 February 5, 2010 -- New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has decidedly made a decision on the 2010 defensive coordinator position: There will be none.
Although it is a certain that defensive plays must be called, the reality is that Belichick will likely go into the season attempting to hold a heavier hand on the defensive side of the ball, similar to what Wade Phillips did the past two seasons.
The Patriots and Dean Pees, who served as defensive coordinator the last four seasons, parted ways in January.
The Patriots have since hired former Patriot Corwin Brown to work with the defense. Brown will coach defensive backs along with last year's defensive backs coach, Josh Boyer. The rest of the defensive staff has remained intact.
"Corwin Brown is one of the high-class people in football," Belichick said on Patriots.com. "He was a tough, smart leader who was great to coach and those are the traits he brings to our staff. He has stepped in well with Josh Boyer, [linebackers coach] Matt Patricia, [defensive line coach] Pepper Johnson, [coaching assistant] Pat Graham and myself, and as a group we are committed to putting a competitive defense on the field. This is the best course for us to move forward in 2010."
While there will be no official coordinator, some of those duties will still have to be split up among the defensive coaches.
The title on the opposite side of the field remains open as well for the Patriots, just as it did last year when no replacement was named following the departure of Josh McDaniels to the Denver Broncos. If they do, it would almost certainly be quarterbacks coach Bill O'Brien, who handled much of the play-calling duties in 2009 when the team went without an official coordinator. Belichick's comments Friday positioned O'Brien as the leader of the offensive staff.
"Bill O'Brien has demonstrated excellent leadership and organizational skills in our offense," Belichick said on Patriots.com. "He is a sharp and passionate coach."
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