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The term "football lifer" is thrown around pretty haphazardly, but it seems as though Dante Scarnecchia is intent on making it true.
Arguably the most important and successful assistant coach in NFL history, the man affectionately known as "Scar" around New England has five Super Bowl rings and a spot in the Patriots Hall of Fame thanks to his ability to bring the best out of just about any offensive lineman Bill Belichick threw his way.
From turning undersized tackle Matt Light into a Pro Bowler to transforming Stephen Neal from a college wrestler into a rock-solid guard, Scarnecchia played a pivotal role in helping keep Tom Brady out of harm's way for two decades.
Former New England Patriots OL Coach Dante Scarnecchia - Traits of a Good Sideline Coach (OL)
— James Light (@JamesALight) January 23, 2025
- A good sideline coach watches all of the offensive plays and very little of the defensive plays.
- Your job is not to watch the entire game. Your job is to coach the players you… pic.twitter.com/cQgWZixOvy
At age 77, the offensive line guru could be kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying retirement. But as Patriots fans know, you can't keep Scarnecchia away from the game for long.
According to MassLive's Karen Guregian, Belichick's longtime sidekick has been working with a pair of local prospects in the leadup to the 2025 NFL Draft. Thanks to their agent Brad Blank, Boston College offensive tackle Ozzie Trapilo and fellow Eagles teammate Drew Kendall have spent time preparing for the scouting combine, pro days, and private workouts under the watchful eye of arguably the best position coach in league history.
"I’m not interested in doing a football, offensive line thing. This is done just as a favor to Brad,” said Scarnecchia. “And I really enjoy doing it because it’s just football, and skills, and things like that.”
Both Trapilo and Kendall have NFL bloodlines. The former's father protected Doug Flutie in college before getting drafted by the New Orleans Saints. The latter's father also played at Boston College before going on to the NFL.
Boston College OT Ozzy Trapilo (RT, no. 70) has a few #Patriots connections:
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) February 20, 2025
- Played for Bill O'Brien (friend of Vrabel) in a McDaniels-adjacent system
- Trained w/Dante Scarnecchia
Trapilo shows good savvy, a stout anchor & solid athleticism. A day-two RT possibility. pic.twitter.com/RmdOOkdaTa
“I can already see how much it’s going to help me. Everything he coaches, everything that he finds important, what he wants out of his players, just learning from that I think is going to be really big for me,” Kendall told Guregian. “You never know what you’re going to get from coaches at the next level. You have to be able to do a lot of different things, in a lot of different ways.”
That Scarnecchia is lending a helpful hand to some local prospects shouldn't be a major surprise. After all, former Patriots colleague Bill O'Brien is the man in charge at Boston College.
“There’s nobody better; Dante taught me a lot about offensive line play, so those guys have a chance to work with him, and drill with him, and get his insights on what it takes from a technique standpoint, from a mindset standpoint, what you need to know,” O’Brien said. “It’s a great opportunity for those guys.”
More must-reads:
- Standout performances from Week 1 of NFL preseason: Rookie, backup QBs shine
- Eagles get big injury scare at practice regarding key starter
- The 'NFL Defensive Players of the Year ' quiz
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