The New England Patriots offensive line has emerged as one of the best in the NFL during 2016 in thanks to improved play by four of the returning linemen and the development of rookie LG Joe Thuney. The growth of these five players in heavily linked to the return of offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who retired from coaching for 2014 and 2015.
Scarnecchia will turn 69 years old on February 14th, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to retire. But according to Scarnecchia himself, he’s planning on coming back to the Patriots.
In football news, Dante Scarnecchia told me tonight that he plans to coach at least through next season. "That's the plan."
— Doug Farrar (@BR_DougFarrar) January 31, 2017
The Patriots are grooming offensive assistant Cole Popovich to eventually take over for Scarnecchia in the coming years, but he might not be ready for another couple of seasons. Until that time, Scarnecchia will continue to head the linemen and the Patriots should boast a top ten positional grouping for years to come.