Bill O’Brien speaks on return to Patriots, working for Bill Belichick

BOSTON — Bill O’Brien officially returned to the Patriots on Thursday, with the team announcing that he has been hired as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

A day later, in a video released by the team, O’Brien spoke about the return to both his native Massachusetts and his former employer in Foxboro.

“Having worked here before, having grown up here, just a great opportunity for my family,” O’Brien said. “Very excited. Yeah, very excited.”

When O’Brien arrived in New England the first time, he had four total years of experience as an offensive coordinator, split between Georgia Tech and Duke. This time around, he comes with the experience of having run the offense for the Patriots and the Alabama Crimson Tide, while also having worked as the head coach of Penn State and the Houston Texans.

“I’ve had a lot of different experiences, but at the end of the day, the opportunity to come back here presented itself and it was something I couldn’t pass up,” he said. “So maybe I can bring some of those experiences to the table here and help our football team.’

O’Brien also spoke about returning to the staff of Bill Belichick, who gave O’Brien his first NFL job back in 2007.

“I’m looking forward to getting back and working with Bill and working for Bill and doing what’s best for the team,” O’Brien said. “That’s what this place is all about.”

O’Brien’s first order of business will be helping the coaching staff at the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas. After that, it’ll be full steam ahead toward repairing and rebuilding a Patriots offense that surely needs fixing.