Patriots fans woke up to exciting news Tuesday, as New England reportedly agreed to terms with Bill O’Brien to become the team’s next offensive coordinator.
The good news didn’t stop there, however.
New England reportedly brought back Oregon O-line coach/run game coordinator/associate head coach Adrian Klemm for a second round of interviews, this time for a role on O’Brien’s staff as most likely an offensive line coach. The attempt at hiring Klemm signals the start of revamping the Patriots’ offensive coaching staff, starting with a someone who has ties to the organization dating back to its first Super Bowl run.
Speaking of coaches with longtime Patriots ties, legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia gave a review of Klemm, who he coached from 2000-2004, when speaking with Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston.
“I didn’t necessarily know (coaching) was something he would want to get into,” Scarnecchia told Perry. “But I did know his dad (Leo Klemm) was a basketball coach in Indiana, so I’m not surprised. I knew football was important to him. Unfortunately he dealt with a number of injuries when he was with us, but he was somebody who always fought to get back on the field.”
Scarnecchia was afforded the opportunity to see Klemm in action when the latter was at UCLA, coming away with positive thoughts.
“I saw him there,” Scarnecchia said, “and said to myself, ‘This guy is tough. He’s demanding. He communicates well.’ He did a nice job with those guys.”
Klemm may have done his best coaching job yet in 2022 with Oregon. After just one season as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ full-time offensive line coach, Klemm took on more responsibility with Oregon. The results were more than solid, as the Ducks offensive line allowed the fewest sacks of any Division I team in the nation with five, and ranked 12th in the FBS in rushing. The year before Klemm arrived, Oregon surrendered 24 sacks and ranked 24th in rushing.
If brought to New England, the Patriots’ first ever draft pick under Bill Belichick would be expected to take over a positional group primarily coached by Matt Patricia and assistant Billy Yates during the 2022 season, though, it’s still unclear who did most of the heavy lifting with that unit.
As rumors persist that Patricia could be on his way out of New England, the Patriots’ potential hire of Klemm has become all the more important.
