FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quick-hit thoughts and notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:
1. Patricia's fit: The first domino in Bill Belichick's plans to shape his offensive coaching staff after coordinator Josh McDaniels' departure fell last week with the hiring of Joe Judge.
Could a second domino include senior football adviser Matt Patricia?
Few, if any, truly know what Belichick is thinking. But the possibility of Patricia joining the offensive staff in some capacity has come up in conversations with smart NFL personnel projecting Belichick's next move, and the thinking goes like this:
With the Patriots set to retain the core of their existing defensive staff, but losing elite institutional brainpower/knowledge on offense without McDaniels and others, Belichick might view some combination of Patricia and Judge as his best option to spearhead the offensive transition.