If you’d like to know what roles the Patriots coaches have for 2022, you’re not going to find many answers.
At the league meeting in March, head coach Bill Belichick said he’s “not big on titles” when asked who would take over the role of offensive coordinator now that Josh McDaniels is the Raiders head coach.
Then receiver Nelson Agholor said to “ask coach Belichick” last week when reporters inquired who was coaching New England’s offense during the offseason program.
That party line has now extended to the defensive coaches, too. Steve Belichick, the head coach’s son who served as the outside linebackers coach for the last couple of years, revealed nothing about his role for 2022.
“Honestly, I don’t really know, and honestly, I don’t really care,” Steve Belichick said when asked if he’d have the same responsibilities as 2021, via Zack Cox of NESN.
When asked if he would be the defensive coordinator, he said, “Fair question that I don’t have the answer to. If I am, great. If I’m not, that’s good too.”
Fellow Patriots defensive coach Jerod Mayo — who was the team’s inside linebackers coach and de facto defensive coordinator last season — had a similar non-answer when asked about his role. He said simply that he’s “coaching defensive players.”
“Honestly, I just like to say I’m a football coach. I’m not trying to be ambiguous here,” Mayo said. “I coach football players. I’m a teacher.”
At this point in May, the Patriots coaches surely know what their responsibilities are. But Bill Belichick clearly sees it as some sort of competitive advantage not to reveal that information publicly.
Why that is when 31 other teams do it differently is anybody’s guess. But when you’ve won six Super Bowls as Belichick has since 2001, you get to set whatever agenda you like for your coaching staff.
