Tag: Brian Belichick

Brian Belichick says Patriots have ‘no excuses’ for this ‘unacceptable’ coaching error

Brian Belichick reacted to two major coaching errors from the defensive staff over the last two weeks.

The New England Patriots have had a handful of uncharacteristic issues this season, from fumbles to penalties. Bill Belichick is known for avoiding mistakes, and his coaching staff tends to follow his lead. But the Patriots defense has had two instances of having the wrong number of players on the field over the last two weeks.

Against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, the Patriots had just 10 players on the field for running back Alvin Kamara’s receiving touchdown. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, New England had the opposite problem: with 12 men in the huddle, a penalty. The Patriots defense committed that 5-yard penalty on a 3rd-and-6, and they gave the Bucs a 3rd-and-1, which they converted with a three-yard run.

Patriots safeties coach Brian Belichick said he had “no excuses.”

“It is just something that’s unacceptable,” Belichick said during a videoconference with the media on Tuesday. “We all need to know who needs to be on the field, regardless of the group or situation.”

The Patriots (1-3) have lost two of their games by a margin of two points or fewer. That’s the kind of defeat where the little mental errors end up changing the game. That’s why these two mistakes stood out.

[listicle id=111166]

Brian Belichick shared an epic memory of Tom Brady from the QB’s rookie season

Brian Belichick had a unique story about Tom Brady.

Playing Tom Brady this week has given many members of the Patriots organization a bit of nostalgia as they retell stories of years past. Safeties coach Brian Belichick has a unique one dating back to his younger days

With a career spanning 20 years, Brady has been around to see several members of the Patriots organization grow up. That is certainly the case for the younger Belichick, who told an interesting anecdote to the media earlier this week. If anything, the story itself is a testament to Brady’s longevity, and how far he has progressed since then.

“In 2000, he’s a rookie, fourth string, or whatever it was. Working his way up,” Brian Belichick said. “It was one of the rare times we practiced in the bubble and one of the rare times I came to practice — I was eight years old. He stayed after practice, of course, working on stuff to make himself better, as we have all now come to expect him to always do those things. As a rookie, toward the end of the depth chart, he was always getting better and that’s what led him to be a great player.

He was working on whatever he was working on — his drops, whatever it was — and my dad over the last couple years had taught me the route tree of, you know, the ‘three’ is an out, and the ‘four’ is a curl, and an ‘eight’ is a post, and all that. And, so, he asked Tom to stay after and signal the route tree to me and I could see the signal, know the route and run it. And we did that after practice one day in the bubble, and he laid a couple out for me on a rubber mat that I could dive on and stuff. It was a very special memory for me growing up, and I’ve always appreciated that: him staying after with me doing the route tree. He was a great example to watch growing up, always.”

From learning Brady’s game plans to helping game plan against the quarterback, Brian Belichick’s connection with the quarterback has come full circle.

[lawrence-related id=110883]

Brian Belichick’s encouraging update on Kyle Dugger proves his potential

The second-round pick is coming together in New England.

Kyle Dugger, the Div. II second-round pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne, is coming together in his first NFL season.

The New England Patriots selected him with their first draft pick and they’re molding a future player to take over the role that Devin McCourty (32) and Patrick Chung (32) have held down for many years. Both of the aforementioned safeties are nearing the end of their careers and Dugger’s potential gives Bill Belichick some security at the position.

Dugger was active for the team’s first five games this season, but missed Week 7 with an ankle injury. During those first games, he’s 54 percent of snaps agains the Seattle Seahawks and 75 percent of snaps in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos.

Patriots assistant coach Brian Belichick gave a promising update on the rookie’s progress.

“Dug’s been doing well this year learning defense. He understands the concepts of what we’re trying to do and he applies it on the field,” Brian Belichick said, transcribed by NESN. “He just needs more experience to get it down more. But he’s been great, works hard, mature for a rookie and it’s been a pleasure to work with him.”

Dugger’s health is still unknown for the Patriots’ Week 8 matchup with the Buffalo Bills, but the Patriots would be much better off if he played. While he was gone in Week 7, the Patriots lost 33-6 to the San Francisco 49ers in embarrassing fashion.

The Patriots need all the help they can get on either side of the ball and it’s important to have the future safety in the field of action.

[vertical-gallery id=97049]

Devin McCourty thinks Belichick’s sons have head coaching potential

Devin McCourty gave high praise to the Belichick’s this week.

Could more Belichick disciples be on their way to the coaching ranks? Could those disciples be his sons? One New England Patriots player sees head-coaching potential in Bill’s kids, Steve and Brian Belichick.

Patriots safety Devin McCourty believes that the two Belichick’s could join the head-coaching ranks. McCourty may perhaps have the best knowledge of anybody. Steve, who now coaches the outside linebackers, was previously working with safeties. Brian replaced him in that role. McCourty has played under both of them. And McCourty played with Steve, who was a backup longsnapper at Rutgers at the same time that McCourty played cornerback there. If anything, he understands the talent they truly have.

“I think obviously, both of those guys have around football, not only in their last couple of years coaching but all through their lives,” the veteran safety and co-captain said Wednesday in a video conference. “Being on the sideline for some of the biggest games of the year. And both of them are a little different. I think Steve is a little more laid back than Brian. But both of them pay so much close attention to details and try to make sure you know all the little nuances to playing the scheme and understanding the whole scheme, not just your position and your role — knowing what everyone does.

“And I think obviously, that comes directly from being around their father their whole coaching life and probably from when they were kids growing up. I’m sure he was very detailed in what they needed to do, so I definitely see that in their future. Who does it first? I don’t know. I don’t know any of that. I would say they’re both hard workers and they try to turn over every stone in the Belichick way.”

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, the safety noted that Belichick’s certainly have the potential to be head coaches. Steve is in his ninth season as a patriot assistant and the overall season as a position coach. In the meantime, Brian is entering his first season as a position coach.

As those two learn under their father’s wing, there is perhaps nobody better to learn from. As for now, all Belichick’s are focused on the San Francisco 49ers.

[lawrence-related id=96858]

Terrence Brooks says Brian Belichick is ‘not too far off from his brother and from his dad’

Brian Belichick inherited an interesting mix of talent at safety.

Brian Belichick seems to have his position group’s attention, if safety Terrence Brooks’ comments are any indicator.

Belichick is in his first year as a positional coach with the safeties after spending three years as a coaching assistant. In 2020, Brian is replacing his brother Steve, who will serve as the outside linebackers coach. It sounds like that position group hasn’t skipped a beat amid the transition.

“He’s a good dude,” Brooks told reporters when asked about Brian on Tuesday during a videoconference call. “I love that guy too. He’s very enthusiastic, he’s ready to work every day, he’s ready to get us better. I feel like the standard hasn’t changed. He still expects a lot out of us and tells us where we need to be. For the most part, I think he’s done a great job. Not too far off from his brother and from his dad, so it’s pretty sweet.”

The Patriots’ safety group is dealing with transition among its players, too. Patrick Chung has opted out of the 2020 season amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, and Bill Belichick elected to trade Duron Harmon to the Detroit Lions during the offseason. That has left New England with Devin McCourty, Brooks, Adrian Phillips, Kyle Dugger and Cody Davis. Cornerback Joejuan Williams has also worked to be more versatile this offseason, which has increased his work with the safety group.

It’s a good mix of veteran experience (McCourty) to go with young players with huge potential (Dugger, Williams) along with some veterans whose careers are in need of a resurgence (Books, Phillips and Davis).

[vertical-gallery id=93285]

Bill Belichick explains what goes into position changes for assistant coaches

This is what keeps the Patriots’ coaching staff in sync with each other.

Bill Belichick has a long history of moving assistant coaches to different positions from season to season.

Former star receiver Troy Brown began his coaching career last season to help with the wide outs, and now he’s with the running backs. Cole Popovich helped out with the running backs last season and now he’s the co-offensive line coach alongside Carmen Bricillo.

These are two minor examples of coaching changes that happen yearly in the New England Patriots organization. It’s a smart move that familiarizes coaches with each position and the intricate details that each entails.

Belichick joined a Zoom call on Friday morning and explained these position changes in much further detail.

“I would say every situation is a little bit different, but also coaches – they specialize or focus on a certain position, their area of responsibility, but they’re also aware of other things, whether it’s on the other side of the ball at the complementary positions, like wide receivers and defensive backs type of thing, or whether it’s adjacent positions,” Belichick said. “So, that’s linebackers to D-line, that type of thing. I think the move isn’t maybe quite as monumental as what you think it is. It’s hard to coach one position without knowing what the guys beside you are doing, or if you’re a back, not knowing what the line is doing in front of you or not knowing what the guys across the ball are doing.”

I think there’s certainly a build-up of knowledge there, and in some cases, it brings a little bit of a different perspective than if you’ve just coached only that one spot. The opportunity to coach something else and see what’s going on around it or how those units work together or work against each other, depending on if it’s the opposite side of the ball, that can be valuable, too. So, ultimately, it’s the staff on either side of the ball or special teams meshing together and making sure the communication, the assignments and all that are consistent so the players are getting the same thing and it all fits together.”

Belichick’s method has proved useful and it’s helped guys like Brian Flores and Joe Judge land head coaching jobs.

“But specifically, each person is responsible for a certain area, but certainly the more that they can know, understand and even be able to coach other positions is valuable, too,” Belichick continued. “When we do group drills together – like putting the line and linebackers together, or the linebackers and defensive backs together, or the tight ends and tackles together, or the running backs and the line together – then the more that those coaches can know what’s going on with those adjacent or complementary positions, then the more effective they can coach and the better the drills and the information is to the players.”

This strategy of putting his coaches in the right positions and allowing them to learn every aspect of the game could be easily applicable to everyday employees. Learning every aspect of the job a person has will quickly lead to promotions and a further understanding of how things operate.

[vertical-gallery id=92334]

What to make of Steve Belichick’s new role with the Patriots

Steve Belichick will start a new job in 2020, but it’s not the promotion most were expecting.

New England Patriots coach Steve Belichick will start a new job in 2020, but it’s not the promotion most were expecting.

Bill Belichick’s eldest son spent last season shrouded in mystery. He had the position title of safeties coach, a position he’d had for four years at the time, but he seemed to be taking on more responsibility. He was wearing a headset and carrying around a play sheet. It looked as if he was calling plays, but no one in the organization would confirm it. Because there was no defensive coordinator, a gig as the play-caller would probably be a big indicator of who was taking the top leadership role in the defense. Bill Belichick kept that under wraps, however.

When this season began, Steve Belichick’s status with the team seemed like one of the biggest points of interest when the team released its media guide, their way of making any big announcements in staff changes each year. But rather than get the defensive coordinator position, Belichick moved to outside linebackers, where he’ll coach alongside inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo.

“Every year, there’s always different responsibilities and new things that come along. I’m really excited this year to work with a different group,” Belichick said Aug. 7. “I’m obviously going to miss those guys that I coached last year. It’s not that I’m not coaching them anymore, but not spending as much time with them. I’m looking forward to seeing the game from a different level, working with some different guys on the team, and whatever role I get, I’m just going to do the best I can with it. … So whatever role I get, I’m going to do the best I can with. It’s a new group, I’ve got a lot to learn, but we’re going about it day by day just trying to get better.”

The safeties group, for years, has been a particularly experienced, with Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon. This outside linebacker group, however, is experiencing major departures, with Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins departing in free agency. The team will likely look to linebackers John Simon, a journeyman veteran, and Chase Winovich, a 2019 third-round pick. Rookies Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche may take on big roles, too. The composition of the outside linebacker group is in a much more challenging place than that of the safety group when Belichick coached the unit. (It has since entered a similarly large state of flux after the Harmon trade and the Patrick Chung opt-out.)

The work with the linebackers may also bring Belichick closer to Mayo, who was clearly in constant communication during games. Mayo was also on the headsets, and though he didn’t have a play sheet, he seemed to have an influential role in defensive leadership. Perhaps because Belichick and Mayo are taking a more collaborative approach to the coordinator role, the Patriots decided to have them working together on a more immediate basis by sharing the linebackers.

But as Belichick noted, he won’t abandon the secondary altogether. He worked with both safeties and cornerbacks in 2020. It sounds like he’ll keep an eye on other position groups, particularly with his younger brother Brian Belichick running the safety group.

“As an older brother and a more veteran coach than he is, I’m doing the best I can to lead him through that safety room,” Steve Belichick said. “Having Devin (McCourty) in that group really helps and I’m sure Devin’s helping that room. I’ve spent a lot of time with Brian in the offseason and so far in training camp to try to bring him up to speed.”

Though the move from safety to outside linebacker may seem lateral — or even like a demotion — the position change is more complicated. Clearly, New England is trying to get Belichick more experience at a new position and with new players. And perhaps they’re still grooming him to take over the defensive coordinator role in the near future. For now, he’s still casting mystery over his actual day-to-day role with the team. He was asked whether he’ll be calling plays in 2020.

“Oh, we’re a long way away from games, so we’ll see how that goes,” he said.

If there’s anything we’ve come to expect from Belichick this year, it’s that he’ll probably keep attempting to confuse what it is he does, exactly.

[vertical-gallery id=92334]

Steve Belichick details mentoring his brother, Brian, who was promoted to safeties coach

“Yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time with Brian in the offseason and so far in training camp to catch him up to speed. There’s a lot of little things in our defense that are big things.”

Bill Belichick’s youngest son, Brian, is now the safeties coach for the New England Patriots. Brian has been with the organization since 2016 as a scouting assistant and assistant coach, but he’s finally been tabbed as a position coach.

Brian took over for his older brother, Steve, who pivoted to coach the outside linebackers group. Steve has been with the team in some capacity since 2012 and is becoming an instrumental piece on the coaching staff. He talked about the mentorship he provided his brother and the help that Devin McCourty will provide during press conferences on Friday morning.

“We’ve talked a lot about it and obviously we’re extremely close, being brothers,” Steve said. “As an older brother and a more veteran coach than he is, I’m doing the best I can to lead him through that safety room. Having Devin in that group really helps and I’m sure Devin’s helping that room.

“I’ve spent a lot of time with Brian in the offseason and so far in training camp to catch him up to speed. There’s a lot of little things in our defense that are big things. So, a lot of coaching points obviously. This is our first time with all the players being back in the building, so we’re trying to get everyone up to speed and do the best we can with the situation we’re in.”

Patrick Chung opted-out and it leaves Brian with McCourty, Adrian Phillips and rookie Kyle Dugger as the main players to get minutes. Dugger obviously has a lot of work to do and Phillips will have to learn the system after spending six seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Brian has a tall task ahead of him, but he has two mentors above him that have some familiarity with the coaching NFL defenses.

[vertical-gallery id=92334]

Steve Belichick sheds light on what Brian Belichick brings to Patriots’ staff

“He kind of has a little more of an intellectual point of view than I have.”

Steve Belichick is a rising star, who may or may not be the de-facto defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. While Belichick’s role grows (and somehow simultaneously remains mysterious), he has become an increasingly public figure. His brother Brian, however, has been working behind the scenes.

This is a natural trajectory for both Belichicks, who work under their father Bill Belichick on staff. Brian has been a Patriots’ employee for four years, and thus isn’t getting much notoriety. Steve has been on staff for eight, and seems to be coming into his own. Brian was previously a scouting assistant, but now works as a coaching assistant. That has meant the brothers work “very closely,” according to Steve, the safeties coach.

“He brings a lot of stuff,” Steve said, via NESN.com’s Doug Kyed. “He kind of has a little more of an intellectual point of view than I have, so we feed off each other. I rely on him a lot to help me out with a bunch of different stuff. He helps me out a lot. Hopefully, I teach him a couple things.”

If Brian is the more intellectual type, then what is Steve?

“Less intellectual,” Steve deadpanned.

Of course, their relationship extends beyond football.

“We were brothers. I spent a lot of time with my brother,” Steve said. “Our friends are similar age groups, so as we’ve gotten older we’ve kind of conjoined into a bigger group of friends. We do a ton of stuff together. We do even more together now that we’re working together. We were kids. We played out in the yard. We played video games. We tried to come to our dad’s work. We did a bunch of different things together.”

What is his favorite football memory with Brian?

“Just winning,” Steve said.

[vertical-gallery id=77566]