New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has been an integral part of the team’s success over the past two decades. His coaching style and philosophy has seemingly gotten the best, maybe even more than that, out of any offensive lineman he molds during their time in New England, no matter their skill level or age.

But the success he and the linemen he coaches doesn’t come from lighthearted conversation. It comes from tough love, whether they are a rookie or a veteran. Scarnecchia doesn’t discriminate from who he chooses to criticize. This was highlighted during a recent story written by NFL Network’s Mike Giardi, in which he spoke to former Patriots offensive lineman about their experiences with Scarnecchia, who head coach Bill Belichick said he would “trust him with his career.”

The first story recounted was by former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody, who sat down with Scarnnechia in the pre-draft process back in 1998.

“Then Scarnecchia had Woody sit down, put a tape into the VCR (they still used those back then) and ‘it was literally my worst game in college,’ laughed Woody, recalling his performance against Syracuse,” Giardi wrote. “‘He went play by play and I sat with him for hours and it seemed like every play took 15 minutes. I literally felt like melting in the chair.'”

The other recounted story was from longtime Patriot Dan Koppen, who was roasted in front of his teammates by Scarnecchia during a film session.

“Koppen recalls a lowlight — but teachable moment — for him a couple of seasons into his 11-year career during an in-stadium training camp practice for season-ticket holders,” wrote Giardi.

“Apparently I wasn’t giving him the effort he was expecting,” Koppen said. “Boy, did I learn that pretty quickly that there’s no days off. I got an ass-chewing. It wasn’t in private. It was in front of all my teammates, all my linemen. He’d do it to me, to Matt Light, to Shaq. There are no sacred cows. And he would say he’s not one, either.”

Scarnecchia reflects an attitude that Belichick has displayed during his whole tenure as head coach in New England, which has led to a team-first attitude and six championships.

Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski mentioned that narrative in a recent trailer for HBO’s “The Shop” in which he said that “You’re not treated like a superstar in that organization” and that not even Tom Brady, a future Hall of Famer and the greatest quarterback of all-time, gets special treatment. It’s just one of the many ideas that separates New England from the rest of the NFL, which is why they have dominated the league for the last 19 years.

Other apps just deliver sports. The USA TODAY Sportswire app lets you pick specific team sites to get only the news that you want to know.

newsletter Get 10 hot stories each day Thanks for signing up.

Please check your email for a confirmation. Thanks for signing up.

Please check your email for a confirmation.