We gotta start calling this the Brady curse. Bellicheat and his coaching tree has been thoroughly exposed.
Romeo Crennel (.337)
Cleveland Browns, 2005-08: 24-40
Kansas City Chiefs, 2011-12: 4-15
Houston Texans, 2020: 4-3
A five-time Super Bowl champion as an assistant coach, Crennel struggled in a head coaching role with a losing record in both Cleveland and Kansas City. Crennel's lone relative "success" was in Houston, where he took over for current Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien after the Texans fired O'Brien during the 2020 season.
Eric Mangini (.413)
New York Jets, 2006-08: 23-25
Cleveland Browns, 2009-10: 10-22
Mangini actually succeeded Crennel twice: first as defensive coordinator with the Patriots in 2005 and then again as head coach of the Browns in 2009.
While Mangini coached with Belichick on the Browns, Jets, and Patriots, the two were on frosty terms after Mangini's role in setting off the Spygate scandal in 2007.
Jim Schwartz (.363)
Detroit Lions, 2009-13: 29-51
Schwartz got his first NFL job as a scout under Belichick with the Browns in 1993 and later brought his defensive acumen to Ravens and Titans before finally getting an opportunity as a head coach in Detroit in 2009. But in five seasons, his Lions only made the playoffs once and had double-digit losses in three seasons.
Bill O'Brien (.520)
Houston Texans, 2014-20: 52-48
The Patriots' current offensive coordinator is the only other Belichick disciple to post a winning record away from New England, but his time in Houston wasn't without controversy. The Texans won just two playoff games in his six-plus seasons there, and his decision to trade DeAndre Hopkins (O'Brien was also in charge of personnel moves) led to to his firing just four games into the 2020 season.
Matt Patricia (.314)
Detroit Lions, 2018-20: 13-29-1
Matt Patricia's first win as an NFL head coach came against the Patriots in Week 3 of the 2018 season, but there weren't many victories after that.
Patricia led the Lions to last-place finishes in each of his two full seasons before he was fired midseason in 2020. Belichick gave him a job in 2021 and let him run the Patriots' offense in 2022 -- which
didn't exactly go as planned.
Brian Flores (.490)
Miami Dolphins, 2019-21: 24-25
Flores spent 15 seasons in New England, where his titles ranged from scouting assistant to special teams assistant to safeties coach to linebackers coach.
He helped turn the Dolphins into a 10-win team in 2020, but things went south in a hurry -- he was fired after the 2022 season and
filed a lawsuit against Miami and several other NFL teams alleging racial discrimination in the league's hiring processes.
Joe Judge (.303)
New York Giants, 2020-21: 10-23
One of the more surprising head coaching hires in recent seasons, Joe Judge made the transition from special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach in New England to head coach of the Giants in 2020.
The transition was not smooth: Judge lasted just two seasons in New York before following Patricia back to New England.
Brian Daboll (.460)
New York Giants, 2022-present: 11-13-1
The Giants replaced one ex-Belichick assistant with another, and the initial results were promising: Daboll led New York to a 9-7-1 record in 2022. The former Patriots tight ends coach has his team at 2-6 through Week 8 of the 2023 season, however, and may not be long for the job.
Josh McDaniels (.377)
Denver Broncos, 2009-10: 11-17
Las Vegas Raiders, 2022-23: 9-16
McDaniels is the seventh member of the Belichick coaching tree to last three seasons or fewer in a head coaching role. We're sensing a pattern here.
