After 24 seasons in the NFL, Scott O’Brien finally got his Super Bowl ring. And now he’s going out on top.
The New England Patriots announced Tuesday that O’Brien will retire as special teams coach after six seasons in that capacity. O’Brien will remain with the organization, according to New England.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who gave O’Brien his first NFL job when he hired him as the Cleveland Browns’ special teams coach in 1991, had very high praise for the 57-year-old in a statement Tuesday.
“I have never worked with a coach better than Scott O’Brien,” Belichick said. “Scott is second to none at preparation, strategy, teaching, techniques, fundamentals, scouting and virtually any other aspect of team building, game planning or player development that exists in football. I thank Scott for making me a better coach, finding and developing countless players and being such a tremendous asset at both organizations we worked together.
“Scott O’Brien is undoubtedly one of the finest coaches of his generation and he deserves having his final game be a Super Bowl championship. While we will miss his contributions in coaching, we look forward to continuing to work with him in other capacities.”
O’Brien carved out a highly successful career as an NFL special teams coach, earning NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year honors in 1994 while in Cleveland. He had stints with the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos before joining the Patriots in 2009.
Filling O’Brien’s role will be assistant special teams coach Joe Judge, who joined the team in 2012. Prior to coming to New England, Judge served as football analyst/special teams assistant at Alabama, where he helped the Crimson Tide win two national championships in 2009 and 2011.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
