Patricia isn’t a “mystery candidate;” he’s a sign the Broncos are scrambling
Feb 22, 2023, 5:23 PM
The Broncos are trying to sell swamp land in Florida. Oceanfront property in Arizona. A piece of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Take your pick. Either way, the point remains the same: The attempt to position long-time Patriots assistant and former Lions head coach Matt Patricia as a “mystery candidate” in the team’s search for a defensive coordinator is nothing but balderdash.
First, let’s start with the facts. Late on Wednesday afternoon, it was reported that Patricia was the fifth person interviewed for the job.
The #Broncos spent today with an intriguing candidate for their vacant defense coordinator job: Matt Patricia. Sources tell me and @TomPelissero the former #Patriots assistant is in Denver speaking with Sean Payton today. Rex Ryan and Vance Joseph are also top candidates.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 22, 2023
He talked to the Broncos on Wednesday. Rumors about a “mystery candidate” first started surfacing on Tuesday. The timeline doesn’t add up.
Everyone knew the Broncos had spoken to Rex Ryan and Vance Joseph about the DC gig. There were reports about Sean Desai and Kris Richard being interviewed, as well.
For someone else to be in the mix, to truly be a “mystery candidate,” they would’ve needed to have been a part of the process prior to today. They would’ve had to have interviewed without anyone finding out. They would’ve had to been the best-kept secret in Denver.
The conversation with Patricia was any but that. The day he talked to the Broncos, it was reported in the media.
That’s not a “mystery candidate.” That’s having to move onto another tier of potential defensive coordinators.
Sean Payton could’ve talked to Patricia at any time since being introduced as the Broncos head coach on Feb. 6. That’s 16 days ago. The Texans lured Kliff Kingsbury back from vacation in Thailand for an OC interview two weeks ago.
The fact that Payton waited until now suggests an inconvenient truth: Denver’s new head coach is having to expand his search. Why? Because either he didn’t like the four candidates already in the mix, they didn’t like the Broncos or both.
As a result, the head coach is left scrambling, searching for another viable option. Their latest candidate is someone who has garnered a grand total of zero other interviews this offseason for the numerous defensive coordinator vacancies in the NFL.
That might be because his resume is up and down. During his six seasons as the defensive coordinator in New England, Patricia’s defense finished in the top-10 twice. It also finished 25th or lower three times, however. During his time in Detroit as head coach, the Lions defense finished 10th, 31st and 32nd in the league.
In other words, it’s feast or famine. One-third of the time, Patricia’s defenses are really good; two-thirds of the time, they’re dismal.
If he ends of getting the job, the Broncos will spin him as their “top candidate from day one.” That’s nonsense.
Patricia became their choice by default. That doesn’t mean it won’t work out; it very well might. But he wasn’t the guy from the start. And he wasn’t a “mystery candidate.”
Sean Payton and the Broncos are scrambling to fill out their coaching staff. That’s readily apparent at this point.
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