New England Patriots News and Rumors 2016: Dave DeGuglielmo Out as Offensive Line Coach
The New England Patriots lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, in what many considered as an upset win for the Broncos. While it was a close game up to the end, one interesting observation was that Pats' quarterback Tom Brady definitely was the focus of the opposing side's defense, having been hit 23 times in the game.
With this in consideration and perhaps some other factors, the team has decided to fire offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. Obviously, the firing was about taking responsibility for what happened to Brady in that game. DeGuglielmo has been with the Patriots for the past two seasons, holding the position the entire time.
His departure means that longtime assistant Dante Scarnecchia will be taking over the role. Also, there hasn't been any official word if the team will hire a new offensive line coach outside of the organization.
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To his credit, DeGuglielmo was impressive in his first year with the Patriots after spending several years for different NFL teams. With this guidance, the team merely allowed 21 sacks in the season, which at that time was the fourth fewest in the whole NFL. His first year couldn't have been more memorable because they won the Super Bowl.
However, luck wasn't on his side in the recently concluded regular season because the offensive line suffered major injury blows. As a matter of fact, he had to work with three rookies who were quite ineffective.
Before establishing a decent career as an offensive line coach in New England, DeGuglielmo served as an assistant to the same position for the New York Giants from 2004 up to 2008. After that, he was hired by the Miami Dolphins to become a full-time offensive line coach for two seasons, and another one with the New York Jets, before getting hired by the Patriots.
