Patriots assistant coach sounded off at personnel exec over lack of talent

The offensive line has been one of the most significant issues for the New England Patriots this season. 

And it seems a member of the coaching staff even had something to say about it before the season began. 

According to a report by the Boston Herald, offensive line coach Adrian Klemm directly confronted director of player personnel Matt Groh “early in the season in a loud exchange that reverberated through the organization.”

"Klemm, according to sources, didn’t feel heard, while some offensive veterans didn’t want to believe their eyes," the Herald wrote. 

At the start of the season, injuries forced the team to turn to late-round rookies Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi, along with veteran tackle Calvin Anderson. And according to the Herald, this was because "Belichick and Groh believed the best available tackles in free agency and the draft had been overrated, according to one source."

“We didn’t invest in the offensive line until the fourth round, didn’t take a receiver until the sixth,” a third source told the Herald. “How do we spend the first three picks on defense when tackle was the biggest problem on the team last year?”

After being drafted by and playing for the Patriots during his career, Klemm joined the coaching staff as the offensive line coach prior to the 2023 season. This came after he was serving as an assistant coach at Oregon. 

Klemm played under Patriots legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, so it's possible they were hoping his style would mirror his. 

However, Klemm has been away from the team since November for health reasons. So everything involving the offensive line has proved to be a problem this year.