The List: Buccaneers and Chiefs punch their tickets to Super Bowl LV
Super Bowl LV is finally set! The game on February 7 will feature the Buccaneers and the Chiefs, who both won their conference championship games on Sunday. What could be a more fitting culmination to such a crazy season than having the team hosting the game playing in it for the first time in the event’s illustrious history? In addition, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady will be meeting in the playoffs for the third straight year, with this year’s faceoff being for all the marbles.
There were plenty of coaching changes and other off-the-field happenings but, as always, we start with the gridiron action.
THE GAMES
Brady leads the Buccaneers past the Packers to reach his 10th Super Bowl
Tom Brady overcame three interceptions and a solid game by his counterpart, Aaron Rodgers, to lead the Buccaneers over the Packers, 31-23, in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday afternoon. Brady threw three touchdowns in the game’s first 32 minutes, to win the “Battle of the Bays” and reach the Super Bowl for the 10th time. The Buccaneers and Packers have seen their rivalry soften in recent years, but Tampa Bay also defeated Green Bay, 38-10, in Week 6. From 1977 until the NFL realigned the divisions before the 2002 season, these teams used to play one another twice a year in the NFC Central.
Tampa Bay marched down the field quickly on its first possession, with Brady completing passes to Mike Evans (27 yards) and Chris Godwin (14) before he finished things off with a 15-yard pass to Evans four minutes into the contest. Rodgers responded with a 90-yard drive that included first-down passes to Allen Lazard (23 yards) and Davante Adams (15). The Packers tied the score when Rodgers floated a pass over the defense to Marquez Valdes-Scantling which turned into a 50-yard touchdown.
Brady’s next possession was shorter but no less effective. Godwin outjumped Jaire Alexander to make the grab on a 52-yard pass deep into Packers territory. On the next play, Leonard Fournette broke two tackles and made a spin move as part of his 20-yard run to the end zone. Rodgers and running back Aaron Jones led the next march down the field, but the Tampa Bay defense held in the red zone and Green Bay had to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Mason Crosby.
The Packers seemed to have momentum in the final two minutes of the first half, but Sean Murphy intercepted Rodgers at midfield (although he may have gotten away with a hold on Lazard). The Buccaneers made a gutsy call to go for it on 4th-and-4, but Fournette took a pass from Brady in the flat and fought for a first down. On the next play, Scottie Miller got behind the defense and Brady hit him with a 39-yard scoring pass, giving Tampa Bay a 21-10 lead at halftime. The longtime Patriots passer had 202 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Things didn’t go much better for Green Bay on their first drive after the break. On third down, Rodgers passed to Aaron Jones, but Jordan Whitehead knocked the ball loose. Devin White recovered for Tampa Bay and returned the ball 21 yards. Brady capitalized on the next play, hitting tight end Cameron Brate in the back of the end zone with an eight-yard pass, giving the Buccaneers an 18-point advantage. Rodgers and his team shrugged off their previous mistakes and put together an eight-play, 75-yard drive to cut into the lead. The veteran quarterback completed four first-down passes, including a 24-yarder to Valdes-Scantling, and ended the drive with an eight-yard pass to Robert Tonyan.
Brady made a mistake on his next drive by trying to reach Evans through double coverage. Adrian Amos came up with the interception, and Green Bay tightened the score on the ensuing possession. Rodgers completed 8 of 9 passes on a 13-play, 68-yard drive. Rodgers and Adams connected on a two-yard scoring pass, but Equanimeous St. Brown dropped the two-point conversion pass, and the Packers trailed, 28-23, heading into the final quarter.
Tampa Bay squandered a 43-yard kickoff return by Jaydon Mickens when Alexander intercepted Brady deep in Green Bay territory, but the Packers could not capitalize. The Green Bay defense brought more pressure on the next drive and Alexander picked off Brady’s wayward pass again. The teams traded field goals later in the fourth, but the Packers made the questionable decision of kicking, rather than going for it on 4th-and-goal from the 8 with 2:05 left. Fournette ran four times on the final drive and the Packers were charged with a questionable pass interference penalty, allowing the Buccaneers to hold on and reach the Super Bowl for only the in franchise history.
Brady had 280 yards passing, Godwin had five receptions for 110 yards, Evans added 51 yards and a touchdown receiving and Fournette posted a game-high 55 yards and a score rushing for Tampa Bay. Rogers threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, but he also tossed an interception and was sacked five times. While the Green Bay running game was held in check, three Packers receivers produced solid games. Valdes-Scantling had a game-high 115 yards, Adams had 67 yards and led all players with nine catches and Lazard added 62 yards.
Chiefs will play for their second straight title after beating the Bills
Patrick Mahomes threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns as the Chiefs defeated the Bills, 38-24, on Sunday night to return to the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Mahomes put the game out of reach with two second-half scoring passes. The game was a contest between starting quarterbacks who were both age 25 or younger for just the second time in NFL conference championship game history (Vince Ferragamo and the Rams defeated Doug Williams and the Buccaneers in the 1979 NFC title game).
Both teams had trouble generating offense in the first quarter, but Buffalo took the lead on a 51-yard field goal by Tyler Bass. The Bills punted on their next possession, but Mecole Hardman let the ball slip from his grasp and Taiwan Jones recovered on the three-yard-line. Josh Allen capitalized on the next play, with his pass to tight end Dawson Knox giving his team a 9-0 advantage.
The Chiefs responded with touchdowns on three straight drives in the second quarter. Hardman redeemed his earlier fumble by catching a three-yard pass from Mahomes to end a 14-play drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock. Kansas City scored much quicker on its next possession. Mahomes completed a 50-yard pass to Hardman and a 15-yarder to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce to set up Darrel Williams’ six-yard run for a 14-9 lead. The Chiefs had one more dominating drive in the first half, with Mahomes hooking up with Tyreek Hill for a 33-yard gain and finding Kelce for 17 more yards to set up a one-yard run by Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The rookie returned after missing the previous three games with hip and ankle injuries. Allen completed several key passes on his final drive of the first half, but the Bills had to settle for another Bass field goal and went into the break trailing 21-12.
Each team put together long drives that led to field goals in the third quarter, but the Chiefs extended their lead later in the period. Mahomes and Hill combined on a 71-yard pass to set up 1st-and-goal, and the 2018 NFL MVP ended the drive with another completion to Kelce for a 31-15 advantage. The Bills got into the red zone on their next possession, but Allen’s pass for John Brown was intercepted by Rashad Fenton and returned 30 yards.
Kansas City took advantage, with Mahomes and Kelce hooking up for a second score and a 38-15 lead. Buffalo responded with a touchdown pass from Allen to Isaiah McKenzie and the Bills recovered an onside kick after Armani Watts lost control of the ball. Allen completed a 34-yard pass to Cole Beasley, but then things got heated. Tanoh Kpassagnon sacked Allen for an 18-yard loss on third down, and the game was stopped for several minutes while referees sorted out penalties from scrap after the play (I’m STILL not sure how three penalties for the Bills, including two personal fouls, offset one unsportsmanlike conduct foul by the Chiefs). In the end, Bass kicked a 51-yard field goal, but Kansas City recovered the onside kick and ran the final three minutes off the clock.
Darrel Williams ran for 52 yards and a score and Hardman’s day included muffing a punt, catching a touchdown pass, and breaking off a 50-yard rush. The Chiefs’ two top targets both set franchise playoff receiving records. Hill caught nine passes for a club-record 172 yards and Kelce set a mark with 13 receptions in addition to 118 yards and two scores. Buffalo was led by Cole Beasley (seven catches for 88 yards) and Diggs (6-77). Allen single-season franchise marks in passing yards (4,544) and touchdowns (37) in 2020. In this game, he had 287 yards and two scores, and he also ran for a game-high 88 yards, but he threw a costly interception and was sacked four times.
Super Bowl LV will be a showdown between the 43-year-old Brady, who is arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, and the 25-year-old Mahomes, the young gun who some say is Brady’s heir apparent.
I’m not the only writer at Inside the Hashes who broke down the Conference Championship Games. Check out Richie Dordas’ story.
THE NEWS
Rivers announced his retirement
Philip Rivers spent most of his 17 seasons being overshadowed, but he was a model of consistency over his career, which ended when he announced his retirement on Jan. 20. He was a star everywhere he played, from Rivers High School in Alabama to North Carolina State to his long NFL stay with the Chargers and Colts.
During his time with the Wolfpack, Rivers started all four seasons, was named the ACC Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman, earned ACC Player of the Year and Athlete of the Year awards as a senior, and the MVP of three bowl game victories. Rivers was also part of a memorable trade at the top of 2004. The Chargers selected Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall pick, but Manning (and his father, Archie) made it clear he did not want to play in San Diego. Although Rivers was projected to go to the Steelers at pick 12, he was selected fourth by the Giants and traded to the Chargers because their head coach, Marty Schottenheimer, had been his coach at that year’s Senior Bowl. In addition to Rivers, San Diego received a third-round pick in 2004 (kicker Nate Kaeding), plus first- and fifth-round selections the following year (linebacker Shawne Merriman was taken with pick 12, and the other pick was traded to the Buccaneers for tackle Roman Oben).
Rivers was San Diego’s third-string quarterback as a rookie and jumped to the backup spot after Doug Flutie was released in 2005. He took over the starting role the following year after Drew Brees was traded to the Saints, and he led the Chargers to a franchise-best 14-2 record and the top seed in the AFC playoffs. However, the season ended with a late Stephen Gostkowski field goal and a disappointing loss to the Patriots in the Division Round. In 2007, Rivers and the Chargers won the AFC West with an 11-5 record and toppled the Titans and the Colts in the postseason, but he threw two interceptions in a loss to the “perfect” New England team in the conference championship game.
Overall, Rivers started 224 straight games with San Diego, and he amassed a 123-101 record. He topped the NFL with 34 touchdowns in 2008 and led the league with 4,710 yards two years later. The eight-time Pro Bowler led the Chargers to the playoffs six times, including four straight years from 2006-09, but his overall postseason performance was inconsistent.
After 16 seasons with the Chargers, Rivers joined the Colts in 2020 and led a balanced offense that featured rookie running back Jonathan Taylor as well as wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Zach Pascal. Indianapolis finished second in the AFC South with an 11-5 record and fell 27-24 to Buffalo in the Wild Card game. Rivers ranks fifth in NFL history with 63,440 passing yards (with 4,000 or more yards in 12 seasons including the final eight of his career) and 421 touchdowns (he threw at least 30 scores in a season six times).
Now that he is retired, Rivers, his wife, Tiffany, and their nine children will head to his home state of Alabama, where he is planning on coaching at St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, on the southern tip of the state. There are also reports that ESPN is talking to Rivers about joining the network as an NFL analyst.
Olsen retired and will join FOX NFL coverage
Most players hold press conferences when they retire. Greg Olsen’s announcement was also a start to his new career path. Olsen went on FOX’s pregame show ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship game to announce that, not only had he played his last game but also that he was transitioning to broadcasting and joining the network’s NFL coverage team.
Olsen was selected by the Bears late in the first round of the 2007 draft, and he was selected to the All-Rookie Team after making 39 catches. He blossomed after being traded to the Panthers in 2011. Over the next nine seasons, Olsen helped make Carolina into a title contender. He made the Pro Bowl three straight seasons, including 2015, when he amassed a career-high 1,104 yards in the regular season and 231 more in the playoffs, including 41 in a Panthers loss to the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Olsen ranks third in Carolina history in receptions (524) and yards (6,463), and he is fourth with 39 touchdowns.
Olsen lost several games over his final four seasons to foot injuries. He played eight games with the Seahawks in 2020, posting 24 catches, 239 yards, and a score. Olsen’s career totals are some of the most impressive at his position in NFL history. He ranks fifth among tight ends with 742 catches and 8,683 yards.
Steelers tight end McDonald retired
While Rivers and Olsen are more well-known names, they were not the only players to retire this week. On Friday, Steelers tight end Vance McDonald announced he would be stepping away from the game after eight seasons. He was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and he split his career evenly between San Francisco and Pittsburgh, which included a trade to the Steel City just before the 2017 season.
Although he never received any individual accolades at the professional level, McDonald was a talented blocker who totaled 181 catches, 2,036 yards, and 15 touchdowns in his career. He was a part of the 49ers team that fell to the Seahawks in the 2013 NFC Championship Game, but his proudest moment may have been when he stiff-armed Buccaneers safety Chris Conte to the turf on his way to a 75-yard touchdown in a 2018 game.
Former Packers general manager Thompson passed away
Ted Thompson, who spent nearly 30 years in NFL front offices, most with the Packers, passed away on Jan. 20 at age 68. His time in Green Bay included two Super Bowl titles, and he is also responsible for drafting several players who have become all-time greats in franchise history. Thompson started his football career as a linebacker at Southern Methodist and, despite being undrafted in 1975, he ended up spending 10 seasons for Bum Phillips and the Houston Oilers, mostly as a reserve and special teams player.
Thompson was hired by the Packers as a scout and assistant director of pro personnel in 1992, and he was promoted the following season. During his five-year run at the position, the Packers played in the NFL’s biggest game twice, and they won Super Bowl XXXI against the Patriots. Following two more seasons as director of player personnel with Green Bay, he moved to the Pacific Northwest, spending four years as vice president of football operations with Seattle.
Thompson returned to the Packers in 2005 and spent the next 13 seasons as the team’s general manager before stepping back to a senior advisor role in 2018. In that time, he drafted 16 players that were selected to the Pro Bowl, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receivers Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, offensive tackles Bryan Bulaga and David Bakhtiari, kicker Mason Crosby and defensive stars A.J. Hawk, Clay Matthews, Morgan Burnett, and B.J. Raji. His impact was all over the team that made this year’s NFC Championship Game, with nine players he drafted on the active roster. Thompson was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in November 2018.
Two-time champion lineman Tony Jones died
Tony Jones, who was part of back-to-back Super Bowl-winning teams with the Broncos in the late 1990s, passed away on Friday at age 54. Jones was a tackle out of Western Carolina who signed with the Browns after going undrafted in 1988. He became a starter in his third season in Cleveland and spent nine years with the franchise overall, including 1996, after the team moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens.
Jones was traded to the Broncos the following year, and he proved to be worth the second-round pick Denver gave up to acquire him. “T-Bone” earned his only Pro Bowl selection in 1998 and was a starter for the team’s championships in Super Bowls XXXII (a 31-24 win over the Packers) and XXXIII (a 34-19 triumph against the Falcons). Jones retired in 2000 after a 13-year career that included 184 games and 174 starts.
Stafford requested a trade from the Lions
After 12 seasons and several passing records, the Matthew Stafford era in Detroit appears to be over. With the Lions starting over with new head coach Dan Campbell, Stafford and the team have agreed to part ways and trade options are being discussed.
Stafford was a 2008 All-American at Georgia, and the Lions took him with the top overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft. He missed 13 games due to a shoulder injury in his second season, but he returned to post career highs with 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns while earning Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2011. He earned his only Pro Bowl selection in 2014, but he played in just three postseason games and was on the losing end of all of them.
Stafford is Detroit’s all-time leader with 45,109 yards, and he threw for more than 4,000 in a season eight times. He also tops the franchise list with 282 touchdowns and 144 interceptions. He started all 16 games in 2020 despite suffering thumb, rib, ankle, and neck injuries.
Steelers sign Haskins to a reserve/futures contract
The promising career of Dwayne Haskins might be over yet. The 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was released by Washington in December due to inconsistent play on the field and questionable decision-making off the field. However, he may have found a coach that is perfect to work with him and resurrect his image. On Thursday, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers signed him to a reserve/futures contract, potentially giving the 23-year-old a spot on the roster for training camp next season.
Haskins was a first-team All-Big Ten recipient and Rose Bowl game MVP with Ohio State during the 2018 season, but his professional career has been less than stellar. He only produced a 3-10 record in two seasons with Washington, and his 12-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio did not come close to meeting his pre-draft expectations. However, he most likely will be in competition with Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs to be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup next season.
Health care workers to get Super Bowl tickets
Super Bowl LV between the Buccaneers and Chiefs will be seen by 22,000 fans inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. More than one-third of that crowd will consist of health care workers after the NFL announced this past week that 7,500 brave men and women who were on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic will be given free tickets to the game. Most of the workers will come from central Florida and the Tampa area, but each NFL team will also be allowed to send workers from their communities. In order to be considered, all workers were required to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The NFL plans on enforcing the same coronavirus prevention policy that is used throughout the 2020 regular season and playoffs. Protocols include mandatory mask-wearing, social distancing, touchless concession and restroom experiences, podded seating, and security checkpoints.
Falcons to retire number for Hank Aaron in 2021
Arguably the biggest non-NFL sports news of the past week was the death of baseball great Hank Aaron. “Hammerin’ Hank” passed away on Friday at age 86 and throughout the weekend, tributes came in for the former home run king from all over, especially in the world of sports. Aaron was a 25-time All-Star (Major League Baseball held two All-Star Games per season from 1959-62), was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982, and had his number 44 retired by the Braves in 1977. After his passing, the NFL’s Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC followed suit and announced that the number will not be used, at least for the 2021 season. Undrafted free agent cornerback Tyler Hall wore number 44 for Atlanta this season. He made six tackles in nine games for the Falcons.
Colts’ Buckner earns Polynesian player award
On Thursday, Colts defensive tackle DeForest Bucker added another accolade to his stellar season, the Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year Award. He became the fifth player to win the award, following then-Cardinals guard Mike Iupati, then-Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley. The honor is given out annually by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, which is located at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu Island, Hawaii. Buckner, the son of a Samoan mother and African American father, played high school football in Honolulu before attending the University of Oregon. He was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft and, after four years with San Francisco, he was traded to Indianapolis in 2020. With the Colts, Buckner posted 9½ sacks, 58 tackles, and two forced fumbles in 15 games to earn first-team All-Pro honors.
Outgoing President Trump pardons Urlacher’s brother
During their last days in office, American presidents usually pass out commuted sentences and pardons, and Donald Trump continued that practice. Over his final week, Trump offered 70 commuted sentences 74 pardons and, while most of those were given to people in the political sphere, one has a tie to the NFL. Casey Urlacher, the brother of former Bears star linebacker and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, was named in a 2020 grand jury indictment and was charged with conspiracy and running an illegal gambling business, which each carried a potential five-year prison sentence before the pardon. Casey Urlacher still serves as the mayor of the village of Mettawa, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago with about 500 residents.
Conference Championship week injuries
Only a handful of players were ruled out before Sunday’s NFC and AFC Championship games including Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell (knee), Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown (knee), Packers tackle Jared Veldheer (COVID-19 protocol), running back Tyler Ervin (foot) and The lineman Kingsley Keke (concussion).
However, several key players had to leave Sunday’s games due to injury including Chiefs tackle Eric Fisher (torn Achilles), along with safeties L’Jarius Sneed and Armani Watts (both with concussions), Packers running back Aaron Jones (chest), defensive tackle Tyler Lancaster (ankle) and linebacker Krys Barnes (thumb), as well as Buccaneers Jordan Whitehead, who suffered a shoulder injury tackling Jones on the play before he left the game in the third quarter.
One player who did not miss any time during the playoffs was Cole Beasley, but it was later disclosed that he powered through an injury that reminded some fans of a bygone era. Despite suffering a partially broken fibula, the wide receiver played in all three of the Bills’ playoff games, totaling 14 catches for 145 yards. According to Beasley, the injury caused him some discomfort during the Wild Card game against the Colts, but the pain was almost non-existent for the Division Round contest against the Ravens, as well as the loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
The 49ers received some good news about backup quarterback Nick Mullens. Even though Mullens had elbow surgery in late December, the damage was not as extensive as first thought and did not require Tommy John surgery, meaning he should be fully recovered by the start of training camp. Mullens started eight games in place of Jimmy Garoppolo and led San Francisco with 2,437 yards and 12 touchdowns.
If you need a break from reading The List, you can always check out Jacob Keppen’s mock draft of the Dolphins.
COACHING AND FRONT OFFICE MOVES
Eagles hire Sirianni as head coach
At the beginning of the week, the Eagles and Texans were the only teams that did not have a head coach. Philadelphia negotiated with Nick Sirianni throughout the week and officially hired the Indianapolis offensive coordinator on Sunday morning to replace Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson, who was fired by the team on Jan. 11. Sirianni got his start coaching defensive backs for his alma mater, Mount Union, in 2005, and he has been a coach in the NFL for the past 12 years.
Sirianni coached quarterbacks, wide receivers and served as an offensive quality control coach with the Chiefs from 2009-12, and he held the same three positions with the Chargers from 2013-17. For the past three seasons, Sirianni was the Colts’ offensive coordinator. Indianapolis had a top 10 offense two of those years, but the team struggled with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback in 2019. Philadelphia’s offense dropped to 26th in the league in scoring this past season.
In addition to Sirianni, the Eagles also hired two more former members of the Colts’ coaching staff. Jonathan Gannon, who spent the past three years as Indianapolis defensive backs, will be the defensive coordinator, and Kevin Patullo was named pass game coordinator. Patullo was the Colts’ wide receivers coach in 2018-19 and the team’s pass game specialist in 2020.
Finally, Philadelphia brought in Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator after spending the 2020 season in that role for the Chargers. Lynn was a defensive assistant with the then-San Diego-based club from 2011-12. After one year on the Browns’ coaching staff, Steichen returned to the Chargers, first as offensive quality control coach (2014-15) and then quarterbacks coach (2016-19). He was named interim offensive coordinator after Ken Whisenhunt was fired late in the 2019 season, and he assumed the full-time position last year.
Washington hired Mayhew as GM and gave Hurney a different role
Sometimes the “experts” (and me) jump the gun. Last week, Washington was reported to be finalizing a deal that would have brought in former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney to the same role. However, the club changed directions and hired former 49ers executive Martin Mayhew as general manager on Thursday while naming Hurney will become the executive vice president of football and player personnel.
Mayhew was a cornerback at Florida State who split an eight-year NFL career between the Redskins and Buccaneers and was a member of a Washington squad that won Super Bowl XXVI. He spent 15 seasons in the Lions’ front office, serving as senior director of football operation (2001-03), senior vice president and assistant general manager (2004-08), and general manager (2008-15). After one season as director of football operations for the Giants, Mayhew went to the 49ers, where he was senior personnel executive from 2017-18 and served as the team’s vice president of player personnel the past two seasons. Mayhew also worked in the NFL’s labor operations department in 2000 and was director of football administration for the original XFL in 2001.
Other coaching and front office news
The Jaguars made several moves to make new head coach Urban Meyer’s transition from college to the NFL go as smoothly as possible. Early Thursday, Jacksonville hired Trent Baalke as full-time general manager. He held the same role with the 49ers from 2011-16 and had been hired as director of player personnel for the Jaguars last year. He was named interim general manager after David Caldwell was fired in late November.
Jacksonville also addressed the coordinator positions this week, bringing in Darrell Bevell on offense and Joe Cullen for the defense. Bevell had been the offensive coordinator for the Vikings (2006-10) and Seahawks (2011-17) before joining the Lions in 2019. He went 1-4 as interim head coach after Detroit fired Matt Patricia in late November. Cullen has been an NFL defensive line coach with the Lions (2006-08), Jaguars (2010-12), Browns (2013), Buccaneers (2014-15), and Ravens (2016-20). Under his watch, Baltimore’s defense has been in the top third of the NFL in both scoring and total yards allowed in each of the past five years.
The Lions also made several hires this week. John Dorsey, who has spent 30 years behind the scenes in the NFL, was named a front office consultant. He served as general manager of the Chiefs (2013-16) and Browns (2017-19) and was a consultant with the Eagles this past season. Detroit also brought in Anthony Lynn to be offensive coordinator under new head coach Dan Campbell. Lynn went 33-31 over the past four years as Chargers head coach, and he also served as offensive coordinator and interim head coach of the Bills in 2016. Finally, the Lions named Duce Staley as assistant head coach and running backs coach. Staley ran for more than 5,000 yards during a 10-year playing career with the Eagles and Steelers. He spent the past 10 years on Philadelphia’s coaching staff, rising from special teams quality control coach and running backs coach before becoming an assistant head coach under Doug Pederson in 2018. Staley won championships in Super Bowl XL as a backup running back with the Steelers and Super Bowl LII as a coach with the Eagles.
Another team who changed head coaches, the Falcons, also added new coordinators this week. Two-time Super Bowl champion Dean Pees was hired on defense and former quarterback Dave Ragone will run the offense. Pees was linebackers coach and defensive coordinator during a six-year stint with the Patriots that included a Super Bowl XXXIX victory, and he held the same two roles with the Ravens from 2010-17, in which he earned a second championship ring after Baltimore’s victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Pees was the defensive coordinator with the Titans in 2018-19 and came out of retirement to join the Falcons. Ragone was David Carr’s backup for three seasons with the Texans in the early 2000s. He spent the past five years with the Bears, four as quarterbacks coach (2016-19) and this season as passing game coordinator.
Last week, Brandon Staley left the Rams to become head coach of the Chargers. This week, the Rams filled the Staley’s vacated defensive coordinator post with Raheem Morris, who went 4-7 as interim head coach of the Falcons after Atlanta fired Dan Quinn in early October. Morris joined the Falcons as defensive backs coach in 2015. Before that, he spent 10 years with the Buccaneers, culminating with a three-year stint as head coach from 2009-11.
The Chargers made a pair of coaching moves as well, bringing in Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator and Renaldo Hill as defensive coordinator. Lombardi spent 12 seasons as an offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach with the Saints, and he helped Drew Brees to set multiple passing records. The Super Bowl XLIV championship coordinator also spent one year with the Falcons as a defensive assistant in 2006 and two as offensive coordinator of the Lions in 2013-14. Hill had 19 interceptions in his 10-year playing career and turned to coaching after retiring in 2010. He was assistant defensive backs coach with the Dolphins in 2018, and he spent the past two seasons as defensive backs coach with the Broncos. Under Hill’s watch, Denver allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards in the NFL in 2020 while posting a league-high 23 interceptions.
Although many people still are not satisfied with the number of minority coaching and general managers being hired in the NFL, the Bears made a positive coaching hire this week. After Chuck Pagano announced his retirement, Chicago promoted safeties coach Sean Desai to defensive coordinator, making him the first person of Indian descent to become a coordinator in the NFL. Desai served as the Bears’ quality control assistant from 2013-18 and spent the past two years coaching safeties under head coach Matt Nagy.
The Ravens replaced a pair of departures on the defensive coaching staff, hiring Rob Ryan as inside linebackers coach and naming former defensive end Anthony Weaver as defensive line coach. Ryan, the silver-haired brother of former Jets and Bills head coach Rex Ryan, last served as inside linebackers coach with the Redskins in 2019. He also was the defensive coordinator with the Raiders (2004-08), Browns (2009-10), Cowboys (2011-12), and Saints (2013-15). Weaver played seven years in the NFL with the Ravens and Texans, and he spent the past five seasons as defensive line coach in Houston. He was named defensive coordinator in 2020. The pair join John Harbaugh’s staff and replace Mike McDonald, who became the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan, and Joe Cullen, who is now defensive coordinator with the Jaguars.
Matt Patricia is returning to the site of his greatest professional success. The Patriots brought him back to serve as an assistant for both the coaching and scouting staffs. Patricia began his NFL career as an offensive assistant with New England in 2004. He also coached the offensive line, linebackers, and safeties before spending six years as defensive coordinator from 2012-17. The three-time champion was hired as Lions head coach in 2018, but he went just 13-29-1 before Detroit fired him following a loss in the Thanksgiving Day game.
With Nick Sirianni leaving to become head coach of the Eagles, that left a vacancy in the Colts’ coaching staff. On Monday, Indianapolis promoted quarterbacks coach Marcus Brady to fill the offensive coordinator void. Brady spent seven years playing quarterback in the Canadian Football League and was a CFL coach for nine more seasons, rising to the position of offensive coordinator with the Montreal Alouettes (2012) and Toronto Argonauts (2013-17). The Colts hired him as assistant quarterbacks coach the following year, and he spent the past two seasons as lead quarterbacks coach. Brady’s biggest task will be to groom a new starting passer following the retirement of Philip Rivers.
Women continue to show their value as coaches in the NFL. On Thursday night, Washington hired coaching intern Jennifer King as an offensive assistant, making her the first full-time African American female coach in NFL history. King played four years professionally in the Women’s Football Alliance and was an intern for wide receivers and running backs in 2018-19 with the Panthers. Before joining Washington, she was an offensive assistant with Dartmouth.
Sometimes coaches are just more suited to the college game than they are with the NFL. Alabama is hoping that is the case with Bill O’Brien, who was a solid head coach for two seasons with Penn State but was inconsistent with the Texans before he was fired in early October. He will become Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator with the Crimson Tide, replacing Steve Sarkisian, who is now the head coach at Texas. O’Brien took over the Nittany Lions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal in 2012 and had a 15-9 record. He led the Texans to a 52-48 mark and four playoff appearances as a coach, but he had a disconnect with Houston players and is best known for his short-sighted trade of star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins before the 2020 season.
O’Brien is not the only former NFL coach joining Alabama’s staff. On Monday, the Crimson Tide hired former Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone to work with the offensive line. Marrone went a combined 38-60 in six-plus seasons as head coach of Buffalo and Jacksonville until he was fired after the 2020 campaign. Before his recent NFL experience, Marrone was the head coach at Syracuse, amassing a 25-25 record in four seasons (2009-12) and leading the Orange to a pair of Pinstripe Bowl wins.
Speaking of the Texans, Gary Kubiak, the franchise’s all-time leader in coaching victories, retired on Thursday. Kubiak spent nine years as John Elway’s backup quarterback with the Broncos before turning to coaching. He was Denver’s offensive coordinator from 1995-2005 and had a 61-64 record in eight seasons as Houston’s head coach. Kubiak was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014 and returned to the Mile High City to coach the Broncos to a win in Super Bowl 50. He was an advisor, assistant head coach, and offensive coordinator the past two seasons with the Vikings. In all, Kubiak won four titles (Super Bowl XXIX as quarterbacks coach with the 49ers in 1994, and back-to-back championships as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Broncos in Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII).
Kubiak was not the only well-respected coach to say goodbye this week. Dirk Koetter retired on Friday after a nearly 40-year career. He spent most of the first 25 seasons at the college level, including stints as a head coach at Boise State and Arizona State. Koetter came to the NFL as offensive coordinator of the Jaguars from 2007-11, and he also held that position with the Buccaneers (2015) and Falcons (2012-14 and 2019-20). He also spent three seasons as Tampa Bay’s head coach, amassing a 19-29 record.
TJ Mathewson examines the Nick Saban coaching tree here.
This week, the Pro Bowl will not be held in its usual format due to the coronavirus pandemic. The NFL will hold a series of Pro Bowl events in conjunction with the Madden NFL 21 video game. The week will include virtual matchups featuring NFL legends, current players, celebrities, and streaming gamers using the official rosters. The action will culminate with the Pro Bowlers themselves facing off in a game on Sunday at 3 p.m. that will be broadcast on both ESPN and ABC.
Writer
-By; Kevin Rakas