Report: Bill Belichick to serve as defensive play-caller in 2019

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For the second consecutive year, the New England Patriots lost their defensive play-caller to a head coaching job. Brian Flores took the Miami Dolphins' coaching gig this offseason just one year after Matt Patricia elected to leave the Patriots for the Detroit Lions.

The Patriots thought that they had the answer at defensive coordinator when they hired Greg Schiano away from Ohio State. However, he abruptly resigned to spend more time with his family. As a result, the team's coaching staff is a bit thin and they lack a defensive coordinator/play-caller for the 2019 season.

That said, it seems that Bill Belichick may have settled on a replacement for Schiano. Himself. According to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, a league source thinks that Belichick will take on the defensive play-calling responsibilities.

The last time that Belichick was the primary play-caller on defense was in 2010. He held the position early in the season before eventually giving the responsibilities to the aforementioned Patricia. Taking a similar approach in 2019 could be smart, especially given the relative lack of play-calling experience among Belichick's defensive staff.

Right now, the Patriots' defensive staff is comprised of former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema (defensive line), former Patriot Jerod Mayo (inside linebackers), DeMarcus Covington (outside linebackers), Mike Pellegrino (corners), and Steve Belichick (safeties). Of the group, Bielema has the most coaching experience so he might be the logical choice to eventually take on the role should Belichick want to relinquish it.

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