Patriots Rumors: Staff, Stevenson, Brissett, Baker

It was a tough first-year season for the Patriots Jerod Mayo-Epoch. At 3-12, New England faces a 3-14 season with games remaining against the Bills and Chargers. Trouble arose at every level of the game: the offense ranks 30th in points and 29th in yards allowed; The defense didn’t fare much better, ranking 24th in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed. and New England also posted pedestrian numbers on special teams.

When all phases of the game present weaknesses and player development becomes an issue, the finger tends to be pointed at the coaching staff. Mayo appeared to admit this in a recent interview on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” where he talked about lots of “checklists…to go through,” including “which players you want to keep” and “which coaches you want.” stay close.”

The obvious considerations that need to be made involve the offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington. According to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, team owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraftwere seen in Week 15 seemingly criticizing the playbook on offense. On defense, the Patriots have had few answers since losing the linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley due to a season-ending injury earlier in the year.

Another coach with obvious question marks is the former New England head coach’s son, safeties coach Brian Belichick. Belichick’s father, Bill, has accepted the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina and his brother, Steve, plans to join him from the University of Washington. If Brian also goes to his father, that will leave a gap in the coaching staff.

Here are a few more rumors from New England:

• For the second time this season, it appears the Patriots are considering benching the running back Rhamondre Stevenson for Antonio Gibsonper Kyed. Fumbles have become a major problem for Stevenson in his fourth year as an NFL player. In his first three seasons, Stevenson recovered a total of seven fumbles, with the team only losing three of them. This season alone, Stevenson has reached both numbers, with three lost fumbles for a total of seven. Gibson has also had a lot of issues with fumbles in the past. In his four years in Washington, Gibson fumbled the ball 12 times and lost to the other team eight times. In 2021 alone, he lost four of six fumbles. However, this year, Gibson has only fumbled twice in 115 touches, with the Patriots recovering both touches. Gibson didn’t capitalize much on his starting opportunities early in the season, but Stevenson was certainly sent a message about his ball protection. With the season largely out of control, it seems like this replacement also sends a message.
• The Patriots have apparently already said goodbye to the experienced quarterback Jacoby Brissett in favor of the No. 3 overall rookie Drake Maye. Fortunately for the team, New England has the option to move on if it isn’t completely satisfied with Brissett’s services as Maye’s backup or mentor, or at least isn’t interested in renewing those services. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots offered him a two-year deal in Brissett’s first contract negotiation. Brissett reportedly preferred a one-year deal that would give him the chance to see how the season turned out. With Maye firmly established as the starter for the foreseeable future, both sides will be able to explore other options while Brissett heads into free agency.
• Fourth-round rookie receiver Javon Baker According to Kyed, he suffered a concussion in a car accident in early December. According to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, Baker’s car was damaged and he ended up in the hospital. It was a frightening incident for the 22-year-old, but he was cleared to train and appeared in the team’s next game.