FinNasty said:
Does anyone know who the new D-Cordinator is in NE now that Mangini is gone? Thanks...
Re: Dean Pees is new DC in New England Dean Pees - ; born September 4, 1949, Dunkirk, Ohio. Attended Bowling Green. No college or pro playing experience. College coach: Findlay 1979-1982, Miami (Ohio) 1983-86, Navy 1987-89, Toledo 1990-93, Notre Dame 1994, Michigan State 1995-97, Kent State 1998-2003. Pro coach: Joined Patriots in 2004. Pees will be entering his 34th year in coaching, including acting as the Patriots linebackers coach for the past two seasons under Bill Belichick.
From Tom Casale, Patriots Football Weekly
Pees came to New England after serving as the head coach at Kent State University for six seasons. At Kent State, Pees took over one of the worst programs in Division I and while they never become a powerhouse, the Golden Flashes showed significant improvement under Pees’ tutelage. Kent State’s 14 wins in Pees’ final three seasons equaled the school’s win total from the previous 10 years.
In 2001, Pees led the Golden Flashes to a 6-5 record - the school’s first winning season in 14 years. Pees’ six-year tenure at Kent State made him the longest-serving head coach in the program’s 40-year history.
Before heading to Kent State, Pees was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for Nick Saban at Michigan State. In his final season in East Lansing, the Spartans finished 13th in the nation in total defense. This marked the second time Pees served as a defensive coordinator on Saban’s staff. Saban hired him while he was the head coach at the University of Toledo and under Pees in 1992; the Rockets’ defense only surrendered 13.9 points per game and posted two shutouts on their way to an 8-3 season. Pees coached at Toledo for three years before taking a job at Notre Dame.
Pees other coaching stops include being the secondary coach at Notre Dame in 1994, the secondary coach at the Naval Academy from 1987-89 and the defensive coordinator at Miami (Ohio) from 1983-86.
In his two seasons as linebackers coach, the Patriots have finished sixth and fourth respectively against the run. The linebackers have been the strength of the Patriots defense the past two seasons, totaling 49.5 sacks over that span. Now the reigns to the Patriots defense will be turned over to the veteran Pees whose cerebral approach to the game should fit in well with Belichick’s meticulous coaching style.
Foxborough, MA (Sports Network) - The New England Patriots announced Tuesday that Dean Pees has been named the team's new defensive coordinator.
Pees, who had been the Pats' linebackers coach over the last two seasons, replaces Eric Mangini, who was named as the new head coach of the New York Jets earlier in the day.
"Dean Pees has done an outstanding job coaching our linebackers," said New England head coach Bill Belichick. "When he joined us, Dean brought a wealth of experience into this system and has been a significant part of our success over the past two seasons."
The 56-year-old Pees has 33 years of coaching experience, including 15 seasons as a defensive coordinator and six years as a head coach at the collegiate level. In Pees' first year as the Patriots' linebackers coach, the unit ranked ninth overall and sixth in the league against the run, while eventually winning their second consecutive Super Bowl title.
In 2005, Pees' linebacking crew finished eighth in the league against the run.
"I am very appreciative and grateful for the opportunity that coach Belichick, (chairman and CEO) Mr. (Robert) Kraft and the entire Patriots organization have given me," said Pees. "I am extremely proud to be part of a first-class organization from top to bottom. I will work hard to continue the standard of excellence that is expected as a New England Patriot."
Prior to joining the Patriots, Pees spent six seasons as the head coach at Kent State (1998-03). From 1995-97, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Michigan State.
