Steve Belichick enters his fourth season working with the linebackers following four seasons coaching in the secondary and four years as a coaching assistant.
For the last two seasons, Belichick worked with Matthew Judon to reach career high sack totals in back-to-back seasons after recording 12½ in 2021 and 15½ in 2022. The 15½ sacks ranked third in team history and his 102.5 sack yards ranked first in team history. Judon earned his fourth straight Pro Bowl invitation and second straight with the Patriots. Judon also earned PFWA-All-AFC Team honors and was named the Week 5 AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Belichick also guided Josh Uche to new career highs in 2022. Uche finished with a career high 11½ sacks for 49.5 yards. He had six sacks in a three-game span, second most in team history. Uche earned AFC Player of the Week honors in Week 14 after his three sack performance against Arizona.
In 2019, Belichick led a secondary as part of a defense that finished No. 1 in the NFL in total defense (275.9 yards per game) and scoring (14.1 points allowed per game). Additionally, CB Stephon Gilmore turned in a career season, becoming the first Patriot to win Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year after finishing with a career-high six interceptions and his second straight year with 20 passes defensed, joining Ty Law (1998 & 2003) as the only Patriots with two seasons of 20-plus passes defensed. Gilmore also earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for October and safety Devin McCourty was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September after he intercepted a pass in each of the first four games of the season.
Under his guidance in 2018, the Patriots safeties were part of a defense that held the L.A. Rams to a Super Bowl record-tying low three points en route to a victory in Super Bowl LIII. Duron Harmon also duplicated his performance from the previous season by leading the team and tying a career-high with four interceptions. In 2017, the Patriots safeties played a critical role within a unit that finished fifth in the NFL by allowing 18.5 points per game. Devin McCourty was also selected to his fourth career Pro Bowl under Belichick's instruction.
After playing four years of lacrosse at Rutgers, Belichick walked on to the football team as a long snapper.
