1 – Few people, if any, have contributed to the New England Patriots in the way that Dante Scarnecchia has. So, it’s fitting that the team announced this week that the legendary longtime assistant coach would be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame as a contributor later this year.
Scarnecchia first arrived in New England in 1982 and spent 34 years (1982-2019) as a Patriots assistant, save for a two-year stint with the Colts (1989-90) and a short initial retirement (2014-15). Though known for his incomparable offensive line expertise, Scarnecchia also spent time with special teams, tight ends and as a defensive assistant.
Spanning his career over six different head coaches in New England – including Super Bowl trips with Raymond Berry, Bill Parcells and, obviously, Bill Belichick – Scarnecchia’s work with offensive linemen is truly the thing of legends. He helped first-round talents like Logan Mankins become All-Pro players. Maybe more impressively, Scarnecchia led an offensive line development program that helped turn practice squanders and lower level talents like Tom Ashworth, Russ Hochstein, Billy Yates, Ryan Wendell, Dan Connolly and endless is others into key contributors up front.
Scarnecchia had a truly marvelous way of motivating, teaching and molding so many different men of so many differing talent levels and backgrounds into an annually cohesive, competent unit throughout the Tom Brady-led dynasty era in New England. He was simultaneously respected (maybe a little feared) and adored by his players, a difficult combination to create with professional athletes. Scarnecchia – who did so much of his work out of sight but never out of mind on the far corner of the practice field in Foxborough dubbed by some as Dante’s Inferno – could tear down and critique a player when needed, only to build him up and build loyalty shortly thereafter.
Watching Scarnecchia work, and succeed, with so many offensive linemen over the years as a diminutive man in a world of behemoths was truly something special to behold. Whether he was running sprints with his players in his old school coaching short shorts in the heat of training camp or making sideline adjustments in the heat of a game, Scarnecchia was always a legend at work.
Dante Scarnecchia isn’t just arguably the greatest assistant coach in Patriots history, he’s one of the best in NFL history.
2 – Speaking of the Patriots Hall of Fame, the committee that nominates candidates to present a list of three options for fan voting met this past week at Gillette Stadium. While the dynasty era in New England will continue to present worthy candidates – this year saw both Brady and Devin McCourty announce their retirements and begin the four-year waiting period to become eligible – the view here is that this year’s crop includes three top candidates who’ve been finalists before: LB Mike Vrabel, G Logan Mankins and WR Wes Welker. All are All-Pro caliber options who eventually all deserve to be enshrined in the Hall at Patriot Place. But if we’re picking just one, as fans will do in their voting this spring, the choice would be Welker, the man who revolutionized the slot receiver position not just in New England but really in all of football. Though some Patriots fans and the supposed “Foxborough Faithful” hold Welker’s Super Bowl “drop” against the Giants against him, and fixate on the fact that he didn’t win a Super Bowl, his toughness, production and reliability are essentially unmatched in New England history. Welker AVERAGED 112 catches and 1,243 yards in his six seasons in a Patriots uniform as Brady’s go-to guy. Welker simply doesn’t get the respect and recognition he deserves from Patriot Nation, but giving him his proper place in the Patriots Hall of Fame would be a step in the right direction.
3 – It’s interesting that Mankins could once again be a Patriots HOF finalist this offseason because he’s probably a hopeful comparison for second-year first-round pick Cole Strange as he works his way through a critical spring and summer. Strange had his ups and downs as a rookie starter at left guard. Clearly he needs to get stronger and more stout, but he also clearly has the ability, work ethic and playing mean streak to get the job done, some of the same characteristics that made Mankins an elite performer in the trenches. Given his makeup, likely improved coaching/comfort and the traditional development of players, Strange has to be a top candidate for a huge Year 2 Jump in New England this fall. Considering his draft status, that will be expected as he strives to become the potential centerpiece of the New England line moving forward.
4 – The Patriots only have two quarterbacks totaling three years of NFL experience currently on the depth chart with starter Mac Jones heading into his third season and backup Bailey Zappe coming off a rookie year when he was thrown to the fire unexpectedly and performed well. It’s no surprise that reports surfaced that New England could be looking to add a veteran quarterback to the mix after the strange release of Brian Hoyer this spring. In fact it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Patriots add a pair of passers prior to training camp, at least one being a veteran. While Cam Newton doesn’t seem to want to make a second tour through Foxborough as he tries to rekindle his career, one veteran who is currently playing professional football might make sense. Former Alabama star A.J. McCarron has been finding impressive success leading the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL. The former Bengals fifth-round pick has experience in Cincy, Buffalo, Oakland, Houston and Atlanta prior to his current work in the XFL that included 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions prior to missing his most recent game with a shoulder injury. McCarron might make sense to join the Alabama-rich mix in New England behind Jones and under the direction of new OC/QB coach Bill O’Brien.
5 – NBC Sports Boston brought up an interesting point this week by diving into the list of Patriots’ players heading into a contract year and polling New England fans as to which names on the list they’d most like to see the team re-sign. The top options in the group of would-be 2024 free agents includes safety Kyle Dugger, offensive lineman Michael Onwenu, edge defender Josh Uche, tight end Hunter Henry, linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley and wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, among others. It’s certainly an interesting group for which strong arguments can be made for many of the players, including developing young core talents. The top choice here would be Dugger, the former top pick (second round) who’s developed into a well-rounded leader and playmaker in the back end of the defense. Given McCourty’s retirement and the physical toll that box safety takes on Adrian Phillips’ body at the age of 31, building the back end around the 27-year-old Dugger for the foreseeable future would be a palatable plan for the Patriots. Uche might be the most interesting name on the list after a breakout second half of last season in which he notched 11.5 sacks. Double-digit sack guys get paid big money in the NFL, but guys who have a double-digit sack season also get paid big money. And as many teams have learned the hard way over the years, there is a difference between the two.
6 – It was Zay Day at Gillette Stadium this week as former Boston College star wide receiver Zay Flowers reportedly made a pre-draft visit to the Patriots. Flowers, who New England got to see up close and personal at the Shrine Bowl, is just one of the top receiver prospects in this month’s NFL Draft who’s gotten close inspection by the Patriots. USC’s Jordan Addison, Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TCU’s Quentin Johnston are all also potential first-round wide receiver prospects who’ve had significant contact with New England at various points this spring. Though some remain dubious given the dismal decision to take N’Keal Harry in the first round in 2019, Belichick and director of player personnel Matt Groh are doing their diligence on the position for a team that still clearly needs a true No. 1 option in the passing game. Flowers would be the top option here, given his production and playmaking ability with limited support at Boston College as well as the pure explosive physical tools to be even more impactful at the NFL level, despite his 5-9, 182-pound frame. It’s always dangerous and at times unfair to draw comparisons between prospects and accomplished NFL talents, but it’s hard not to see some Antonio Brown upside in Flowers’ game.
7 – Edge rusher Matthew Judon has been productive revelation on the Patriots defense in his two seasons in New England. Judon has made consecutive Pro Bowls with a total of 28 sacks over two seasons in Foxborough. The affable, outgoing Judon has also been a constant presence on social media, including his attempted Twitter recruitment of free agent talents that, if we’re being honest, has come up short over the last couple springs. Though the virtual GM has focused most of his time on pro options, this week he seemingly dabbled in pre-draft recruiting by piggybacking on Jason McCourty’s NFL Network piece on cornerback Devon Witherspoon by telling the Illini stud prospects to “Come to the Patriots.” Witherspoon would certainly fill a need and bring a presence to the back end of the New England defense as an option at No. 14 overall, if he even makes it that far down the board. At least Judon is doing his part to try to make it happen, and sooner or later his online efforts have to pay off, even if just for the law of averages.