PATRIOTS 101

The New England Patriots announced coaching changes on Thursday. 

Matt Patricia, who has been calling defensive plays for a couple years, has officially been named the defensive coordinator. Patricia, who has spent all of his nine-year NFL coaching career with the Patriots, served as the safeties coach in 2011 and was the linebackers coach before that.

Pepper Johnson, who played under head coach Bill Belichick at the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, has returned to the role of linebackers coach. He held that position from 2001-2003 before moving to defensive line coach. 

Johnson has switched roles with Patrick Graham, who will go from coaching the linebackers in 2011 to the defensive line in 2012.

Brian Flores, who orginially joined the Patriots staff as a scouting assistant in 2004, was promoted from defensive assistant to safeties coach. Josh Boyer will coach the cornerbacks after serving as the defensive backs coach for three years.

On the offensive side of the ball, George Godsey, who served as an offensive assistant in 2011, will now be coaching the tight ends. Godsey is filling the position vacated by Brian Ferentz, who left to join the University of Iowa coaching staff.

Additionally, the Patriots have hired Joe Judge, who spent the past three years assisting Nick Saban at the University of Alabama as a special teams assistant. Steve Belichick, Bill's son, has also been named a coaching assistant after a four-year lacrosse career at Rutgers University and walking onto the football team as a long-snapper in 2011.

Tags: Football, New England, New England Patriots, NFL

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