FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots have been one coach short during training camp.
Specifically, one Belichick short.
Coach Bill Belichick and linebackers coach and defensive play caller Steve Belichick have been putting the players through the paces.
Missing?
Safeties coach Brian Belichick.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Brian suffered a “significant” knee injury during the offseason that he’s still recovering from.
In his absence, long time cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino and V’Angelo Bentley, who enters his second season in an NFL coaching fellowship roles, have pitched in to pick up the slack. Pellegrino has spent much of his time with the safeties, while Bentley has worked with the corners. Older brother Steve has also pitched in.
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While Brian has been involved in meetings, communicating via video chats, he still isn’t able to get out on the field.
“Brian, we see him every day, well a little bit, he’s been coming in on Zoom,” safety Jalen Mills said following Sunday’s workout. “But (we check) in on him, checking on his health. But Mike (Pellegrino) is doing a really, really good job stepping in, and D’Angelo, he’s doing a really good job fitting in with the corners. But hopefully, Brian will be back soon.”
Brian Belichick, who is 31, started in the Patriots scouting department in 2016. He’s in his fourth season coaching the safeties.
Mill explained that even without Brian, it’s business as usual when it comes to making any kind of changes on the field. The defensive backfield has looked terrific the first few days of non-padded practices.
“Granted, our room is split up into safeties and corners, but it’s open,” said Mills. “So any conversation we have on checks, things we want to change within the formation we have in that group collectively, so with Brian not being here, Mike is speaking the same language with us. So, it meshes well.”
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