Matt Patricia Named Defensive Coordinator, Pats Coaching Staff Shuffles

On Thursday, the New England Patriots announced more details about their 2012 coaching staff under the direction of head coach Bill Belichick.

For the first time since 2010, the Patriots will operate (officially) with a defensive coordinator, as they named Matt Patricia as the new head of the defense. Patricia, who has served as the team's linebacker coach and the safety's coach last season, has been calling the majority of the defensive plays for the past few seasons.

The team also announced that longtime defensive line coach Pepper Johnson and linebackers coach Patrick Graham will switch positions in 2012. Johnson, who has been coaching the Patriots' defensive line since 2004, won't be totally unfamiliar with his new position. Before that however, he coached their inside linebackers from 2001 to 2003. Graham, meanwhile will be coaching the big men up front for the first time since 2006, when he was the Richmond Spiders defensive line coach.

Brian Flores was named safeties coach and Josh Boyer was promoted to cornerbacks coach. Flores served as a defensive assistant last season, while Boyer has been working with the defensive backs since 2009, when he joined the staff.

In the midst of tight end coach Brian Ferentz's departure, the team decided to promote George Godsey to fill his place. Godsey was an offensive assistant for the Patriots in 2011.

As for the new additions to the staff, the Patriots have hired Joe Judge as a special teams assistant and Steve Belichick, son of Bill Belichick, as a coaching assistant. Judge worked on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama as a football analyst. Belichick, meanwhile is a first time coach after playing lacrosse and one year of football at Rutgers.

Check Out The Full Run-Down Of The Patriots 2012 Coaching Staff, After The Jump!

2012 New England Patriots Coaching Staff

Bill Belichick- Head Coach

Dante Scarnecchia- Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line

Josh McDaniels- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

Matt Patricia- Defensive Coordinator

Scott O'Brien- Special Teams Coordinator

Pepper Johnson- Linebackers

Josh Boyer- Cornerbacks

Ivan Fears- Running Backs

Patrick Graham- Defensive Line

Brian Flores- Safeties

Chad O'Shea- Wide Receivers

George Godsey- Tight Ends

Harold Nash- Strength and Conditioning

Moses Cabrera- Assistant Strength and Conditioning

Steve Belichick- Coaching Assistant

Joe Judge- Special Teams Assistant