The New England Patriots have a new special teams coordinator. New head coach Jerod Mayo’s team will hire former Los Angeles Rams assistant Jeremy Springer as special teams coordinator, it was announced Wednesday morning.
Springer spent the last two years as an assistant special teams coach in Los Angeles. Now he must take the next step on the coaching ladder as he is one of three coaches to be interviewed for the Patriots position.
Let’s take a look at what this means for the Patriots in general.Jerod Mayo takes the second step.The Patriots’ new head coach has two coordinator jobs. After promoting DeMarcus Covington from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator, he brought in Springer as his first outside hire.A key domino must fall with him: the offensive coordinator.
New England interviewed 11 candidates, but only six were available Wednesday.Second time’s the charmThe Patriots offered the special teams coordinator job to another candidate, Marquis Williams, but he decided to stay with the Atlanta Falcons under new head coach Raheem Morris. This eventually opened the door for Springer to fill the position.The Patriots have confidence in Springer’s coaching abilities.
New England’s special teams didn’t live up to expectations in 2023, but they were much better than the Rams’. Los Angeles ranked last in the NFL last season, according to respected analyst Rick Gosselin’s rankings. In comparison, the Patriots ranked 13th.Things didn’t look so good in Los Angeles in 2022, Springer’s first season with the Rams under special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.
The team moved up from 16th last year (compared to the 16th-ranked Patriots) to 29th.However, two opinions are warranted regarding this ranking.1.) It’s difficult to gauge how much of an impact Springer had on the Rams’ special teams. 2.) These ratings do not necessarily reflect the coach’s performance.In other words, numbers alone don’t make for a particularly pretty picture.
Finally, the Rams ranked last in the league in four categories in 2023, including average kickoff return (16.1 yards), punt coverage (15.5 yards), points allowed (14) and stuck points (3).2024 will be a proving year for both the Patriots’ special teams and their new coordinator.
New England’s kicking game is in full flowThe writing was already on the wall, but Springer’s hiring confirms that the Patriots’ special teams will be fresh in 2024. Exactly what that will look like remains to be seen, but the coordinator won’t be the only new face on the team. building. Assistant special teams coach Joe Houston is gone. I will be starting work at the University of Florida next year.
His predecessor, former special teams coordinator Cam Acord, is also expected to leave the Patriots. Not only did his job go to another coach, but he was out of contract. Accord has been with the Patriots since 2018, including the past four years in the role. Coach Joe Judge, who spent a lot of time in the kicking game in 2023, is unlikely to return.
He was widely expected to succeed Bill Belichick as the next head coach, but the former Patriots coach is unlikely to make it to the NFL this year, and Judge’s future is also uncertain. Troy Brown also belongs to that category. In addition to the extensive winners of the coaching, he has been processed since he arrived at the staff in 2020. Even Coach Brown, who is currently in the Senior Bowl, seems well aware of his elusive attitude.
The change may not just end with the coaching staff. Veteran special teams players Matthew Slater and Cody Davis are both candidates for retirement, and Adrian Phillips, who played 70 percent of the snaps last year, isn’t a sure bet to return. Other schedule changes may also occur with a new coordinator in town. The Patriots have at least one coach with ties to Sean McVay.
New England expressed interest in several Rams assistant coaches this offseason, but saw one of them (offensive coordinator Target Zack Robinson) take a job with the Atlanta Falcons. One of the others has actually joined the Patriots and may not be the only one left. Rams coach Nick Caley, who coached for several years in New England under Bill Belichick, is a contender for the OC job.
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