The New England Patriots will retain coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia for the 2017 season after the six head coach vacancies have been filled. However you feel about the coaches that filled the openings aside, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bedard has done a great job highlighting the characteristics and lessons that these new coaches can learn from Bill Belichick.
Bedard points out how Belichick has structured his staff to always grow on an annual basis. Whether that involves grooming coaches from the moment they enter the league (instead of signing them from other teams), or preparing the playbook to live on after a coordinator departs, the Patriots want to have as seamless of a transition from a year-to-year level as possible.
Belichick also tries to build the strongest roster, with the money phrase being “the right 53, not the best 53.” And when building that roster, it’s a smart idea to invest in quality players- so when you have a first round pick, make sure it’s a home run.
Bedard has a long list of lessons from Belichick and some great pointers at each checkpoint. Read it here.