Bill Belichick praises Dante Scarnecchia for "well-deserved" Pro Football Hall of Fame award

BOSTON -- Bill Belichick may go down as the best coach in football history. Dante Scarnecchia may be considered his greatest assistant.

Though Scarnecchia didn't run the offense or defense for Belichick, he served as an assistant head coach for 14 years and as the offensive line coach under Belichick for 18 years, winning five Super Bowls along the way. Widely considered the best O-line coach in the league, Scarnecchia retired after the 2019 season. 

Last week, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that Scarnecchia would be receiving an Award of Excellence this year. On Monday, when speaking to reporters at the league meetings in Arizona, Belichick unsurprisingly had plenty to say about his former assistant.

"Well-deserved. Yeah, Dante's a great football coach," Belichick said. "Obviously had a long, long history with the Patriots in multiple roles. But when I was here in '96 with Bill [Parcells], it was Dante, Romeo [Crennel], Al [Groh] and I on the defensive staff. And that was three great people to work with. So I got to know him pretty well then, and then of course when I came back, he was coaching the offensive line, so I kept him as the offensive line coach."

Belichick continued: "He made a huge impact on our team and me. Just a wonderful guy to work with on all levels. Hard-working, dedicated, unselfish, good fundamental coach. Understands offense, defense, kicking game. Very good teacher, detailed, tireless worker. Well-deserved."