FOXBORO, Mass. — You might have heard of the New England Patriots’ new safeties coach. His name’s Steve Belichick, and his father, Bill, is a pretty big deal around these parts.
Steve Belichick was elevated to safeties coach this offseason after spending four years as a coaching assistant with the Patriots. New England safety Devin McCourty was excited to have a fellow Rutgers alumni take over the role.
“That’s the greatest thing,” McCourty said. “Why would we not do that? I think it’s really encouraging. Steve’s a guy who’s been here and just been a sponge, learning everything. It’s been cool for me since he got here just to see how much he’s developed and worked hard. It seems like he’s always here. He’s very excited to be the safety coach and have a good group coming in. We have some leaders and guys that will definitely try to help him out as much as possible.
“I think his dad is a pretty good coach, so I’m sure he’s learned a lot from him. I think it will be important for us to learn from what he’s going to bring and how it will change us a little bit. He really believes in a a lot of things (former Patriots safety coach and current linebackers coach Brian Flores) was saying to us in the previous years, but he’ll have his own style and what he wants to do. I’m excited to have a young guy come in. He’s going to be full of energy, ready to go every day, and I’m excited just to learn from him and go through the process.”
The Patriots have plenty of leadership and experience at safety, which should make the transition easier for Steve Belichick. McCourty was drafted in 2010, Patrick Chung has six years of experience with the Patriots, Nate Ebner was drafted in 2012, Duron Harmon was drafted in 2013 and Jordan Richards was a rookie last season. The Patriots also have Brock Vereen and Cedric Thompson and could add another safety in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Thumbnail photo via Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports Images
