Bill o’brien, the former new england patriots offensive coordinator, was officially introduced as the boston college eagles’ 41st head coach on tuesday, and he revealed a little surprising fact about his tenure.
Although many believed that pats’ decision to “mutually and amicably” leave with legendary coach bill belichick would end in a similar fate for his 53-year-old assistant, o’brien revealed on thursday that he was given the opportunity to remain with the pats as part of new coach jerod mayo’s staff. O’brien told weei.com, “i definitely had an opportunity to stay with the patriots.” Coach mayo’s own staff was really important, i thought. I came and worked for bill belichick, and i think it’s really important for jerod to be able to hire his own staff.” o’brien joined ohio state last month as their offensive coordinator.
However, after former bc head coach jeff hafley left to join the green bay packers as defensive coordinator, the veteran coach returned to new england for what he called his “dream job.” “i really appreciate robert and jonathan kraft for their help over the years,” o’brien said. That’s meant a lot to me,” o’brien said. “and, ryan day was kind to give me a job, so that’s why i made that decision.” o’brien is a gifted collegiate coach, despite his challenges as both the houston texans’ head coach and general manager. He spent two successful seasons at the helm of the penn state nittany lions, leading the team to a 15-9 overall record and a 10-6 record in the big ten, in addition to his time with the patriots and texans. O’brien served as offensive coordinator for the alabama crimson tide before returning to new england in 2023.
O’brien remembers his former boss with reverence after serving under bill belichick from 2007-11 and again in 2023. O’brien helped navigate a patriots offense that required ball defense, effective running, and spreading the ball to multiple pass catchers during his first tour of service in new england. Unfortunately, neither he nor belichick were able to recapture their previous glory last season.
The pats finished their campaign as the no. 1 team in the nation. 32 points in scoring offense, averaging 13.9 points per game, while only 27 touchdowns were recorded. O’brien was still proud of his experiences while working with the legendary coach during his time in new england, but o’brien was still proud of his experiences while working with the legendary coach during his time in new england. The 53-year-old explained, “i want to thank bill belichick for all he has done for my career.” “i will never be able to repay bill for all he has done for my career, and i am grateful for what he said about this opportunity for me yesterday.
I really appreciate bill for that. in a letter to the boston college faithful, belichick declared o’brien’s feelings to be mutual just one day earlier. In a statement published by boston college, belichick said, “my relationship with bill spanned almost three decades.” “bill has a wealth of experience and experience both at the college and nfl levels among all the coaches i have worked with. Bill is a young man leader and a gifted communicator, as he has demonstrated at every step of his career. he is tough, smart, passionate, and a great candidate to lead the boston college football team while also serving as a positive ambassador for the entire bc community.
The eagles will return to action on the gridiron in a short time, with spring training scheduled to begin in less than a month. Mayo’s offensive coaching staff will be a slew of fresh faces for the patriots. Since taking over the patriots’ leadership role on jan 17, the pats have recruited offensive coordinator alex van pelt and quarterback coach t.c. sullivan. Mccartney, offensive line coach scott peters, assistant offensive line coach robert kugler, assistant receivers coach tiquan underwood, running backs coach taylor embree, and offensive assistant mike mccarthy are among the players on the offensive line.
