New England has been a revolving door for coaches over the past two decades.
Several coaches have taken their careers to the next level after being under the tutelage of Bill Belichick. Bill O’Brien has done a fine job with the Houston Texans, while defensive gurus Matt Patricia and Brian Flores are tasked with trying to turn things around in Detroit and Miami, respectively. And while Josh McDaniels infamously passed up the Indianapolis Colts job in order to stay in New England, one has to imagine he’ll give head coaching another shot in the not-so-distant future.
Despite losing a number of sharp minds over the year, the beat has managed to go on for Belichick and the Patriots. ESPN’s Louis Riddick, however, isn’t sure how long this trend will be able to continue.
“It goes without saying that there isn’t much that I don’t like about how the Patriots go about their business, both in the present and in how they plan for the future,” Riddick writes. “As Field (Yates) said, they are the standard. But if anything concerns me, it is the constant loss of valuable brain power and football intellect that this organization experiences every offseason as other teams try to tap into and emulate what the Patriots do. Belichick is the greatest of all time, and that is not up for debate anymore, but how long can he continue to retool and have it be business as usual when losing fabulous young coaching talents like Brian Flores (Dolphins coach) and Brendan Daly (Chiefs defensive-line coach)?”
Belichick clearly has an eye for coaching talent, as he’s managed to successfully fill gaps on his staff year in and year out. With this in mind, losing coaches probably shouldn’t be of great concern for the Patriots over the next few years. If anything, it should be the future of Tom Brady, who will embark on his 20th NFL season at age 42. Brady has expressed a desire to play into his mid-40s, but banking on this could be a slippery slope for New England.
Neither grooming coaches nor a Brady successor likely are on the forefront of the Patriots’ minds, however. A Super Bowl title defense awaits New England, which will kick off training camp July 25.
