Last modified: Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:49 AM EST Patriots assistant head coach Dante Scarnecchia. (Staff photo by KEITH NORDSTROM) Long-time coach walks the line BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - When Dante Scarnecchia is coaching the members of his offensive line, he often lets them have it verbally in language that's unmistakable and to the point, so there will be no mistaking what he said or the importance of it. To Patriots' offensive guard Russ Hochstein, that's just like home cooking for the soul. "Dante, in a lot of respects, is like your dad," the seventh-year veteran from Nebraska said Wednesday at the Patriots' Super Bowl XLII headquarters. "When you're not doing well, he'll let you know about it. When you're doing well, he'll also compliment you on it. But he demands that you work extremely hard, that you don't cut corners, and that you work well together, and he's very big on the fact that it doesn't matter how athletic you are or how talented you are, you can overcome a lot of it if you follow the simple things that are taught to you over the years, and that you play within yourself." Scarnecchia, now in his 24th season as a Patriots' assistant, 26th overall in the pros and 38th in coaching, has finally won the respect among his peers in the league and from the national media for the job he's done in producing and mentoring an offensive line that is among the best in the league for what they do. And, as one might expect, that means practically nothing to the long-time Wrentham resident. All that matters to him is that his athletes do their jobs, that the head coach has faith in him, and that the result has been success on the field for the Patriots. "I like to be low-profile," Scarnecchia said Wednesday, "and I would rather that we were all low profile. We've had a lot of success here over a period of time, and I think our success is team-related. I hope that everyone understands that on this team." As the Patriots prepare to play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl this Sunday (6:18 p.m.; Ch, 25, 64), one of the most important aspects of their success in this 18-0 season has been the preparedness and execution of their offensive line - and that includes not only the five starters (Pro Bowl selections Matt Light, Logan Mankins and Dan Koppen and right-side starters Stephen Neal and Nick Kaczur), but also key reserves such as Hochstein, Ryan O'Callaghan and Wesley Britt, who have all been called upon to fill in when starters have been nicked up. "You can't say enough about the job Dante has done with the offensive line this year and through the years," Patriots' coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday in his press conference at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. "Every week those guys are extremely well prepared. They play hard and play well and make very few mistakes. They play together as a unit well. "Dante has a great deal of experience and is very energetic," Belichick continued. "Despite what his chronological age is, he coaches with a vigor and enthusiasm and energy that is kind of special and very noticeable on the field. I think his players and Dante have a very special relationship. Those offensive linemen and their coach have a very close relationship that is good for our football team." Hochstein, a trusted reserve who has filled in at center and guard frequently over his five seasons as a Patriot, would agree. "My coach does a good job of preparing me every week, and for different situations, so if that may arise, I can go in and play at a high level," he said. "It's his teaching, and as an O-line, we've been together for a while, so we try to work hard, try to work together. "And it's not like I don't try to get in and take practice reps at different positions. I'm comfortable with the guys I play with, and I try to go in there and give it all I've got, and try to play well," he said. Scarnecchia, who'll turn 60 on Feb. 15, is just as Belichick advertised - a fit and energetic man who gives a total effort to his job in classic football style. His instructions can often be heard far and wide across the Patriots' practice fields, depending upon how well or how poorly they're being followed, but no one who has every played for him has claimed he isn't fair and honest. "I think you've got to be who you are, even if it rubs guys the wrong way," said Scarnecchia, who also carries the title of assistant head coach. "I think we always get across to them that this is how it's going to be, this is how we're going to do it, and not to take any of it personally. "Whenever my journey's run, I hope to be coaching the same way I am now," he said. "I don't worry about it being right or wrong in this day and age, I just have my way of doing it." Scarnecchia has coached several different positions for the Patriots since coming to them as part of the staff that Ron Meyer brought from Southern Methodist in 1982. His longest tenure other than with the offensive line was in coaching the tight ends and special teams for a total of 11 years. He coached the Indianapolis Colts' offensive line for two years when Meyer was hired there, and has been in charge of the Patriots' line since 1999, Pete Carroll's last year as head coach. Scarnecchia said he believed his time with other positions was equally demanding and important, but clearly, the success he has had with the offensive line has been a major contribution to the success of the Patriots during their current "dynastic" period. "I would hope that when I coached special teams and the tight ends, that it was the same me," he said. "But I played this position, I coached this position for 11 years in college, and I'm here in the 10th year of doing it, and you feel comfortable doing it. I hope (his linemen) look at it that way, that here's a guy in his comfort zone, doing what he likes to do. I hope they appreciate that." A source of great satisfaction for him is the way that a journeyman like Hochstein can jump in and play, and maintain a certain level of quality for the position group, on a moment's notice. That takes a special mindset, he said. "It really does. It's a tribute to them and their work ethic. The fact that they've been around here and can step into situations like Ryan did against the Giants in the last game and Russ has done throughout his career, that's what they're expected to do," he said. "The more you can do, the better off you'll be," Hochstein said. "I'm just like everyone else, I've been able to play different positions, and it's a lot of fun. I enjoy it. Sometimes it's hard mentally because you have to move yourself around mentally and make different calls, but I have a lot of fun with it." Scarnecchia said it's not easy for a player like Hochstein to maintain his mental edge with fewer physical repetitions available to him. "You can't let your mind wander in the meetings, you've got to listen to what's being said, because it's a tweaked ankle away from having you out there and having to do it," Scarnecchia said. "Today we only have 25 or 30 team reps. Those guys can't expect to take more than a few of them. So they have to do it visually, they have to do it through the drills, and when their time comes, they've got to go." "When I'm called upon," Hochstein said, "I just try to help my team the best I can." MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com