The Patriots have hired a familiar face as defensive coordinator to replace the recently departed Brian Flores. Former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano is the new Patriots defensive coordinator.

Schiano and Bill Belichick go back twenty years plus. They developed a strong relationship when Schiano was the head coach Rutgers. Belichick’s son and current Patriots safeties coach Steve Belichick transferred his senior year and was a long snapper at Rutgers.

Schiano and Belichick’s relationship is so strong in fact that Rutgers became a Patriots draft factory. Devin McCourty, Logan Ryan, Duron Harmon, Tim Wright, Kenny Britt, Tiquan Underwood, Justin Francis and Steve Beauharnais were all either drafted or signed by the Patriots.

When Schiano became head coach of the Buccaneers in 2012, the Patriots and Buccaneers held joint practices on consecutive summers. Even after Schiano was fired in 2014, he would visit Patriots training camp and observe practices.

Schiano will employ a base 40 front and play a lot of different fronts and coverages based on situations. Schiano is not a “pressure” guy per say but the Patriots will still pressure a good amount and they will do it based on down and distance.

For the first time in a long time, Belichick has to go outside the staff to hire a coordinator. The last time he did that was Dean Pees. That worked pretty well and the Schiano hire should as well.