It’s no secret that Bill Belichick is one of the most respected figures in the history of football. From his time working with Lawrence Taylor as the linebackers coach and defensive coordinator of the Giants to the six Super Bowl victories as the head coach of the Patriots, Belichick has seen his fair share of success.
At this point in his career, there’s not much left for him to accomplish. He’s still looking to pass both George Halas and Don Shula in career wins. And, he probably would like to win a Super Bowl without Tom Brady even if he won’t admit it.
What must be rewarding is seeing his scouts move up the ranks and hold some of the most sought-after jobs in football. With former Patriots scout Pat Stewart becoming the Panthers’ director of player personnel, Belichick’s legacy grows by one.
As the MMQB’s Albert Breer pointed out today, is that Belichick has done a solid job preparing his scouts for front office roles, and that’s something that may have gone overlooked in his career.
People have criticized Belichick's coaching tree. But quietly, he, @scottpioli51 and Nick Caserio built a positively bonkers tree on the scouting side.
Thirteen alums are currently on the director level or higher elsewhere. All were in Foxboro at some point b/w '07 and '09. pic.twitter.com/xi8MhWkVLJ
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 8, 2020
Those are a lot of guys in high-level front office positions. And, if you want to further back than 2007, there are even more.
And it was just pointed out to me (sorry to Matt Russell and Lionel Vital on this), that if you stretch it out before 2007, the number of current alums of the Patriots scouting department at the director level or higher is actually 15.
Pretty nuts. pic.twitter.com/mcD41O0ajn
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 8, 2020
That’s 15 men who have some of the most sought-after positions in football today. Many of them have helped turn around franchises and given their teams a sense of future and purpose. Some of been on the brink of championships and have made the playoffs numerous times. Others are new and are looking for the opportunity to make a name for themself. And, it all stems from the brains of Belichick, former Patriots general manager Scott Pioli, and Nick Caserio.
11 teams now hold a former Patriots’ employee in their front office. Four hold general manager positions and six are either their teams’ director of player personnel or the vice president.
Belichick’s scouting tree is loaded which may finally take away some of the critiques of his coaching tree. The list isn’t an impressive one.
Romeo Crennel, Nick Saban, Eric Mangini, Josh McDaniels, Bill O’Brien, Matt Patricia, Brian Flores, and Joe Judge have all coached under Belichick for at least three seasons and have gone on to become NFL head coaches.
In total, these coaches have a 153-213-1 record in the regular season, and O’Brien is the only one with a postseason victory. While Judge and Flores are entering their first and second seasons respectively, the past doesn’t bode well for them.
The scouting department should be getting the proper recognition that it deserves. They deserve to be talked about more often than those who have gone on to coach after leaving Belichick’s tutelage.
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