The New England Patriots have suffered through two seasons of inconsistent and lackluster play out of their offensive line. While they were able to patch things together in 2014 and win a championship, the line proved to be the team's Achilles' heel this season. With the team vying for a shot at a second straight Super Bowl, the New England offensive line was completely victimized by the eventual world champion Denver Broncos' defensive front.

That poor performance in the AFC Title game cost line coach Dave DeGuglielmo his job, leaving the Patriots with a void to fill just two years after losing one of the league's top line coaches, Dante Scarnecchia, to retirement.

According to Patriots ESPN Insider Mike Reiss, however, the team is hard at work to fill the void with only one name at the top of the list; Scarnecchia's.

The former line coach, 68, has been in talks to return to New England's sideline, according to league sources. 

The 32 year coaching vet, who spent his last 15 years coaching the New England offensive line, has stayed involved in the organization since his retirement, helping mostly to evaluate college linemen that are heading into the NFL.

That makes a return to the team seem not so out of the question. With a solid knowledge of most if not all of the team's current linemen and a pedigree that screams Hall of Fame, Scarnecchia should be able to step in and help the staff right the ship in hopes of another Super Bowl birth.

Scarnecchia, was awarded for his work in the game by the Professional Football Writers of America, recently. In 2015 Scarnecchia was awarded the Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman Award for lifetime achievement as an assistant coach.

He has also received great praise from New England head coach Bill Belichick. At the time of the line coach's retirement, Belichick spoke of Scarnecchia's ability to defy the "not for long" phrase that gets tossed around when describing most coaches' tenures. Belichick also lauded Scarnecchia for his ability to get the best out of each and every player he worked with, regardless of the player's talent level or abilities.

 

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