Offensive line coach Matt Patricia called plays in every preseason game, but would not elaborate on what will happen in Week 1 against Miami. “That was just the preseason. We’ll see what happens as we get towards the regular season as we go forward.” Nancy Lane/Boston Herald
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Matt Patricia called offensive plays during every Patriots preseason game.
He was the only coach to call offensive plays during the preseason games Mac Jones played. And after the Pats’ 20-10 win over the Panthers, Jones said he hopes to grow with Patricia as a play-caller/quarterback duo for a long time.
So, Patricia will call plays when the Pats open their regular season at Miami on Sept. 11. Right?
“That was just the preseason. We’ll see what happens as we get towards the regular season as we go forward,” Patricia told reporters Monday. “Right now, I’m just focused on today.”
Cat-and-mouse games with the public over play-calling are nothing new for the Patriots, who have rebuffed questions about Josh McDaniels’ game-day successor dating back to the spring.
Three years ago, Pats coaches also deflected when it was unclear who would replace Brian Flores as their defensive play-caller. Inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo called plays in minicamp, then there was a division of duties early in the season and outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick took over for the rest of the year.
During that season, Bill Belichick inserted himself for at least one stretch – the final series of a close Week 4 win at Buffalo – before yielding play-calling entirely.
It’s unclear if the elder Belichick will be involved again, or if quarterbacks coach Joe Judge will have a say (Judge called plays during the preseason opener). In the meantime, both of them, and Patricia, continue to be tight-lipped about who will hold the reins of the new offense in next week’s season opener.
ERNIE ZAMPESE, a longtime NFL assistant and former Patriots offensive coordinator, died Monday at the age of 86.
Zampese, who coached in New England from 1998-99, was best known as an offensive innovator who helped build some of the NFL’s most prolific passing attacks with the Chargers in the 1970s and ’80s. Zampese later served as an offensive coordinator for the Rams and Cowboys. He won his only Super Bowl with Dallas in 1995.
In June, Zampese was one of 20 people to receive one of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural “Awards of Excellence.”
Under Zampese in 1998, the Patriots averaged 21.1 points per game and went 9-7 before losing in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The following year, they averaged 18.7 points per game finished 8-8, which led to the firing of Coach Pete Carroll. Zampese then spent brief stints as an offensive consultant in Dallas, St. Louis and Washington before retiring after the 2004 season.
PRACTICE REPORT: Patriots running back/wide receiver Ty Montgomery was one of four players absent for Monday’s non-padded practice, the team’s first since returning from Las Vegas last week.
Montgomery was carted off the field with a leg injury that knocked him out of last Friday’s preseason loss to the Raiders. Considering the history of players who have been carted off the field mid-game, Bill Belichick provided an encouraging update of Montgomery’s status during a Monday morning radio interview.
“We’ll see how things go today, see what he’s able to do,” Belichick said. “But I think he’s doing all right.”
Wide receivers Tyquan Thornton (clavicle) and Kristian Wilkerson (concussion) were also absent Monday, as was backup offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste. Linebacker Harvey Langi returned after missing practice last week.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers appeared limited with a sleeve over his left leg. He left Friday’s preseason finale early with an undisclosed injury. Running back Damien Harris looked healthy after sitting out Friday’s game.
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