Bill Belichick wasn’t blindsided by Greg Schiano’s decision to end his stint with the New England Patriots before it really began. Schiano announced he was stepping down from his role as defensive coordinator on Thursday. He did so before the team got a chance to announce his arrival.
While Schiano’s departure came as a surprise to those outside the organization, he and Belichick were both in discussions about Schiano’s wavering emotions, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Here’s what Rapoport reported on Thursday:
“When you talk to people close to the situation, they say a couple of things. First of all, this is something that Schiano has been mulling for the past two weeks or so, so the Patriots have been aware of this. Bill Belichick has been a aware of this and he said in his statement, Bill Belichick did, that this is something he supports, essentially Schiano stepping away from the football field to focus on a family situation.
“Unclear that that is. Described to me as private. Either way, the Patriots need a new defensive coordinator. Perhaps we’ll see Bill Belichick take a much more heavy handed role in the defense, rather than name a DC this year. They have that, plus they have to fill a bunch of staff positions on the defensive as well.”
Schiano’s departure leaves the Patriots without a defensive coordinator amid great transition on their coaching staff. Their de-facto coordinator Brian Flores left for Miami this offseason. Before that, Matt Patricia left for the Detroit Lions after the 2017 season. Defensive line coach Brendan Daly and cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer also departed this offseason.
That could put immense pressure on Belichick.
