O'Brien ‘couldn't pass up' opportunity to return to Patriots as OC

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Bill O'Brien's return to the New England Patriots as their new offensive coordinator is a homecoming for him in a few ways.

He's coming back to a place where he spent five seasons as an offensive coach on Bill Belichick's staff from 2007 through 2011. He was the offensive coordinator in 2011 and helped the team reach Super Bowl XLVI before leaving to become the head coach at Penn State.

He's also a Dorchester, Mass., native, so he's coming back to an area very familiar to him. 

Patriots Talk: Devin McCourty goes deep on Patriots’ hire of Bill O’Brien | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

For these reasons, and others, the chance to work with the Patriots again was something he just couldn't turn down.

“I’ve had a lot of different experiences, but at the end of the day, the opportunity to come back here presented itself and it was something I couldn’t pass up,” O'Brien said in a video posted by the team Friday morning. “So, I hope maybe I can bring some of those experiences to the table here and help our football team”

O'Brien added: “Having worked here before, having grown up here -- just a great opportunity for my family. Very excited. Yeah, very excited.”

O'Brien is not only the new OC, he's also the quarterbacks coach. One of his most important tasks this offseason and going into the 2023 NFL season will be maximizing the talents of starting quarterback Mac Jones. The University of Alabama product took a step back in Year 2 after a strong rookie campaign.

A recent report from the Boston Herald detailed the dysfunction of the Patriots' offense and how coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge failed on so many levels. Bringing in an experienced coach of O'Brien's caliber who has worked with so many different quarterbacks and has a long resume of success at every level should provide the offense with much-needed stability and structure.

“I’m looking forward to getting back and working with Bill (Belichick), and working for Bill, and doing what’s best for the team,” O'Brien said. “That’s what this place is all about.”

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