With the Patriots struggles on the offense line through three weeks, leading to more Tom Brady hits than anyone in New England wants to see, many are left searching for answers to fix the front.
But change certainly isn't the answer, at least not for the man who became a legend in his career coaching up the Patriots offensive line. Dante Scarnecchia may have retired last winter after spending 30 of his 32 NFL coaching seasons in New England, but the former respected assistant clearly has an eye on his former team and former positional group.
And much like he did when he had to answer questions and criticisms about the line when he was still working at Gillette Stadium, Scarnecchia is preaching patience once again this fall.
"They're trying to build cohesiveness. That's what they're trying to do. It's not an easy thing to do. But it will happen if they're patient," Scarnecchia told the Boston Herald this week a charity event held by former Patriots left tackle Matt Light. "They're trying to get guys in the right spots. To do that, it does take time."
While many have also wondered about the coaching abilities of the man who has had the unenviable task of replacing Scarnecchia in New England, the now-retired legend praised Dave DeGuglielmo.
"Dave's a good coach, a real good coach. Those are good coaches there. They'll get it right. And the players want to get it right. And it'll happen," Scarnecchia told the Herald "But it's going to take time. I hope it happens this week. I sincerely hope it happens this week."
One of the major factors that DeGuglielmo has had to deal with early in his tenure is trying to replace Pro Bowl left guard Logan Mankins, who was traded to the Buccaneers in late August after the team failed to reach a contract restructure with the highly-paid former All-Pro.
In his time in New England Scarnecchia clearly saw a lot of players come and go, though, and says dealing with the aftermath of personnel moves is just a way of life as a positional coach.
"It's always been, you've got the guys you got, and you've got to coach them. And that's exactly what they're doing," Scarnecchia said. "They're coaching the guys that are there. They're working with the guys that are there. I'm sure they're doing that. I know they're doing everything they can to make it as good as they can make it, but hey, best of luck to them. It ain't easy."
It certainly hasn't been through the first three games for Scarnecchia's former troops.
