Where are they now?
James Bettcher is back on the Steve Spagnuolo Plan.
The idea just means something very different now than it did two years ago.
Bettcher, who spent the last two seasons as Giants defensive coordinator, is not a coach, consultant or analyst for any one team but will use the season similar to how Spagnuolo used his gap year in 2018, The Post has learned.
After he was fired by the Giants, Spagnuolo picked the brains of coaching friends in various spots and incorporated new information into his methods so he was rejuvenated when the Chiefs needed a defensive coordinator. The blueprint will be more difficult to follow this year with coronavirus guidelines limiting outsiders coming into team facilities.
Spagnuolo was credited by coach Andy Reid and star players for his big role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning run and should be near the top of the list of second-chance head coach candidates in 2021 so long as the winning continues.
Bettcher, now 42, was one of the rising young assistants in the league when he picked the Giants over the Titans in January 2018. He was fresh off leading the Cardinals defense to three straight top-10 finishes but was not retained by new head coach Steve Wilks after Bruce Arians temporarily retired.
Sports Illustrated compared Bettcher to the Rams’ young phenom Sean McVay, and it seemed like the Giants were his stepping stone to head coach, just as they once were for Spagnuolo. Two years and a Super Bowl win in his first stint as Giants defensive coordinator landed Spagnuolo in charge of the Rams in 2009.