NFL Analysts and Patriots Fans He seemed unanimously approved of New England’s decision to hire Bill O’Brien As its offensive coordinator next Tuesday.
But Alabama fans seem just as happy to see O’Brien leave his position as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator. Don’t believe us? Consider the reactions that poured out on social media amid news of O’Brien’s employment in New England:
So, what is going on here? Why is there so much disdain for O’Brien among Alabama fans, and should Patriots fans view such reactions as a red flag?
At first glance, O’Brien appeared to be a hit at Alabama. The Crimson Tide went 24-4 during O’Brien’s two seasons in Tuscaloosa (13-2 in 2021 and 11-2 in 2022) and reached the College Football Playoff Tournament in 2021, losing 33-18 to Georgia. Alabama averaged 477 yards offense and 41.1 points per game in 2022, which ranked 11th and 4th among all FBS teams, respectively. Quarterback Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 while He attributes much of his success to O’Brien’s tutelage.
Sounds good, right? Well, not in Tuscaloosa, where losing seasons are seen as failures. Alabama had lost only two games in one season in the six seasons prior to O’Brien’s arrival, winning three national championships in that span. They also averaged 47 points and over 500 receiving yards per game under former Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
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AL.com’s Mike Rodak recently joined Phil Perry on the Next Pats Podcast To provide some perspective on why Crimson Tide fans are so keen to leave O’Brien.
“People ask, why isn’t he gone yet?” Because the fans don’t like him,” Rodak told Perry last week. “That’s a product of Alabama’s high level, because the fans here expect them to win every game. They expect to win by 40 points. They expect Alabama to score 50 points. That’s kind of the way things went for a little while. Nick Saban…
“There seems to be a lot of fan anxiety and feelings that they don’t want him here anymore. It’s hard to ignore him at this point. He’s been kind of a bubble for a little while and he’s definitely bubbled up now. So the fans are waiting for any word of his departure.”
In short, there are very high standards for success at Alabama, and O’Brien just fell short of that. There should be no shortage of frontrunners to replace O’Brien as The O.C., so we can see why Crimson Tide fans wouldn’t mind him leaving.
While Alabama fans have their backs on O’Brien, Patriots fans should still be happy to see him at Foxboro: The Andover, Mass. , the native should be a huge upgrade from Matt Patricia and even has a past relationship with the former Alabama quarterback Mac Joneswho helped O’Brien learn the Crimson Tide offense after being hired in January 2021.