PATRIOTS COACH HAS MANY DISCIPLES, BUT THEIR TRACK RECORDS AFTER LEAVING THE NEST ARE MIXED
NICK SABAN Belichick years:
1991-94 as Cleveland’s defensive coordinator Record vs. Belichick: 2-2 Post-Belichick years: He’s become arguably the top coach in college football, winning five national titles at LSU (one) and Alabama (four) since 2003. He tried his hand at the NFL head-coaching game in Miami from 2005-06, but quickly realized the college game was more suited to his authoritarian style and has dominated at Alabama. His Dolphins legacy remains the disastrous quarterback decision to trade for Daunte Culpepper instead of signing Drew Brees as a free agent.
ROMEO CRENNEL Belichick years:
2001-04 as New England’s defensive coordinator Record vs. Belichick: 0-1 Post-Belichick years: He’s had head-coaching stints in Cleveland (2005-08) and Kansas City (2011-12). Crennel went 10-6 with the Browns in 2007, which seems like a Hall of Famecaliber achievement considering the franchise’s current hapless state. He ended a brief retirement to join the Texans as Bill O’Brien’s defensive coordinator in 2014. After three years in that role, he was promoted to assistant head coach this year.
CHARLIE WEIS Belichick years:
2000-04 as New England’s offensive coordinator Post-Belichick years: He parlayed working with Tom Brady into the head-coaching gig at Notre Dame, where he had the hubris to tell his players they would have a “decided schematic advantage” against opponents. Weis was inexplicably given a 10-year extension in the $30-$40 million range after starting 5-2 in his first year. He was fired following his fifth season with middling results. He later had a disastrous three-year run as Kansas’ coach and was fired in September 2014. He’s been counting his buyout money since.
ERIC MANGINI Belichick years:
2000-05 as New England assistant Record vs. Belichick: 3-5 Post-Belichick years: The “Mangenius” was just 35 when he was hired as the Jets’ head coach in 2006. He was fired after three seasons in New York before a two-year stint as the Browns’ coach. Most notably, he was the one who informed the NFL about the Patriots’ practice of videotaping opponents’ signals, leading to the Spygate scandal and a rift with his mentor Belichick. Mangini last coached with the 49ers in 2015 as their defensive coordinator.
BILL O’BRIEN Belichick years:
2007-11 as New England assistant Record vs. Belichick: 0-3 Post-Belichick years: After years in various roles and one AFC championship season as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, he took over Penn State’s program in 2012 and surprised many by going 8-4 while dealing with the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. After going 7-5 in year two, he was hired by the Texans following their disastrous 2-14 season in 2013. He has gone 9-7 in three consecutive seasons, winning the AFC South the past two years despite a revolving door at quarterback.
JIM SCHWARTZ Belichick years:
1993-95 as Cleveland scout. Record vs. Belichick: 0-1 Post-Belichick years: After being hired in Detroit in 2009, he took the Lions to the playoffs once in five years before being fired. Houston fans likely best remember him from when he infamously helped cost his team a game on Thanksgiving 2012 against the Texans by trying to challenge a play that was automatically subject to review, forfeiting the review and giving the Texans a TD on a play when the runner was down. Schwartz now serves as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
JOSH McDANIELS Belichick years:
2001-08 as New England scout and assistant coach; 2012-present as offensive coordinator Record vs. Belichick: 1-0 Non-Belichick years: After a successful first run with the Patriots, he was hired as the Broncos’ head coach at the age of 32 and given total roster control. The Broncos started 6-0 in McDaniels’ first season before missing the playoffs. He was fired after starting his second year 3-9 and also was fined by the NFL for videotaping a 49ers walkthrough before a preseason game, conjuring up memories of the Patriots’ infamous “Spygate” scandal. After a stint in St. Louis, McDaniels rejoined the Patriots during the 2011 playoffs.