Report: 'Good Chance' Scarnecchia Returns To Patriots In 2016
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots' offensive line may not be as offensively bad in 2016.
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, the team is close to bringing back long-time offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.
Scarnecchia retired after the 2013 season after spending the majority of his coaching career with New England. He joined the Patriots in 1982 as the team's special teams/tight ends coach, and after leaving to serve as offensive line coach of the Indianapolis Colts in 1989-90, returned to New England in 1991. During his 30-year career with the Patriots, he served as a special assistant, defensive assistant, special teams coach and offensive line coach.
Scarnecchia remained active with the Patriots after his retirement, helping the team evaluate college offensive linemen. Now it looks like he could be back to coaching the offensive line next season.
That should be music to Tom Brady's ears, after the New England offensive line was one of the worst in the NFL in pass blocking, hits, pressure, and sacks allowed in 2015. Brady was sacked four times and hit 20 times in the team's loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, and a day later it was announced that the team was parting ways with offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, who took over for Scarnecchia in 2014.
