Bill Belichick Loyalty to ‘Good Friend’ Affected Staff Decision

The New England Patriots will have a different coaching staff in 2022. Head coach Bill Belichick had to make a decision. Josh McDaniels’ departure left a big void on Belichick’s coaching staff. The Patriots said they won’t have a defensive and offensive coordinator in 2022. Well, a lot of fans and analysts thought Belichick would bring Bill O’Brien in New England.

O’Brien has all the talent in the world and he is an amazing coach. His experience would have been of great help for the team. Let’s not forget that Belichick and O’Brien worked together from 2007 to 2011.

Bill Belichick made the right decision

Greg Bedard from the Boston Sports Journal discussed the idea of seeing O’Brien and Belichick at the sideline again.

Why did Belichick make this decision?

“Finally got to the bottom of the Bill O’Brien mystery, and why he’s not back here as offensive coordinator,” Bedard wrote. “A) O’Brien made a two-year commitment to Saban. B) Belichick just wasn’t going to put Saban, his good friend, in the position of giving his blessing on O’Brien leaving. Sure, you and I can say it shouldn’t be that hard to pick up the phone and say, “Hey Nick, you can just tell me no and I’ll go away … but do you think you could stand to lose Billy?” That seems reasonable and follows the old adage of it never hurts to ask … but Belichick knew that wouldn’t be fair to put Saban in that position, so he didn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole. Now, don’t rule out O’Brien for next season if the Matt Patricia-Joe Judge plan does not work well.”

O’Brien is one of the better coaches in the NFL. He has great experience, but he won’t join the Patriots coaching staff in 2022.

Belichick is entering the 2022 season with a major task on his table. He has a quarterback, but he needs a few strong weapons. DeVante Parker joined the Patriots this offseason and the Patriots will probably add a few more players. It’s a long offseason after all.