Patriots Coaching Farm System Continues with Steve Belichick and Matt Patricia

"We all, at one point or another, have played for a coach who's a jerk." - Bill Belichick

Steve Belichick, who was on the receiving end of this message (courtesy Sound FX) will now get his first crack at an NFL coaching "gig" according to Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe.

And thus, the farm system that is the Patriots coaching staff has now become a legacy.

The Patriots coaching staff has long operated on the farm system mentality of developing coaches through years of working their way up through the system. That method has helped generate some great football minds.

Now, Steve will get his first taste of a coaching job in the NFL. Bill has often been accompanied by his two sons on the sideline, so this will be far from Steve's first foray on the sideline.

Football has become a legacy for the Belichicks, and now, Steve will have the opportunity to become another great football mind to come through the Belichick school of coaching.

It's certainly in his blood.

Matt Patricia was moved up from safeties coach to defensive coordinator. This has been in the works for some time; Patricia has been groomed in coaching nearly every position on the defense. He was a de facto defensive coordinator last season also.

Defensive line coach Pepper Johnson and linebackers coach Patrick Graham switched titles. Pepper's been on the coaching staff since Bill Belichick's first year on the job in New England, and was the defensive line coach from 2004-2011. With the switch, perhaps he's being groomed into a potential future defensive coordinator, in much the same way as Patricia and others before him.

But this isn't the first time Pepper's been passed over as a candidate to be defensive coordinator.

But with everyone moving up and around, that creates some openings at the bottom. That allows for two less-known coaching assistants to move up, as a former offensive and defensive assistant Brian Flores was promoted to safeties coach and offensive assistant George Godsey was promoted to tight ends coach (to replace Brian Ferentz, who departed for Iowa).

Still, the most interesting story to watch will be Bill working with his son on the sideline. 

Follow @ErikFrenz