The New England Patriots may find a new way to “do their thing” this season.
But they still don’t have an “off day”.According to an ESPN report, the Pats have interviewed former New York Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey for their vacant position, days after officially hiring Jerod Mayo as their 15th head coach in history franchise.
The 50-year-old becomes the third coach to complete his third stint in New England, joining Atlanta Falcons special teams coordinator Marquis Williams and Los Angeles Rams special teams assistant Jeremy Springer.McGaughey has been the Giants’ special teams coordinator since 2018. As such, he worked under three head coaches: Brian Daboll, Joe Judge (both with ties to the Patriots) and Pat Shurmur.
McGaughey was among the New York coaches fired earlier this month as New York finished a disappointing 6-11 this season along with posting a special teams that ranked 21st in DVOA. Before coming to New York, McGaughy coached special teams at the professional and collegiate levels. His previous experience includes special teams coordinator for the Houston Texans (2003-04), New York Jets (2014), San Francisco 49ers (2015) and Carolina Panthers (2016-17).
From 2011 to 2013, he was the special teams coordinator and defensive assistant. With New England finishing 4-13, the team decided to part ways with former coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons as a coach and member of the general staff. Despite being strong on defense, New England struggled mightily on both offense and special teams.
The third-round Pats, led by coordinator Cam Acord, ranked 28th in special teams DVOA in 2022 after finishing last in that metric. Sophomore special teams player Brendan Squier earned All Pro honors for his performance this season, but the unit was plagued by constant tackles, relentless penalties and rookie Chad Ryland completed just 64 percent of his attempts.
If McGaughey or another candidate is hired to replace Mayo’s Acord, he could face the difficult task of repairing a badly damaged unit without the guidance of 16-year veteran team captain Matthew Slater. Retirement in the next few years. Out of season.
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