Full scale coaching changes underway

Apr 24, 2019
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I wonder what we can take from that? That the special teams coaches (the asst. ST's guy has close ties to Vrabel) may be safe-ish? At least so far?
 

jsinger121

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Bicknell is someone I thought may have had a chance to survive. The others definitely should have been shown the door.
 

amfox1

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Reiss also reported that director of skill development Joe Kim and defensive assistant Keith Jones Jr. won’t be returning. Jones took a job at Appalachian State last week.
 

dynomite

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It's sad to see people lose their jobs, no question. So I'm not celebrating this news, but I certainly understand it. We shouldn't be surprised to bid farewell to anyone who was a part of the coaching and front office staff the past two seasons.

Two quick notes:

1) A notable name not on that list is Scott Peters (OL Coach). Interesting, although obviously it could just be lack of characters to tweet or news that I missed.

2) I remember Scar famously was with the Pats '82-'88 and then came back from '91 on, working under Dick MacPherson, Tuna, Carroll, and Belichick. So I'm not against retaining coaches who seem to merit it.
 

Beomoose

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Interesting that Hightower is not on that list. I saw more than a couple comments predicting he'd be gone as soon as Vrabel walked in the door, maybe Mike likes him.
 

dynomite

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I realize now the list of coaches has been taken down from Patriots.com understandably.

So here's what archive.org captured in December: https://web.archive.org/web/20241202205124/https://www.patriots.com/team/coaches-roster/

Names and titles below:

Offensive Coordinator
Alex Van Pelt

Tight Ends Coach
Bob Bicknell

Running Backs Coach
Taylor Embree

Wide Receivers Coach
Tyler Hughes

Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Robert Kugler

Senior Offensive Assistant
Ben McAdoo

Quarterbacks Coach
T. C. McCartney

Offensive Coaching Assistant
Michael McCarthy

Offensive Line Coach
Scott Peters

Assistant QBs/Director of Game Management
Evan Rothstein

Assistant Wide Receivers Coach
Tiquan Underwood

Offensive Coaching Assistant
Omar Young

Defense

Defensive Coordinator
DeMarcus Covington

Safeties
Brian Belichick

Defensive Coaching Assistant
Vinny DePalma

Defensive Coaching Assistant
Jamael Lett

Cornerbacks
Mike Pellegrino

Inside Linebackers Coach
Dont'a Hightower

Defensive Coaching Assistant
Keith Jones Jr.

Defensive Line Coach
Jerry Montgomery

Outside Linebackers Coach
Drew Wilkins

Special Teams

Special Teams Coordinator
Jeremy Springer

Assistant Special Teams
Tom Quinn

Special Teams Coaching Assistant
Coby Tippett

Strength and Conditioning

Head Strength & Conditioning
Deron Mayo

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Brian McDonough

Strength and Conditioning Assistant
Brandon Martuccio

Strength and Conditioning Assistant
Dexter Taylor

Skill Development, Kick/Punt Returners
Troy Brown

Director of Skill Development
Joe Kim

Special Assistant to the Head Coach
Matthew Slater
 

Cellar-Door

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My guess is they are letting guys they know they don't particularly want back in any role go, as well as guys who have interest/offers elsewhere (college staffs are hiring now), and the guys who they might want in some type of role they'll hang on to until they have done coordinator interviews.
 

Granite Sox

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They’re all offensive coaches (except Jones who, as noted, left for App State). I’m sure there’s more to come.

Wilkins was announced as one of the DCs for the Shrine Game, which shocked me. He had a lousy rep coming in, and the LB play this season was an abomination.
 

E5 Yaz

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Reiss: The team has requested to interview Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady for its offensive coordinator position, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Brady was the offensive coordinator of the Colts in 2021 and 2022.
 

jsinger121

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Reiss: The team has requested to interview Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady for its offensive coordinator position, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Brady was the offensive coordinator of the Colts in 2021 and 2022.
Former QB. Has coached QB’s as well. Would be the second minority candidate to interview after Thomas Brown.
 

McBride11

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Reiss: The team has requested to interview Chargers pass game coordinator Marcus Brady for its offensive coordinator position, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Brady was the offensive coordinator of the Colts in 2021 and 2022.
Guy named Brady in charge of the Pats offense? Sold

Was AVP officially let go? I miss that? Or moved to QB coach or something else?
 

dynomite

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They’re all offensive coaches (except Jones who, as noted, left for App State). I’m sure there’s more to come.

Wilkins was announced as one of the DCs for the Shrine Game, which shocked me. He had a lousy rep coming in, and the LB play this season was an abomination.
Eh, the coaching world is relatively insular. I'm sure someone is doing Wilkins a solid.

Also, did he have a lousy rep coming in? He lasted a decade on the Ravens staff (considered one of the classes of the league, right?) getting promoted so he must have been doing something right, I imagine?

Troy Brown is a name I didn't hear much this past year. The Brian Belichick case is also an interesting one.
Right, Troy, Hightower, Slater, and Brian Belichick will all be watched closely for a variety of reasons.

Troy already survived the transition from Belichick to Mayo, and I’ve heard people suggest he’s the kind of guy who could be a position coach in New England for a long time like Ivan Fears, because he’s well respected and connected in the community but doesn’t want to ascend to OC/HC positions. Don’t know if that’s true.
 

ColdSoxPack

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Eh, the coaching world is relatively insular. I'm sure someone is doing Wilkins a solid.

Also, did he have a lousy rep coming in? He lasted a decade on the Ravens staff (considered one of the classes of the league, right?) getting promoted so he must have been doing something right, I imagine?



Right, Troy, Hightower, Slater, and Brian Belichick will all be watched closely for a variety of reasons.

Troy already survived the transition from Belichick to Mayo, and I’ve heard people suggest he’s the kind of guy who could be a position coach in New England for a long time like Ivan Fears, because he’s well respected and connected in the community but doesn’t want to ascend to OC/HC positions. Don’t know if that’s true.
Forgot about Slater.
 

dynomite

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Forgot about Slater.
Unclear situation there.

He was hired to be “Mayo’s right hand man” per Reiss in April, no idea how that went this year.

Even when he was a player he was apparently the spiritual leader and mentor of the locker room and has lived in the region for many years, so I wonder if he’d be open to staying on in some role, but obviously not the same relationship with Vrabel as he had with Mayo.
 

jsinger121

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I just realized that Andre Tippett’s son was a special teams assistant on this years staff.
 

jk333

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OL coach Scott Peters is heading to Cincinnati
The Bengals GM brought in a Oline coach before hiring their new head coach?

I’m joking, but am legitimately surprised they’re sticking with Taylor at head coach. Great opportunity for Scott Peters to go to a team with so much offensive talent. Easy to imagine him making some improvements there and getting a lot of credit. Bengals also hired Michael McCarthy as the assistant offensive line coach. Clearly they think the Oline players in Foxboro were/are the problem.
 

amfox1

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Sean McVay confirms that John “Stretch” Streicher is headed back to work with Mike Vrabel in New England. Laughing, he said Stretch “broke his heart” with the news. Streicher was a huge influence on McVay’s improved situational and game management this year.
 

NortheasternPJ

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I’m optimistic T.C. McCartney is still here. If he’s the Maye Whisper and not AVP, that’s a good sign.
 

Cellar-Door

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New QB coach. Must have made a good impression on Vrabel in Cleveland.

View: https://twitter.com/jjones9/status/1882616760098247126?s=46&t=SM8KNBQ5qkrf8EOqnMV5BQ

The Patriots are hiring Ashton Grant as their quarterbacks coach, sources tell @NFLonCBS. Grant, who has been with the Browns the last 5 years, also interviewed for the Packers QBs coach job this offseason. Now he joins Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels in New England.
Huh... a guy who was not a QB and has very minimal experience... and who was QB coach of a catastrophically bad situtation (including a former pro-bowler falling off a cliff in what should have been his prime)..... weird.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Huh... a guy who was not a QB and has very minimal experience... and who was QB coach of a catastrophically bad situtation (including a former pro-bowler falling off a cliff in what should have been his prime)..... weird.
Reads like a ‘the head coach loves the makeup/potential’ hire. Easily the most out of left field move yet.
 

Cellar-Door

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Reads like a ‘the head coach loves the makeup/potential’ hire. Easily the most out of left field move yet.
Yeah, kind of feels like a "Josh will handle the QBs anyway so this is a way to get a guy I like on staff" because he's wildly inexperienced as a QB coach, and articles sure make is seem like he was given the slot as basically an assistant to AVP who ran the actual QB room as a way to get him experience for an eventual OC slot maybe, like how Belichick would throw a guy on the other side of the ball, or to a different position group for a year to give him broader experience.
 

twibnotes

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Very possible that deshaun is totally uncoachable at this point
 
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dynomite

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Huh... a guy who was not a QB and has very minimal experience... and who was QB coach of a catastrophically bad situtation (including a former pro-bowler falling off a cliff in what should have been his prime)..... weird.
Yeah, kind of feels like a "Josh will handle the QBs anyway so this is a way to get a guy I like on staff" because he's wildly inexperienced as a QB coach, and articles sure make is seem like he was given the slot as basically an assistant to AVP who ran the actual QB room as a way to get him experience for an eventual OC slot maybe, like how Belichick would throw a guy on the other side of the ball, or to a different position group for a year to give him broader experience.
This is my reaction as well. Obviously Josh McD has plenty of QB whisperer chops, but there's a good argument that after HC/OC/DC/ST the QB Coach working with Drake Maye is the most important coach on this roster, so it's just... a little weird.
 

bsj

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Hearing rumblings about Doug Marrone joining the coaching staff. Would be another great, experienced addition.

I'd bet offensive line coach if it bears out.
 

Zedia

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Hearing rumblings about Doug Marrone joining the coaching staff. Would be another great, experienced addition.

I'd bet offensive line coach if it bears out.
My first thought was, "oh, wasn't Belichick a fan of Marrone?" And yeah, Google seems to confirm.
 

boca

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Interesting note by Reiss in his latest column -

“The Patriots had interviewed interim Chicago Bears head coach Thomas Brown for their offensive coordinator job that ultimately went to McDaniels, but Brown is still in talks with the team to potentially join the staff in a different role, according to league sources,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote in a column published Sunday.
 

Granite Sox

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I’d be down for Brown as Pass Game Coordinator/WR coach to work with Josh. Has familiarity with C. Williams, R. Odunze, DJ Moore, K. Allen, and C. Kmet. Position coaching history more related to RBs, but looks like Dews has that covered. Maybe get a hot shot to assist with WR.

Marrone as OL coach would be great. Was also wondering if Vrabel might lure Mike Munchak for OL. There is a Titans connection though they didn’t work together. Either would be tremendous.