ATLANTA — “Have you ever been retired?’’

This was a question 70-year-old Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia asked me when I asked him why he came out of retirement in 2016 after two years away from the game.

“You ought to try it sometime,’’ he said.

Scarnecchia embraced retirement — albeit for a mere two years.

“Loved it, man,’’ he said. “Traveled, played with my grandkids every day. I had two great years of retirement. It was a lot of fun. I played golf and I have a woodshop and I did all those things, and here’s my take on golf: Everybody sucks.

“You come off a golf course, and let’s say you shoot 47 on nine holes, you say, ‘I could have shot 44.’ If you’d have shot 39 you’d say, ‘I could have shot 36.’ No one’s ever happy. But I digress.”

Thankfully for the Patriots, Scarnecchia returned to coaching when Bill Belichick asked him to come back.

The returns for the Patriots have been spectacular, particularly as New England enters Super Bowl LIII against the Rams on Sunday having not allowed a single sack this postseason.

Under the demanding but caring watch of Scarnecchia, they’ve done it this season with the coming together of a ragtag group of five starters on the offensive line, with no player drafted higher than the third round.

Guard Joe Thuney was a third-round pick (78th overall) in 2016. Guard Shaq Mason was a fourth-round pick (131st overall) in 2015. Tackle Marcus Cannon was a fifth-round pick (138th) in 2011. Tackle Trent Brown was a seventh-round pick of the 49ers (244th) in 2015. Center David Andrews was an undrafted free-agent signed in 2015.

“Quarterback whisperer’’ is a popular new-world nickname for coaches who have a particularly special touch developing quarterbacks. Scarnecchia, arguably the most important coach Belichick has had on any staff of his, is an “offensive lineman whisperer.’’

“He helps each individual player, but Dante’s greatest strength is his ability to get the entire line — that sometimes includes tight ends, fullbacks, running backs and quarterbacks — to think together and to see things consistently in the same manner so we can operate as a team,” Belichick said.

After Scarnecchia retired following the 2013 season, the Patriots’ line play slipped. After Tom Brady was abused by Von Miller and the Broncos pass rush in an AFC Championship loss in the 2015 season, Belichick had seen enough. He fired Dave DeGuglielmo, Scarnecchia’s replacement, and picked up the phone.

Asked how that conversation with Belichick went, Scarnecchia said, “He just asked if I would be interested. I told him I would like to have a week to think about it, and that was it.’’

Was there begging involved?

“No, hell no,’’ Scarnecchia said with a laugh. “There was none of that. It was as matter-of-fact as that.’’

Scarnecchia, a former sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve, is a tough, gruff, straight-forward coach who’s uncomfortable with praise when it’s aimed at him.

“Dante is the greatest offensive line coach in the history of the NFL,’’ Brady said.

When those words were relayed to him, Scarnecchia squirmed in his seat.

“I cringe when I hear it, because … I’m not,’’ he said. “I’ve been humbled too many times in this game to even let your mind wander that you ever think you know more than what you know. I know what I know and I know that you’re only as good as your next game. And our next game is the penultimate challenge, trying to block these guys [the Rams] in the world championship game.’’

Clearly, one of the things that lured Scarnecchia back to the sideline was his love for developing players, and it shows in their progress and performance.

“I don’t care where they’re drafted, I don’t care if they’re drafted or not,’’ he said. “We care about the guys that fit the traits that we want. That’s what our program is all about.’’

Matthew Slater, the Patriots’ veteran special-teams captain and the heartbeat of the locker room, has taken notice of Scarnecchia’s gifts.

“You look at his body of work and the players that he’s been able to develop, the consistency with which our group has played when he’s been here … it’s been really unparalleled,’’ Slater said. “He’s a very demanding coach. Dante coaches very hard. He expects a lot out of his players. But often times I’ve heard guys say, ‘He’s seen the best in me even when I didn’t see it there and he’s found a way to get it out of me.’ ’’

To a man, the linemen Scarnecchia coaches sound like they’d die for him.

“He puts so much in to each and every one of us to be a better player, we want to give it all back to him,’’ Mason said.

“He’s one of the hardest-working men I’ve ever been around,’’ Andrews said. “He tries to get the best out of us and he’s got a great way of doing that. He finds that in guys. It’s so special.’’