Brian Daboll tapped into Bill Belichick’s coaching tree to fill one of the most important developmental spots on his coaching staff.
The Giants hired Carmen Bricillo as their offensive line coach to wrap up a quick interview process that began after Monday’s firing of Bobby Johnson.
Bricillo, 47, has three seasons of experience as an NFL offensive line coach — with the Patriots (2021) and the Raiders (2022-23).
So, will the eighth time be the charm?
Bricillo is the eighth different offensive line coach — not to mention four assistant offensive line coaches — who the Giants have employed since the end of Pat Flaherty’s 12-year tenure spanning Tom Coughlin’s time as head coach.
The Giants hired Carmen Bricillo as their new offensive line coach. Getty ImagesNot coincidentally, the offensive line has been a major issue that whole time.
“Continuity is important for an offensive line,” left tackle Andrew Thomas, who will have a fifth O-line coach in five seasons, said this week. “I don’t get paid to make those decisions, so I trust whoever they bring in. Right now, just trying to get healthy and make sure everybody … has a positive mindset going into next year.”
Like Daboll, Bricillo is a former Belichick assistant, though they never worked together in New England.
It is more significant that Bricillo crossed paths with legendary Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia for one year before the latter retired.
Carmen Bricillo spent three seasons working with Bill Belichick in New England from 2019-21. AP
Carmen Bricillo spent the past two seasons with the Raiders after three years with the Patriots. APThe Giants allowed the second-most sacks (85) in NFL history last season, whereas the Raiders allowed 40.
“One year to the next doesn’t really affect as much as you might think,” Thomas said, “but obviously we don’t want to be in that category. You never want for the quarterback to be hit that much, but there’s more things we want to clean up. We want to clean up the run game, as well. Continuity as an offensive line as a whole, being more dominant.”
Pro Football Focus ranked the Raiders’ offensive line as the league’s 10th-best and called it “perhaps the most pleasantly surprising offensive line during the 2023 season, [because] the Raiders’ unit played well above expectations, even when without elite left tackle Kolton Miller.”
The Giants need to be in the free-agent and draft markets for at least two new starters to place alongside Thomas, a former All-Pro, and center John Michael Schmitz in his second NFL season.
One of Bricillo’s biggest challenges will be figuring out how to salvage Evan Neal’s career — the No. 7-overall pick in the 2022 draft profiles as an injury-plagued bust after two seasons — and if he moves to guard or stays at right tackle.
Neal, Schmitz, Josh Ezeudu and Marcus McKethan — four of general manager Joe Schoen’s draft picks — did not show marked improvement during Johnson’s two-year stint.
The Giants were denied a request to interview Falcons offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, because he remains under contract even though the team is without a head coach. The Giants acted fast before the Raiders’ next head coach could decide to keep Bricillo.
