FOXBOROUGH – The second Bill O’Brien stint as offensive coordinator of the Patriots didn’t go very well, but that wasn’t necessarily his fault.
The Pats were a train wreck across the board in 2023 and O’Brien has shown (as he did previously at Penn State and with the Houston Texans as well) that he’s a very good coach. So far, the O’Brien era at Boston College has been off to a phenomenal start.
So, what makes O’Brien a good coach? Why do players enjoy playing for him? Well, there aren’t many guys left on offense that did get to work with him, but on Monday, I asked David Andrews, Demario ‘Pop’ Douglas and Tyquan Thornton for their thoughts on the time they spent with O’Brien last year and why they think he’s been able to have early success over in Chestnut Hill.
“I enjoyed working with Billy O,” Andrews said. “It obviously didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, but I think it’s super cool for him, a local guy to be coaching call it the ‘hometown team,’ I guess. I can’t say I used to watch a lot of BC games, but I watched a little bit of the Missouri game…I think they’ve got a good football team and they played them well. He’s a likable guy and I think it’ll help him do a good job in recruiting and all of that. It’s a lot different now, I don’t even know how it all works (with recruiting), but he’s done a great job and it’s been fun to kind of check in on BC and see what they’re doing.”
“OB was cool, man,” Douglas said. “Any time he’d see me he had a big smile, I definitely mess with OB. I love what he’s doing at BC right now, they’re going on the right path. He’d get on you, but I feel like that’s what you need. That’s what you need. You need a coach that’s going to stay on you and not let you slack. He most definitely made me a better player. He didn’t let me slack. He stayed on me and I feel like he’s the reason I had the season I had (as a rookie) last year.”
“Bill O’Brien, man, he was definitely energetic,” added Thornton. “He’s very up front about what he wants and how he wants it done. He’s a great coach to work with, man. He brought a lot of energy every day and he just wants what’s best for all his players. He definitely was (a yeller), that’s why I said he brought a lot of energy. He definitely made me a better player. That year, there was a lot of ups and downs for me as far as just being out there and getting the reps. So, when I got out there, he was very critical on me about the details and the little things I wasn’t doing well. I appreciate him for doing that.”
When fans think back to the Bill O’Brien Patriots days, they’ll think of the shouting match with Tom Brady and they’ll think of the dismal Mac Jones era. But, when you dig a little deeper, it’s evident that everywhere he goes O’Brien leaves quite a positive impact on the majority of the players he coaches.
The Eagles are certainly glad they have him right now.
“They’re obviously getting the guys (at BC) to play how they want them to play and moving the program in the right direction,” Andrews added. “I never saw the quick ‘teapot’ explosion, but he’s definitely a passionate coach. I had heard a lot of stories about him. He’s a likable guy. He’s pretty funny. I think he’s an honest coach and he’s trying to do what’s best for his players and put them in the best position to succeed.”