NFL

Antonio Pierce to coach HS football power

Former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, the brains of a defense that beat Tom Brady and the previously unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, is going back to school. Pierce, according to various reports, will make his coaching debut as the new head coach of Long Beach Poly in California.

Pierce, 35, is a native of Compton, Calif. He played nine years in the NFL, most prominently as the starting middle linebacker for the Giants during the 2007 season, a smart, instinctive player who often was able to decipher an opposing offense and relay that information to his teammates. He currently is football analyst for ESPN.

Pierce will become the 25th head coach in Long Beach Poly history and only the third since 1985. He has no previous coaching experience. He staged free youth camps in his home state for several years. Long Beach Poly has sent more than 60 players to the NFL — no high school has sent more — including Eagles WR DeSean Jackson.