Brian Belichick out to make a name for himself

Does anyone in New England know who Mike Pellegrino is? You probably have never heard of him, but it just so happens that he is the Patriots cornerbacks coach and is entering his second year in that job.

But you know who Brian Belichick is. He’s the Patriots new safeties coach, but he doesn’t get to live in anonymity like Pellegrino. His last name doesn’t allow for it. When you’re the son of Bill Belichick, the head coach, it comes with [...]

Does anyone in New England know who Mike Pellegrino is? You probably have never heard of him, but it just so happens that he is the Patriots cornerbacks coach and is entering his second year in that job.

But you know who Brian Belichick is. He’s the Patriots new safeties coach, but he doesn’t get to live in anonymity like Pellegrino. His last name doesn’t allow for it. When you’re the son of Bill Belichick, the head coach, it comes with the job.

"I don’t really think about it. I’ve been blessed with an amazing opportunity in my life to be around this organization and other organizations before that," Brian said. "We moved here in 2000 and I’ve been amazingly fortunate to have my dad be here for 20 years and allow me to come spend time with the team and learn from these great players and coaches that have been here for a long time.

"It’s been very lucky to have that experience."

Being a positional coach is about gaining experience and working your way up the ladder. Some want to head coaches. Others want to be coordinators. The Belichicks know this because, while they didn’t get to actually watch their father make his way up the ranks, the lesson of paying dues and grinding your way to the top has probably been told once or twice around a family dinner table.

Football is a way of life for the Belichicks and brothers Brian and Steve are taking new positions with the team this season. Steve is entering his ninth season with the team. He spent the first four as a coaching assistant, followed by four coaching in the secondary. This year he will coach the linebackers alongside Jerod Mayo.

Brian Belichick is in his fifth season with the team. Year one was as a scouting assistant, followed by three years as a coaching assistant before taking over for the job Steve had last year.

"We’ve talked a lot about it. Obviously we’re extremely close being brothers but as an older brother and a more veteran coach than he is, I’m doing the best I can do to lead him through the safety group," Steve Belichick said. "Having Devin [McCourty] in that group really helps and I’m sure Devin’s helping that room. But I’ve spent a lot of time with Brian in the offseason and so far in training camp to try to bring him up to speed."

"We’ve been communicating about football for our entire lives," Brian Belichick said. "We share a lot of information back and forth with each other. I’ve learned a lot from him because he’s been in elevated positions.

"He’s been able to share things with me that have gone on as he’s moved up. Our whole experience in life, being part of football our entire lives, we’ve shared stuff with each other and bounced things off each other and learned off each other."

This year Brian will have to adjust to something new. Scrutiny.

For the majority of his career, Steve’s been picked apart by people who couldn’t name another position coach because he’s a Belichick. Last year Steve took his first major role with the team, reportedly calling plays for the defense along with Mayo.

Critics of Steve Belichick were quiet. They had no choice. The Patriots defense played at an elite level for what seemed like the whole season, right up until the final stand of the regular season when Ryan Fitzpatrick picked them apart and torpedoed any hope at a Super Bowl run.

Now, with Steve possibly calling plays for the defense — "We’re a long way away from games so we’ll see how that goes," he said when asked about it — Brian may be in line for his first public torching. He’s a Belichick and with that name comes a certain level of expectation. First sign of trouble, fingers will come a-waggin’.

But Brian is ready.

"Expectations, I don’t really think about that," he said. "I just try to better myself every day, every year learn more things and put one foot in front of the other."

He hasn’t been a positional coach for a full season yet and already he sounds like a head coach.

Or at least a head coach he’s related to.

erueb@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @EricRueb