It would seem obvious that the New England Patriots should replace Bill Belichick with an offensive-minded head coach, but history suggests otherwise.
In particular, owner Robert Kraft’s practice of selecting head coaches with experience in defense, which may influence him to select Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
The latter “is a defensive coach who is old school in mind but still effective.” According to Jordy McElroy of USA Today’s Patriots Wire, “He could keep the Patriots defense in elite form, and if paired with the right offensive coordinator, the pair could do magic in New England.
According to McElroy, Quinn has a complex but long history with the Patriots: “They completed the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history at Super Bowl LI, when he was the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons, and they first handed his Legion of Boom defense with the Seattle Seahawks a loss in Super
Even after suffering some well-publicized setbacks, Quinn has continued to enhance his standing in Dallas. He’s calling plays for one of the NFL’s most formidable teams.
Quinn’s defensive prowess could elevate a good Patriots team to the top of the league, but a franchise legend believes Kraft’s next head coach should be an offensive strategist.
Bill Belichick’s Strengths Can Be Built Upon by Dan Quinn
While there hasn’t been much to like about the Patriots this season, Belichick’s 3-11 squad is the best in the NFL in one particular area. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots have the best run defense in the league. They held the Chiefs to 43 rushing yards on 22 carries (2.2 average) on Sunday, firmly maintaining their top NFL ranking in average yards per rush allowed (3.14).
A truly inventive and disruptive pass rush is what the New England defense lacks. Quinn is an expert at creating pressure. In Dallas, he has wisely utilized talented athletes such as Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Osa Odighizuwa.
Quinn’s defense successfully forced Patriots legend Tom Brady into retirement with a loss in the previous season’s playoffs by making inventive use of those players. Numerous pressure schemes confused Brady, and Pro Football Focus’s John Owning dissected one of the top rush schemes:
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