Ex Patriots Coach Dies at 78

Steve Sidwell, best known for his days with the New Orleans Saints, served as the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator for three seasons.

The New Orleans Saints announced the passing of former defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell at the age of 78. Though best-known for his time in New Orleans, Sidwell spent six years as a coach of the New England Patriots, including three as the team's defensive coordinator.

Sidwell had been a staple on NFL sidelines for nearly two decades, a tenure that began as the Patriots' linebackers coach in 1982. He held that role for three seasons before taking on the defensive line coach's job with the Indianapolis Colts. Sidwell made it back to Foxborough in 1997, spending three seasons as the defensive coordinator.

Under his watch, Ty Law and Lawyer Milloy each received their first All-Pro team nominations and the former led the NFL in interceptions during the 1998 campaign. In his final season, New England's defense placed in the top 10 in both points and yards against. The Patriots also forced multiple turnovers in 10 of their 16 games in that season, including three games of four takeaways. 

Sidwell was considered for the Patriots' head coaching job to enter the new century after Pete Carroll's ousting but that role instead went to Bill Belichick. The Colorado alum Sidwell then spent the final three seasons of his coaching career as the Seattle Seahawks' defensive coordinator.

New Orleans (1986-94) hosted Sidwell's best action, as he formed the Saints' famed "Dome Patrol" defense, one of the most-lauded 3-4 sets in NFL history. Headlined by the efforts of future Hall-of-Famers like Rickey Johnson and Sam Mills, Sidwell's defense played a major role in reversing the fortunes of the downtrodden Saints franchise: the team made its first playoff appearance in 1987 and won its first division four years later. In the latter campaign, linebacker Pat Swilling won the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

For his efforts, Sidwell was inducted into the Saints' team Hall of Fame in 2004.

"He worked well with the players, that's what I liked about Sid," Jackson said in a statement on the Saints' website. "If you saw something, you could tell him and he was the type that he'd go along with you. You had some coaches that didn't want you telling them nothing about what you'd see, but he was one of those coaches that you could communicate with him." 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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