Why the Patriots Should Bring Back Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel

The Patriots have a lot of things to address this offseason. The coaching staff, believe it or not, is one of them.

When Josh McDaniels accepted the Denver Broncos’ head coaching job, the offensive coordinator position officially opened up.

Yesterday, we talked about a few of the in-house options. But is it really a good idea to turn this Ferrari over to a rookie coordinator?

Contact Notre Dame. Ask them for permission to talk to Charlie Weis. I’m sure they’ll be more than willing. Offer him a chance to come back to the New England Patriots.

Sounds crazy? Maybe not.

Weis is a year away from being fired anyway. His reputation has taken a huge hit. Get back into the coordinator thing, reunite with Tom Brady, and it’s only a matter of time before people forget the disaster that was his tenure in Notre Dame and start remembering what he can do with a talented offense.

As far as the defense goes, it’s time for an upgrade. I like Dean Pees. I’m sure he’s a great guy. But he’s never done anything overly impressive since he became defensive coordinator.

Frankly, he’s Eric Mangini, except older and balder. Probably skinnier.

The defensive coaching staff, just like the defensive talent, is in need of an upgrade. The Patriots’ defense hasn’t been great since 2004. As a matter of fact, it’s gotten progressively worse every season since 2005.

This season, for the first time in the Belichick era, it was a liability.

There are plenty of reasons for this. The lack of any NFL talent at the cornerback position was certainly a problem. The injuries to Adalius Thomas and Rodney Harrison were certainly issues.

But coaching was also an issue. The inability to out-game-plan other offenses was an issue. Play calling was an issue.

How many third and longs need to be completed against the Patriots before they decide to try something different?

Ask yourself this: When was the last time the Patriots’ defense shut down an above average NFL offense?

Seriously, when?

Have they shut anyone good down since Romeo Crennel accepted a head coaching position with the Cleveland Browns?

In case you haven’t been reading the papers, Crennel is currently unemployed.

Consider this a plea from a lifelong Patriots fan who knows something has been missing since that Super Bowl victory over the Eagles.

Bring back Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis.

This article originally appeared on the New England Patriots Examiner page. To read more articles like this one, check them out here.

Sean Crowe covers the New England Patriots for Examiner.com and writes a bi-weekly column for Sports-Central.org.

He is a Senior Writer and an NFL Community Leader at Bleacher Report. You can email him at [e-mail].