Over the course of the Patriots’ unpreceded two-decade run as the NFL’s most successful franchise, assistant coaches Dante Scarnecchia and Ivan Fears played integral roles on head coach Bill Belichick’s coaching staff.
For Scarnecchia, his impact on the Patriots even predated the Belichick era, spending time under previous head coaches in the 1980s and 1990s. He primarily worked in offensive roles from special teams to tight ends before heading the offensive line full-time under Belichick for 17 seasons. Scarnecchia contributed to five Super Bowl championship teams and retired after the 2019 playoffs.
“I’m just so fortunate (Scarnecchia stayed),” Belichick said in 2019. “He’s developed so many players, from undrafted free agents to low draft choices to guys other people didn’t think they would have careers or so forth but have played very well, very consistently for us for a long period of time.
“He does a great job in terms of game-planning, in-game adjustments, protections, protection adjustments. He does a phenomenal job in every area. I can’t say enough about him, what he’s done.”
As for Fears, he spent 19 of his 24 Patriot seasons as the running backs coach before retiring at the conclusion of the 2021 season and is one of the few to have been a part of all six Super Bowl titles.
His impact on the backs that came through New England was strong, with former running back Sony Michel once saying “He meant a lot. A guy that invested so much into me and the rest of the running backs. A father figure, somebody that was there that we can lean on. It was great to have him around.”
NFL Films recently released a short documentary highlighting the careers of both Patriot assistant coaches in the link below.
https://twitter.com/McCourtyTwins/status/1612317729054412802?s=20&t=nn7QQ4eJnEn0cWOeJGTsjQ
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