The Patriots are set to name Greg Schiano as their new defensive coordinator, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports. Once hired, the former Buccaneers head coach will replace former play-caller Brian Flores, who is now the head coach of the Dolphins. 
Schiano will be Bill Belichick’s third defensive coordinator in three seasons, because the Patriots’ DC job has proven to be a major launching pad to head coaching positions. Last year, Matt Patricia parlayed his experience into the Lions’ top job. This time around, Flores moved up the ladder with a five-year fully guaranteed deal to manage one of the Pats’ divisional rivals.
Schiano has longstanding relationship with Belichick, one that has led to a pipeline between the league’s most successful franchise and the Rutgers football program. Defensive backs Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, and Duron Harmon all played for Schiano at RU and the Pats have signed scores of other former Scarlet Knights. On a related note, one can’t help but wonder whether the Schiano hire could push the McCourty brothers to continue playing.
“I think Coach Schiano is a great defensive coach and he’s really coached all the positions — line, linebacker, DBs,” Belichick said in 2015. “He’s had a lot of extensive work with defensive backs and I think he does a great job with them. The way he runs his program, runs his defense, teaches and so forth, that’s all a great part of preparing players either in a similar way that we do it or when he was in college prepared them to come into our program with some changes but minimal maybe compared to other teams.”
Schiano’s first made a name for himself at RU, taking the program from a laughing stock to a bowl game contender. Most recently, he served as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
When on the banks of the old Raritan in 2006, Schiano’s Scarlet Knights ranked as high as No. 7 in the Associated Press poll.
IMO if the McCourty twins do decide to retire, then this was probably a bad hire. If they stay another year because they respect their old college college coach then Schiano has a chance in NE.
I would probably argue the opposite point. If the twins stay then Schiano’s job gets more difficult because everyone will be looking over his shoulder to see if he gives those guys special treatment.
End of the game kneel downs in New England just possibly got a lot more interesting.
That will be bills call that definitely requires hc approval
He wouldn’t bother. It would show emotion.
I think this is really gonna just be a hold spot for Greg and when Rutgers starts getting their whole big 10 piece of revenue they will rehire Greg unless something bigger happens by.
That was before the Penn State Scandal exploded. Remember what happened with the Tennessee gig?