Bill O’Brien arrival did not end the road for one disliked Patriots coach

Even though Bill O’Brien was hired as the new Patriots offensive coordinator, Joe Judge is still sticking around in an ambiguous role.

What does Joe Judge have on Bill Belichick?

It’s the only question to ask after official confirmation that Judge is remaining on the Patriots staff this year as an “assistant head coach” even after the hiring of Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator.

The Patriots‘ updated coaches roster now features Belichick at the top as head coach, followed by Judge in his own category as assistant head coach, then the coaches for offense and defense under their own banners. Judge appears again in that defensive grouping. No defensive coordinator is named. Jerod Mayo remains listed solely as linebackers coach.

So what does any of this mean? Why isn’t Mayo the defensive coordinator? Why is Judge listed among the defensive coaches and not in the special teams group?

Patriots coaching staff list is only complicated by Joe Judge

“[Judge’s] role is going to be…helping Bill do his job better,” Albert Breer explained on Arbella Early Edition.

That’s rich considering Judge literally got fired because he wasn’t good at being a head coach…

It’s also pretty clear that Judge will be running special teams, the Patriots just didn’t want to have to officially demote special teams coordinator Cameron Achord.

So optics are why Judge is officially listed as a defensive coach. That’s not the most encouraging sign. A staff focused on optics may not be fully focused on football. This whole thing with Judge feels like a distraction, certainly from the point of view of fans who will only think of last year’s miserable offense when they think of Judge.

As for Mayo, it turns out he probably had the opportunity to gain a title but he didn’t want it to be in name only. When it comes down to it, Belichick runs the defense. Making Mayo the defensive coordinator wouldn’t mean giving him the keys to the car.