be more than just the admission the great Matt Patricia-Joe Judge experiment was an abysmal failure it will be made out to be by the heavenly choir of I Told You Sos that will be coming. Much more significantly, it's an endorsement of Mac Jones as the franchise quarterback. The friction between Patricia and Jones has been blatantly obvious from the beginning of this misguided scheme. If it rose to the level of an actual power struggle, Jones has won. This would be Belichick choosing to build around his QB of the future at the expense of one of his closest friends and co-workers. It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong. His belief Patricia could transition to offense blew up in his face like a Candygram for Mongo. But the empire he has established wasn't built on sparing anyone's feelings. It's built on recognizing mistakes, finding ways to improve, and moving forward. In this case, with the 2021 Pro Bowler who has taken a major step backwards in his sophomore season. 

Finally, given the timing of this report, I have two words.