During the offseason, there wasn’t much debate. The Patriots most pressing need was to fix their woeful offensive line.
Protecting Drake Maye was a top priority. It was one of Mike Vrabel’s stated goals during his introductory press conference as the new Patriots coach.
Going back to the same well with a group that surrendered 52 sacks and countless quarterback hits wasn’t going to cut it.
So the Patriots went to work signing right tackle Morgan Moses and center Garrett Bradbury. The two veterans were added in free agency.
Then in the draft, the Patriots selected LSU left tackle Will Campbell with the fourth overall pick, and later selected Georgia center Jared Wilson in the third round.
While it seems they’ve improved on paper with the additions, there’s more to it when it comes to assembling a competent offensive line.
Meet Doug Marrone.
He’s the man in charge of making it happen, getting all of the parts working as one.
Marrone, a former NFL head coach, certainly has a wealth of experience doing that job. He’s been the offensive line coach at five colleges (Coast Guard, Northeastern, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Alabama) and two NFL teams (Jacksonville, New Orleans).
But the pressure is still on the native New Yorker to right the ship.
Former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, for one, believes Marrone is the right man for the job.
There might not be anyone who is more in tune with what Marrone brings to the table than O’Brien, who is currently running the ship at BC.
He and Marrone have coached together at different outposts dating back 30 years. They were at Georgia Tech (1995-1999), then Alabama under Nick Saban’s, and most recently Boston College where Marrone was on O’Brien’s staff.
They’ve also been rival head coaches in the AFC South with O’Brien at Houston, and Marrone at Jacksonville.
O’Brien, who spoke with MassLive recently, said Marrone fits in well with Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“Doug’s the same guy every day, which is what you have to be at that position. Doug is very smart about that position. He knows how to coach it,” O’Brien said. “He’s developed a lot of players over his time. You go back to when he was the O’line coach with the Jets and the Saints, and college. He was the O-Line coach when I was at Alabama.
“He knows how to develop players. He knows the technical part of it. He’s been in Sean Payton’s offense, which is similar to this offense. So he’ll be able to learn the offense and coach it.”
In April, when Marrone spoke with the media, he was asked what his offensive line would look like, and what would be considered a success for this group. In response, Marrone talked about getting the players to play to the best of their ability. That’s where it starts.
“I’m a big believer in development, and developing the players,” said Marrone, who kept a close eye on the proceedings during Tuesday’s open OTA session. “I’ve always said coaching to me, the definition is being able to take a player where he can’t take himself. I think it’s a great foundation, something I’m going to take a lot of pride in.”
Can rookie Will Campbell survive as a left tackle in the NFL? That’s one of the biggest factors that will dictate success or failure for the line.
Campbell has all the traits to be a star save one – the length of his arms don’t measure up.
Marrone, who will work with assistant offensive line coaches Jason Houghtaling and Robert Kugler, said all he cares about is what he sees, and if the kid shows he can handle the position, short arms and all.
“For a long time having done it, you create these measurements or parameters, look at them and say, ‘Hey, listen, these are what we have. These are kind of standard. These are things you have to look at,‘” Marrone said. “I always look at it as – do you play that way or do you play longer? Do you play to the max of what you have, or do you play under what you have? I’ve had guys in the past that have played for me that have 33-34 (inches) and haven’t played like that.
“I’ve had some guys that have had some shorter arms and have played like they had longer arms. I just think it’s something you bring up and want to make sure it’s something you evaluate and see if it affects the player in a positive way or negative way.”
During the OTA session Tuesday, the first unit had Campbell at left tackle, Cole Strange at left guard, Bradbury at center, Michael Onwenu at right guard and Moses at right tackle. That was the first group in with Maye.
With several players limited, that lineup changed to Campbell (left tackle), Wes Schweitzer (left guard), Bradbury (center), Strange (right guard), and Caedan Wallace (right tackle) at the start of 11-on-11s.
Whatever the alignment turns out to be come September, Marrone knows it has to be better than it’s shown in recent years. He knows an offense is sunk if the line can’t block and protect.
With all of the upgrades, as well as the addition of Marrone, the group should be better.
And if not?
“If they don’t play up to the level that people expect them to play, the first person I look at is myself,” Marrone said. “I’m the one that didn’t do a good job. I’m the one who has to help them play to the best of their ability.”
O’Brien smiled when asked if Marrone could perform the same magic as legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who always seemed to get the best out of the players he had.
The look told the answer. No one compares to Scarnecchia. That’s a given. But that doesn’t mean Marrone won’t be a difference maker.
“He’s got a ton of experience,” O’Brien said. “I think it’s a great fit for the Patriots. I think the Patriots are lucky to have Doug.”
We’ll see just how lucky as the 2025 season plays out.
