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New England Patriots: 3 major reasons for optimism in 2020

By Michael DeVito

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on as they play against the Tennessee Titans in the second half of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots looks on as they play against the Tennessee Titans in the second half of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

First, the New England Patriots have coaching.

Bill Belichick has often stressed that it’s the players who play the games. He’s very humble about that and it’s a good trait. I’ve written before that I have never, ever seen Bill participate in a play in an NFL game. Ever. So he’s absolutely correct. However …

That fact notwithstanding, any team sport, and especially any team sport that fields 47 players on any given Sunday (or Monday, Thursday, etc.) for a game, needs top coaching to excel. New England has that. They’re probably as good as it gets.

Belichick has a reputation for being the defensive coaches’ defensive coach. He’s the master. He’s the Obi-Wan Kenobi of coaches. (I still like him better as Emperor Palpatine, but, what the heck.)

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Simply put, the guy can coach. Now, having an asset like Brady at your disposal helps. Don’t get me wrong. But you still have to know what to do with that kind of talent to make it work. BB does.

In addition, he’s had some terrific assistant coaches along the way here in New England. Many of them have gone on to be head coaches themselves. Romeo Crennel, Matt Patricia, Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels. Yes, he’s still on staff. But the point is, he nurtures other good coaches too.

He’s had, lost and reclaimed said, McDaniels, and that has worked out pretty well, I’d say. He also retained the best offensive line coach maybe in the history of the National Football League, Dante Scarnecchia (a should-be Pro Football Hall of Famer). The man knows talent when he sees it.

And there will be additional BB disciples coming along and entering the major leagues of NFL coaching in the future. You can count on that. A legendary Head Coach. Check. Continually excellent assistant coaches. Check. New and young assistants coming along. Of course.

There is no doubt, New England has coaching. And that is an important part of the puzzle.

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