Should the Patriots make a coaching change? NFL coaches, executives weigh in – NBC Sports Boston

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — While Patriots coaches have come under fire from media and fans over the past several weeks, recent opponents felt as if New England’s primary problem was with those wearing helmets on the sidelines, not headsets.

“The quarterback (Drake Maye) looks like the real deal,” a rival general manager said. “He just needs a lot of help. Especially on offense.”

“The scheme defensively isn’t bad,” said one opposing offensive coordinator. “We’ve seen worse. Their problem is they have a good player (Christian Gonzalez). A bunch of guys that have played good football for them in the past are just not themselves right now.”

That’s not to excuse what the Patriots have put on the field from a preparation and game management standpoint this season. They fall on the coaches, specifically head coach Jerod Mayo, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington.

But with a roster struggling to keep up with its opposition on a weekly basis from a talent standpoint, the coaching staff has had its hands full.

Speaking with multiple sources around the league who have experience with hiring and firing at the head coaching and coordinator levels, to them, there are two paths that seem to make the most sense for the Patriots moving forward.

One would be to start over with a whole new staff. The other would be to keep all three of Mayo, Covington and Van Pelt and allow them to try to get the team back into contention with a roster that should be able to improve this coming offseason.

The thinking in the latter scenario: Even if you have designs on replacing coordinators and keeping Mayo, coveted opportunities for those jobs may be hard to come by. If it’s tied to a head coach who could be on the hot seat in Year 2, with a roster that still seems in need of several offseasons of rebuilding, the next coordinator (or coordinators) will really be set up for success?

Regardless of what ends up happening with the staff, the roster will undergo real change in the months following the regular season. It will have to keep pace with the Bills and others atop the AFC.

Phil Perry shares what he’s hearing from NFL sources about why the Patriots’ offensive coordinator position, if the team moves on from Alex Van Pelt, isn’t seen as a desirable opening among top candidates around the league.