Al Groh won’t be in Indianapolis on Sunday, but a part of him will be. The Georgia Tech defensive coordinator’s son, Matthew, is in his first year working in the New England Patriots’ scouting department, having left his position as an attorney to start on the NFL’s ground floor.
Professionally speaking, two colleagues will have a significantly greater impact on this year’s Super Bowl. Patriots coach Bill Belichick and New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Groh were on a Super Bowl-winning staff with the Giants in 1990 that spawned several head coaches, including Groh. His respect for both is obvious.
“I know every time I watch their teams play or every time I talk to them, I learn something,” Groh said.
After being hired by then-Giants coach Bill Parcells to coach linebackers in 1989, Groh worked closely with Belichick, who was the defensive coordinator. They worked together two seasons with the Giants.
“It jumped out right away, and it continues to be the case, Bill is definitely one of the most intelligent men I’ve ever been around,” Groh said.
The highlight of their — and Coughlin’s — time with the Giants was the Super Bowl win over the Buffalo Bills in January 1991. Belichick’s unorthodox game plan, designed with Groh’s aid, bottled up the Bills’ no-huddle “K-Gun” offense and is included in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Groh worked for or with Belichick another five seasons, with the Cleveland Browns, Patriots and New York Jets. Groh remains close with Belichick, as well as Parcells, and has made several trips to visit him to talk shop and trade ideas.
Coughlin was a wide receivers coach with the Giants in 1988-90 and left after the Super Bowl to coach Boston College. Groh described him as “all business, always prepared for every practice, for every game, with a very, very strong set of personal standards and values.”
Besides Coughlin, Belichick and Groh, who was head coach at Virginia and with the New York Jets, three others on the staff became head coaches at either the NFL or the college level — Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel and Ray Handley.
“There were a lot of very bright, very focused, very hard-working guys,” Groh said. “It was apparent that, I think to all of us, we were working with really good coaches, whether it was meetings that we held together or drills that we conducted.”
A Patriots victory would give Groh and his wife, Anne, a particularly impressive Christmas greetings letter this year. Groh’s eldest son, Mike, is the wide receivers coach at Alabama, which won the BCS championship in January.
Said Groh, “Anne and I will be watching with great focus on Sunday.”
