Matt Patricia looks like Patriots offensive play caller as QB Mac Jones makes preseason debut
preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, which New England won 20-10.
At this point, this isn’t a surprise. Patricia has been calling plays during training camp and has done it more than Joe Judge and Bill Belichick.
Last week started the same way. Patricia started the Patriots preseason opener by calling offensive plays to Brian Hoyer and the Patriots backup offense. That lasted only two series, however, as Judge finished the game calling plays into rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe.
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Patricia has been the main coach calling plays during the Patriots 11-on-11 drills this summer. That’s why he’s been considered the favorite to replace longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the Pats new play caller. As seen last week, Judge has called some plays this summer. Belichick has also called plays in camp as well.
On Friday night, Patricia called plays for all three quarterbacks. When the starting offense went on the field, Patricia stood on the sideline with a large play call sheet to go with his headset. He was clearly talking to Jones pre-snap.
“Matty has done a great job. He’s one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever been around. In terms of football knowledge,” said Jones, who completed 4-of-8 passes for 61 yards to go with a 75.5 passer rating in his 2022 preseason debut. “Between all the coaches we have, they’ve done a great job preparing us. He’s really starting to get a feel for it. That’s the thing – just grow each week and make sure we can stack good days together.