The Denver Broncos sacked New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady four times and hit him more times than any quarterback has been hit in a single game since 2006. Because of that, the Patriots were quick to make a coaching change on their delayed Black Monday. Offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo was sacked by the Patriots, sending him to the unemployment line following a disastrous AFC Championship Game performance by the Patriots offensive line. The news was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, via Twitter.
#Patriots are parting ways with offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, sources say. One day after Tom Brady took a record number of hits
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 26, 2016
The news certainly does not come as a shock given the performance of the Patriots offensive line on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game in Denver. Denver’s defense has been good, leading the NFL in sacks during the regular season, but Brady had looked more like Christian Hackenberg for the bulk of the afternoon than the quarterback that led the Patriots to a Super Bowl title just one year ago. Brady was hit 20 times in the game, the most any quarterback has been hit in a single game since 2006. Keep in mind, as we discussed earlier today, Denver’s defense was not even bringing their typical number of blitzes on Brady in the game. Denver’s defensive front just manhandled a New England offensive line that was out of excuses.
All season #Patriots OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo was lauded for his work with different lineups & injuries. Sunday, it was a different story
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 26, 2016
DeGuglielmo was assigned the offensive line duties on Bill Belichick’s coaching staff in 2014, and everything went well in his first year on the job. Of course, he had a veteran group of lineman to rely on to make his job as stress-free as possible. The 2015 season was a much more difficult year with a crop of young linemen needing to step in and play big roles in protecting Brady. The Patriots lost Dan Connolly to retirement. Right guard Ryan Wendell spent much of the year rehabbing a knee injury. Tackle Nate Solder went down during the season with a torn bicep. Young linemen were plugged in, but without much sustained success. Injuries are a part of the game, but when new faces fail to pan out when needed, coaches often take the blame for it, and deservingly so in many situations.
