BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Ernie Adams is a man of mystery with the Patriots.
He’s been with Bill Belichick for virtually his entire coaching career, but no one knows exactly what he does, even though he is at every practice and every game.
Officially, he’s listed as the Patriots' director of football research, but what does that mean?
We asked a number of Patriots players and coaches at media availability over the course of Super Bowl week what they know about him.
“I think he’s quality control,” rookie defensive tackle Adam Butler said. “He’s like checks and balances. I feel like he just checks and makes sure everyone is on the same page and is making sure we do things the way we want to.”
“Not much,” offensive lineman Ted Karras said. “He’s a guy that is around every day and does his job.”
Added safety Duron Harmon: “Ernie does a lot for this team. He helps obviously the coaching staff prepare for the games. I can’t give you too much information, but that is just what I would say. He does a good job helping the coaching staff make sure we’re prepared for our weekly matchups.
“Probably one of the smartest people in the building. He knows probably every rule in the rule book. That shows you how smart he is, how in-tune he is to the game and I think he’s a big part of what we accomplish here.”
Running backs coach Ivan Fears summed it up best: “That’s not for me to answer. I’ll just tell you this, I am glad he’s there. That is all I will say.”
One player did have a little more to say than the others — cornerback Eric Rowe.
“All I know is he’s probably one of the smartest guys next to Bill [Belichick],” he said. “He’s the one that breaks down offense, defense, special teams. Usually he picks out the plays that are probably going to get ran against us and those are the ones that we practice.”
Rowe added: “He plays a critical part. He’s seen so much film — I remember I asked him about a play and he recalled a play from like the early 2000s and the game and the score. I was like, ‘Oh my Gosh.’ He plays a critical piece. He obviously has an idea of what other teams are going to run against us so we can prepare for them in practice.”
Based on Rowe’s explanation, perhaps this makes sense as to why Adams studies the opponents' side of the field before every game.
While it is still not totally clear exactly what Adams does, it is certainly clear he’s a valuable part of the Patriots’ success.