HOUSTON — The MVP of the 2016 Patriots just might be a gray-haired grandfather who probably won’t get any camera time during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
Dante Scarnecchia returned to New England this year as the team’s offensive line coach after a two-year retirement. The results are hard to argue with. The Patriots allowed 24 sacks, the fifth-fewest in the NFL, giving Tom Brady time to dissect defenses. The Patriots were seventh in rushing, averaging 117 yards per game.
“It was great to have Dante back,” coach Bill Belichick said. “Dante is a tremendous coach, one of the very best I have ever worked with. He can probably coach any position on the field. He has done a great job with the offensive line in every area. He is a good fundamental and technique coach. He understands schemes and matchups well. He is very good at game planning and in-game adjustments. He does an excellent job at pass protection with the protections and handling the fronts and the rush threats that we had as well as blitz pickup. There is a lot involved there.”
Scarnecchia walked away after the 2013 season to spend more time with his grandchildren.
“I didn’t [miss coaching],” Scarnecchia said. “It was really good. I have a lot of hobbies. I have two grandkids. We traveled a lot. I wasn’t sitting around trying to figure out what I can do.”
After last season, the Patriots fired offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. He took the fall after the Patriots lost the AFC Championship to the Broncos in a game in which Denver constantly pressured Brady.
Belichick called Scarnecchia to see if he would consider a part-time role or being a consultant.
“I just said, if I was going to come back I was going to jump in with both feet and do exactly what I was doing when I left and coach the line and be responsible for that,” Scarnecchia said. “That’s what I wanted to do.”
DeGuglielmo’s unit struggled in 2015 partially because of no continuity. The Patriots used 13 different starting lineups. This season, the Patriots had the same starting line for the past 13 games.
“I think they’re really a good group,” Scarnecchia said. “I think they work really hard. They pay close attention and try to do the things we’ve asked them to do. Those are the things that have served us well.”
Scarnecchia’s career is remarkable because he has spent so much time in one place. He came to New England in 1982 from SMU with head coach Ron Meyer. He left for two years in 1989-90 to coach with the Colts, but then returned in 1991 and has not coached anywhere else since. He has worked for Meyer, Raymond Berry, Dick MacPherson, Bill Parcells and Belichick in New England — an unbelievable run for an assistant coach in the NFL.
“It’s been like nothing I could ever explain,” Scarnecchia said. “To be here, to raise our kids there, to help raise our grandkids there, to be part of the organization for such a long time, I can’t explain it, but we’re very, very grateful.”
“We left one time for two years. We were fortunate to come back and I vowed at that point I wasn’t leaving for any reason. That grass isn’t greener. Belichick came along. Brady came along. It makes things a lot easier. It really does.”
Scarnecchia’s players say his attention to detail is what separates him from other coaches.
“Scars been doing this thing for a long time,” center David Andrews said. “He’s coached a lot of football. He has a great knowledge of the game. I think he does a great job of communicating that to us. That really helps us all be on the same page. It’s a clear and concise message. He’s a great teacher. It’s awesome to get a chance to work with a guy like that.”
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