Bill O’Brien just dropped his bags inside the front door.
Mac Jones is already upstairs unpacking his suitcase.
The Patriots’ wide receivers are actively planning the next vacation in the driveway, while the offensive linemen are last out of the car, still recovering from a trip-long hangover.
For all involved, the honeymoon is over.
On Sunday, the Patriots offense will be tested in a way it hasn’t since O’Brien re-tied the knot in late January. It’s been a lovely seven-plus months.
From the moment O’Brien stepped into the building, life has been a series of bouquets and blowing kisses.
“(O’Brien)’s awesome,” Pats tight end Mike Gesicki said Wednesday. “He’s been great since the day he got here.”
“I’ve been very happy with coach O’Brien,” Mac Jones said during training camp. “All of us have.”
As far as coaching changes, O’Brien represents one of the healthiest rebounds in recent NFL history. Once the Patriots moved on from the toxic Belichick-Patricia-Judge triumvirate of last year, all O’Brien had to do to score points was hold the door, say please and thank you and remember birthdays. He’s done more than that.
From team meetings to the practice field, O’Brien has breathed life into the Patriots offense again. There is a joy about his players, trust and belief; hallmarks of any healthy relationships which, by the way, were all missing last season.
“The coaches bring a lot of confidence in us,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “They do a great job of lifting us up.
But the thing is, for as wonderful as all that sounds, none of it matters.
Yet.
O’Brien was re-hired to win games, not a popularity contest. The stress tests his offense endured in training camp and the preseason do not compare whatsoever to the regular-season rigors to come. What an NFL offense is, what it can become, is only known by walking through the fires of conniving defensive coordinators, head-hunting safeties and menacing pass rushers for 17 games.
What we know about the Patriots offense is the players believe in their new coach, one another and the system that binds them all together. That’s about it.
What we will begin to learn Sunday against the Eagles is exactly what they’ll learn: whether that belief is deserved.
After the debacle of last year, fans deserve to know. Players deserve to know. Too many fell victim to the false hope that papered over the structural flaws of the 2022 offense, one best described as dead on arrival.
Because believe it or not, a year ago, between Jones’ outbursts and the blown blocks and general misery, coaches and players insisted they could see growth. They were wrong. Everyone was.
So what will growth, real growth, look like this year?
Start with O’Brien’s game plan.
The Patriots’ inability to scheme up their opponents last year was painfully evident. They ranked third-worst in first-quarter scoring at 2.7 points per game. They didn’t score a touchdown in the first quarter until Thanksgiving.
A week later, God bless him, Kendrick Bourne finally said the quiet part out loud after a terrible loss to Buffalo: “They call this, and we call that, and it falls right into what they want.”
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So if the Pats cruise to an opening-drive touchdown versus Philadelphia, that’s more than encouraging. That’s a breakthrough, and hard evidence O’Brien is the coach his players proclaim him to be.
But let’s say they go scoreless. Fine. Then, we can examine O’Brien’s problem-solving. That’s even more critical.
Because season openers introduce more uncertainty than any other game all year. It’s a complete unknown how the Eagles will attack and adjust, particularly with a new defensive coordinator in Sean Desai. What will O’Brien do to stave off a defensive line that racked up 70 sacks a year ago and a secondary that came one holding call away from possibly winning the Super Bowl?
And if that fails, what will be Plans B and C?
On Thursday, Patriots safety Jalen Mills noted any time his defense flummoxed Jones and Co. in practice, O’Brien threw wrinkles at them the next day to provide an edge. Mills also added Jones’ growing experience and continuity with his teammates should help the coaching staff and players come together.
“When you come to the sideline, the good thing about having veteran guys is you can talk through things,” Mills said. “Whether it’s a different coverage they’ve seen or a play they think they can run, I think that’s the biggest thing.”
So when O’Brien is under pressure, will he lean on his quarterback and veterans for answers in the same collaborative way many have described to date?
And if the worst-case scenario arrives, and the Patriots lose a blowout, signs of life might still be unearthed in his process and play-calling. Or, they might not.
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How many new run-pass options (RPOs) did O’Brien call, to play to Jones’ strength and take pressure off his offensive line? Was JuJu Smith-Schuster featured on the run-after-catch plays he signed to execute? Did Gesicki, an oversized receiver masquerading as a tight end, play in-line or was he split out wide?
O’Brien’s players say so far he’s put them in position to succeed. They exude confidence, the lifeblood of any high-level offense.
When asked if he thought his offense would improve, Pats center David Andrews combined a laugh and a scoff Wednesday before offering one word.
“Yeah,” he said.
Andrews is probably right. But to what degree?
That answer will set the course for the Patriots’ opener and their season.
It’s time to unpack. The honeymoon is over. Now, the hard work begins.