http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/f...ome&position=1
Defections might take a toll
By John Tomase / Patriots Beat | Tuesday, January 13, 2009 |
http://www.bostonherald.com |
Photo by Herald file
The question on the minds of
Patriotsfans everywhere this morning is two-fold:
Now what? And when will this end?
Watching former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels step off a private jet outside of Denver yesterday wearing an orange tie was jarring enough. But when coupled with the thought of Scott Pioli following him out the door, it feels more like a car wreck.
The brain drain is on in Foxboro, where the pillaged Patriots must once again prove they can overcome the loss of some of
Bill Belichick’s most valued lieutenants and remain competitive.
But how much is too much? We might be in the process of finding out.
Since the end of the 2004 season, the Patriots have lost Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini and now McDaniels, to name a few.
Pioli, the team’s vice president of player personnel, remains in talks with the Kansas City Chiefs and could soon be eating at Arthur Bryant’s nightly.
His presumed replacement, director of player personnel Nick Caserio, already is generating buzz as a future GM in his own right, particularly following the success of his predecessor Thomas Dimitroff in Atlanta.
Caserio recently was mentioned by Browns owner Randy Lerner as a candidate for Cleveland’s GM opening.
The Patriots worked a minor miracle this season when Matt Cassel replaced
Tom Brady [stats] and led the team to 11 victories. They had no business expecting that type of production out of the career backup.
At some point, it’s going to be too much to ask of the coaching staff, too.
When Weis left, McDaniels stepped in and helped pilot a record-setting offense. When Crennel left, Mangini stepped up before becoming a coach of the year candidate with the Jets. He was replaced by Dean Pees, who led the defense of an 18-0 team in ’07.
At some point, the replacements simply aren’t there. The top two candidates on the staff to become offensive coordinator appear to be tight ends coach Pete Mangurian and wide receivers coach Bill O’Brien.
Even if one steps right in without missing a beat, there’s no guarantee their replacement will get the job done lower on the rung. At some point, the foundation cracks.
Belichick obviously is the key figure in all of this, and some believe he’ll simply take control of the offense himself while breaking in a coordinator, much like he did with McDaniels in 2005. But it’s asking a lot of him to run the offense and assume a greater portion of Pioli’s responsibilities on the personnel side.
You can’t wear that many hats without eventually tipping over.
So what now? The first question is offensive coordinator. Former Cowboys, Broncos, Giants and Falcons coach Dan Reeves advocated on behalf of Mangurian. The Sirius Radio host employed Mangurian at his final three coaching stops, most recently as offensive coordinator with the 2003 Falcons.
“Pete understands defenses and how to attack them,” Reeves said. “He knows what they’re trying to do. He’s really bright. He knows all phases of the game.”
The 39-year-old O’Brien is considered an up-and-comer with a long history in the college game, but just two years of NFL experience. The Brown grad served as offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech and Duke before joining the Pats and won’t necessarily be held back by his lack of experience. Pees, after all, only had two years in the NFL as Pats linebackers coach before replacing Mangini.
The bigger question is Pioli. While there have been whispers that things are heating up with the Chiefs, he’s still a member of the Patriots front office. If the Pats lose him, the very way they acquire players will be torn in two.
Add it all together, and it’s tough to be a Patriots fan right now. On the field, the 2008 season was a success, but off it, the losses are mounting.
It’s only fair to wonder how many more the Pats can withstand.