Bill Belichick will have different responsibilities for the 2019 season, according to The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin. The New England Patriots coach will take over as the defensive play-caller after the team has seen three defensive coordinators depart in the last two offseasons.
Most recently, the Patriots saw Greg Schiano resign before the team had formally announced he had taken the job. Schiano replaced defensive play-caller Brian Flores, now the Miami Dolphins head coach. Before Flores, who was also the de-facto defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia served in the role. Patricia took the job as the Detroit Lions’ coach during the 2018 offseason.
That turnover has forced Belichick to take over as the play-caller. But Belichick won’t be lacking for help. He will have one more defensive coaching assistant on staff than last season. The Patriots defensive assistants include safeties coach Steve Belichick, cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, defensive line coach Bret Bielema, outside linebackers coach DeMarcus Covington and inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo. The Patriots only had one linebackers coach in 2018.
Still, it will be interesting to see how — if at all — Belichick’s added duties will impact his ability to make in-game decisions.
