As the start of the new league year fast approaches, the Patriots are tasked with restocking the cupboard in their coaching ranks. When you are as consistently successful as this team is, coaches often leave elsewhere for better titles and bigger checks. This year was no exception, with more turnover this year than years prior. Defacto defensive coordinator Brian Flores is in Miami, along with receivers coach Chad O’Shea, cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer, and assistant QB coach Jerry Schuplinski. Brendan Daly made a lateral move to be the defensive line coach for the Chiefs, leaving 5 open rolls for the team to fill. Who will replace the departing and continue a tradition filling roles from within the organization?
Brian Flores
- With only one year of play calling under his belt Flores flourished and earned his job in Miami. According to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe, Greg Schiano has been hired to fill his role as defacto defensive coordinator, though no official statement has been released by the team. An outside hire is unusual but, in this case, sensible. Consider the familiarity and mutual respect Belichick and Schiano have for each other, and it makes sense from that standpoint. You also need to ask if not Schiano, then who? It might have been Brendan Daly, but not likely. Boyer didn’t have a chance but you have to consider him. The only problem with those two is that all of Bill’s defensive coordinators have worked at all levels of the defense. Flores started as an assistant line coach, moved to safeties, then finally linebackers/play caller. Patricia had the same progression. Daly had only coached the defensive line and Boyer only the quarterbacks. Bill is not going to call plays at this point in his career, so someone has to, and it looks like that is Schiano.
- Bret Bielma could help Schiano in some capacity, as he was with the team last year and was of the belief he was to be named the defensive coordinator. He may be back in some capacity.
- With the departure of Flores you also are in need of a new linebackers coach. Enter Demarcus Covington. The third year coaching assistant was a receiver at Samford University before bouncing around the collegiate ranks and eventually end up on the Patriots staff. He was the assistant linebackers coach this year, and was heard being credited by Belichick, along with Flores, for the play calling and performance of the defense in Super Bowl 53.
Josh Boyer
- The longtime cornerbacks coach flew south with Flores this past month and left a hole in a spot he occupied since 2012. There are a few options available here, Steve Belichick being one of them. A defensive assistant from 2012-2015, Steve took over coaching the safeties in 2016 and has occupied the role since. Moving to corners would be one of many possible moves for him, as you will read below.
- Another option here is coaching assistant Mike Pellegrino. Pellegrino started with the team in 2015 while simultaneously playing lacrosse for the Boston Cannons. He has been a defensive coaching assistant for the team since 2016, and would be worthy of a promotion this year.
Brendan Daly
- The defensive line coach since 2015, Daly made a surprising move last week taking the same job with the Chiefs. Perhaps he was ticked off that Schiano got the DC job and thought he was worthy and felt disrespected. Whatever the reason, he is gone and his job needs to be filled. An intriguing choice here would be Cole Popovich. Popovich has been an offensive assistant for 5 years with the team, and both played and coached the offensive line in college. You might be saying to yourself why would an offensive assistant move to the defensive side? Well, because Bill likes his coaches to have versatility. Patricia started as an offensive assistant, became the assistant offensive line coach, then moved to defense. McDaniels started as a defensive assistant before moving to the offensive side of the ball. Also, the team just hired Youngstown State offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo to be their assistant o-line coach. A move to defense makes sense for Popovich.
Jerry Schuplinski
- The assistant QB coach who was going to Indianapolis with McDaniels to be his offensive coordinator left this year to Miami with Flores. Mick Lombardi, son of Mike Lombardi who was a former Patriots advisor, was hired to be his replacement. No ambiguity here.
Chad O’Shea
- The receivers coach since 2009, O’shea is the new OC in Miami and leaves a hole at receivers coach. Like the other vacancies, there are multiple people who could fill the role.
- Steve Belichick is an option here, moving from defense to offense to learn the game from a difference perspective. Bills other son Brian is also a possibility here. He has been a coaching assistant for 4 years, mainly working with the offense, and possesses a cerebral football brain.
The Pats carry the smallest coaching staff in the NFL, opting for versatile, football loving coaches that grind their way up the ladder. While I am sure there are other coaching assistants on the team, they have not been released to the public as they haven’t cut their teeth enough quite yet. The four coaching assistants listed above will all most likely be promoted to a positional coaching position this year, infusing a youth and new perspective to a coaching staff that evolves year-to-year and is asked more of than any other staff. With Belichick and Veteran assistants in Dante Scarnecchia and Ivan Fears, as well as third year TE coach Nick Caley and a more experienced Steve Belichick, the coaching staff will keep moving forward and try to replicate the success of the 2018 Patriots.
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