Greg Schiano announced on Thursday that he was stepping down from his post with the New England Patriots, suddenly leaving the reigning champions without a defensive coordinator. One of the coaches credited most with conjuring the team's masterful defensive game plan against the Los Angeles Rams is gone, too, as Brian Flores was introduced as the Miami Dolphins' head coach the day after the Super Bowl. The other remains, of course, existing as New England's lone constant other than Tom Brady, a shining if occasionally gruff example of the Patriots' unparalleled success over the last two decades.
Might Bill Belichick, then, deem it easiest to assume dual roles of head coach and defensive coordinator next season? According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, the six-time Super Bowl winner is the “leading candidate” to be New England's defensive coordinator in 2019, a development that would represent even more upheaval on a coaching staff that's already lost multiple key contributors this offseason.
Greg Schiano's stunning from the Patriots' coaching staff Thursday leaves a gaping hole to fill, and Belichick himself appears to be the leading candidate to do so.
Belichick was prepared for what was already going to be a year of significant transition on the defensive coaching staff, as three assistants departed this offseason: playcaller Brian Flores became Miami Dolphins head coach; defensive-line coach Brendan Daly was named Kansas City Chiefs run-game coordinator; and cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer moved on to become the Dolphins' pass-defense coordinator.
Belichick told Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski in an interview on SiriusXM that such transition was “part of the price of success.”
Belichick has proven himself unflappable, and an integral cog of the Patriots' sustained success on defense over the years even while others like Flores and Matt Patricia, now head coach of the Detroit Lions, have called defensive plays or held the title of defensive coordinator. From a purely strategic perspective, having Belichick focus even more of his attention on defense could make New England better on that side of the ball than it was last season.
But continuity, even for the Patriots, is key in the NFL, and so is delegation. Will Belichick be stretched too thin if he installs himself as defensive coordinator rather than hiring another replacement? That's unclear, but time has proven either way that expecting any negative on-field ramifications next season from New England's churn at defensive coordinator would be a mistake.
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