The Patriots usually keep their assistant coaches on the road for much of March, getting their input on the college scouting process.
This year is different, since most of their assistant coaches work somewhere else now.
After an offseason of turnover on his staff, Patriots coach Bill Belichick admitted — in his very Belichick way — that things were different.
“Probably a little less than normal,” Belichick said, via Phil Perry of NBCSSportsBoston.com. “Doing it, but less activity for the coaching staff.”
De facto defensive coordinatoar Brian Flores took the head coaching job in Miami, and took three assistants (receivers coach Chad O’Shea, assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski, and corners coach Josh Boyer) with him. Defensive line coach Brendan Daly went to Kansas City. And assistant Greg Schiano, who was with the team at the Scouting Combine, left the team for personal reasons.
That’s led to fewer hands on the road with Belichick.
“We’re not talking about an unprecedented event here,” he said. “We’ve dealt with changes before. We’ll deal with them.”
Some of his holdover coaches have still been on the road, but the changes put more of the burden on their scouting staff, and as always, Belichick himself.