Category: Coaching Hires

Former Redskins coach Greg Manusky lands college job as quality control assistant

Manusky has landed a small-time job in college after being fired as the defensive coordinator for the Redskins.

Many of the former Washington Redskins coaches have been forced to look for work in the past few months, as a new coaching staff followed Ron Rivera to the nation’s capital.

We’ve seen people like Jay Gruden, Kevin O’Connell, and Bill Callahan land safely with other NFL teams, but not everyone was able to find such a nice position after being fired by the Redskins. Former defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has finally found work, but it’s no longer in the NFL, and no longer as a DC.

According to NBC Sports Washington, Manusky has agreed to become the next defensive quality control assistant at the University of Kentucky. This is a head-scratcher, as that position is usually held by a young coaching prospect who is looking to make his way up the coaching ladder, not a former NFL player and coordinator who has spent years in the big leagues.

There were certainly strong arguments to be made against Manusky finding another NFL job, as his defense ranked in the bottom five of the league when it came to points and yards allowed in 2019. The Redskins since overhauled their defensive staff and are looking for a better outcome in 2020.

As for Manusky, it looks like he will have to prove himself at the college level once again before he gets any serious looks from an NFL team.

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Redskins officially hire Jennifer King as offensive coaching intern

The Redskins have officially made Jennifer King the first full-time African-American female coach in the NFL.

The Washington Redskins have officially hired Jennifer King as a coaching intern, set to work with the offensive staff through the offseason and into the fall.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, King will specifically assist Randy Jordan, the RBs coach, and work with the likes of Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, and Bryce Love.

The Washington Redskins are making history in the NFL with the hiring of King. She worked as a coaching intern under Ron Rivera in 2017 with the Carolina Panthers and is now the first full-time African American female coach in the league and the fourth woman overall.

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Report: Redskins to hire first black female assistant coach in NFL history

King spent time with Ron Rivera as a coaching intern with the Panthers in 2017, and she could find a way onto the Redskins staff in 2020.

The Washington Redskins could be making history in the NFL, as a report has surfaced that they plan to hire Jennifer King to the coaching staff. King, who worked as a coaching intern under Ron Rivera in 2017 with the Carolina Panthers, would be the first full-time African American female coach in the league, and the fourth woman overall.

According to The Athletic‘s Rhiannon Walker, two sources have said that King will be joining the Redskins coaching staff this year after spending 2019 as an offensive assistant with Dartmouth College.

King’s first chance to coach at the NFL level came during the 2017 Pro Bowl, when Rivera, the Carolina Panthers coach, met her and brought her on as a coaching intern from rookie minicamp in May to preseason games in August.

Hines Ward, head of football development for in the Alliance of American Football, brought her to the Arizona Hotshots as the assistant wide receivers coach. She was the third female coach in the league and the only one on the offense.

It’s unclear what position King would coach in Washington, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see her assume the role of an offensive assistant under Scott Turner’s lead.

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History indicates that Ron Rivera’s ‘coaching prime’ will be with Redskins

Many successful NFL coaches find success with their second team, which bodes well for Rivera’s takeover with the Redskins.

When it comes to head coaches in the NFL, most of them age like a fine wine. That’s not to say that some can’t be great in their early years as the top-guy on a coaching staff — look at Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, or Mike Tomlin — but most coaches start to find their groove a bit down the line.

In fact, it is usually on a coach’s second team where he really finds the sweet spot, and success starts to reveal itself. Take Andy Reid, or Bill Belichick, for example. Reid spent 14 solid years with the Philadelphia Eagles, but it wasn’t until he came to Kansas City where he finally got a Super Bowl ring this season with the Chiefs. For Belichick, arguably the greatest coach of all-time, four of his first five years as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns were major disappointments. Of course, he’s found great success with his second team, winning six rings with the New England Patriots.

This all bodes well for Ron Rivera, who is moving into his second head coaching gig in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. Rivera spent eight years with the Panthers, winning two Coach of the Year awards and making it to the Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos.

Now, having that experience of success, with the addition of learning from his mistakes after being fired near the end of the 2019 season, Rivera will be able to start fresh in Washington and hopefully build a winning team with the Redskins.

If history is any indication, his coaching prime is on the way.

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Steven Sims Jr. can become highly successful under new OC Scott Turner

Turner had great success in Carolina when fitting his gameplan to a player’s talents, which bodes well for Sims’ increasing role on offense.

One of the biggest issues for the Washington Redskins over the past several years is their inability to match the offensive scheme with offensive personnel. While the talent on the roster may have been able to play things out one way, the offense was often catered to a different type of playstyle.

With Kevin O’Connell as the play-caller in 2019, that started to change a little bit, and we will likely see is continue under Scott Turner, the Redskins’ newest offensive coordinator.

In his brief time as the OC with the Carolina Panthers, Turner was able to take the same problem and find a solution that fit his personnel. One of the best examples of how he did so regards wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who is a dynamic player when he gets the ball in his hands. Before Turner took over the play-calling duties, Samuel was often sent on deep routes where he could gain separation from the defense, but the quarterback was unable to get him the ball. Turner switched the mentality of the offense to get Samuel the ball out of the backfield and let him do what he does best — make people miss.

“He understands where his players win,” RotoWorld’s Josh Norris said of Turner, via NBC Sports Washington. “If they’re not getting the ball enough, [Turner] seems willing to draw up plays each and every week to get his players the ball.”

It’s hard to think of anyone other than Steven Sims Jr. when trying to picture who will benefit the most from Turner’s addition to the coaching staff. Sims is a bit of an anomaly, as he was the last player to make the team in 2019 after being signed as an undrafted free agent, and his talents on the kick-off return team impressed the coaching staff so much that they gave him a role in the offense. After getting him the ball a few times in the quick passing game, Sims showed how special he can really be, finishing his rookie season with over 300 yards receiving and four touchdowns.

We started to see O’Connell gameplan around Sims a bit near the end of the 2019 season, as he tried to get the ball to him in space and let the rookie go to work. It was highly successful. Now, we will get a chance to see Turner continue down the same path with Sims in year two, and hopefully help him realize much more offensive success.

Who knows, he may just turn Sims into the next Curtis Samuel.

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Pro Bowler Von Miller offers praise for Redskins DC Jack Del Rio

Von Miller realized some of his best years with Del Rio as his defensive coordinator, and he’s excited for what he can do in Washington.

Ever since Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was announced in his new position, different stories have been coming out about his past years in the NFL, and encouragement from his former players should have Redskins fans feeling confident.

Most recently, Super Bowl MVP linebacker Von Miller shared some praise for Del Rio, and aimed to let Washington fans know how great of a coach they have on their hands.

“He’s just a great coach,” Miller said, via Redskins.com. “He’s great at getting guys in the right mindset to rush and play football.”

Miller has the first-hand experience of working with Del Rio, as the two were paired together during Von’s early days with the Denver Broncos. Miller was drafted in 2011, a year before Del Rio took the defensive coordinator job in Denver. While Miller has had an incredible career in the NFL, his most productive years came under Del Rio from 2012-14. He had 18.5 sacks in 2012, and 14 in 2014.

Now, with a young and talented defense to work with, the expectations for the Redskins transition back into a competitive team are starting to grow. If Del Rio can implement his gameplan and shape the team the same way in which he’s done with teams past, they will surely turn into one of the better defenses in the league.

“Coach Del Rio will definitely have everyone on that level,” Miller said.

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NFL agent thinks Ron Rivera is perfect person to bring success to Redskins

Rivera’s strengths are accountability and keeping team matters in house, two things that the old regime struggled with in Washington.

Ever since Ron Rivera was hired as the head coach of the Washington Redskinsn, there seems to be a different air about the franchise as a whole. With team president Bruce Allen, front office decision-maker Eric Schaffer, and head trainer Larry Hess out of the building, many believe that it’s a new day in Washington, and there’s no more messing around.

There’s no proof to that belief, yet, but the feeling is that Rivera is ushering in a new era for the Redskins. An era where grown-up decisions are made, and there are no longer trade-deadline blunders or roster moves that are unable to be explained.

According to Andy Ross, and NFL agent who represents players like Washington’s Morgan Moses and New Orleans’ Taysom Hill, the Redskins are in good hands with Rivera.

“The one thing that Ron really instilled in the players, because I’ve had players on Carolina, was accountability,” Ross said, via NBC Sports Washington. “These are young men that are growing into men, so he wants to teach them to be strong men, be strong leaders. And I think that’s something he’s going to bring into Washington.”

Another major thing that Rivera will bring, according to Ross, is his ability to both keep things in house and transition players into the NFL. Under the old regime, mainly with Bruce Allen, there was a big problem with leaks, many of which undermined the decision-makers in the building.

“He doesn’t allow the outside influence to affect his football team,” Ross said. “So I think you’re going to see, with the Redskins going forward, that everything is going to be really kept in-house.”

The Redskins are a young team that has a bright future if their talent can be molded in the right system and the right culture. Based on the reputation that Rivera brings with him from Carolina, he’s the right man for the job.

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Report: Jay Gruden nearing deal with Jacksonville Jaguars to become new OC

Gruden will have a chance to work with a young and talented offense in Jacksonville if the deal is finalized soon.

Former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is no longer searching for a job, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that he is close to being hired as the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Gruden, who was fired in Washington after starting the 2019 season with an 0-5 record, will now return to the NFL after being off for the past several months. His future with the Jaguars should be highly anticipated, as they have the weapons to be a high-flying offense that will surely utilize the deep-ball a lot under Gruden.

The Jacksonville OC job is open after the team surprisingly fired John DeFilippo earlier this offseason after he spent just one year on the job. Now it will be Gruden’s goal to get the Jaguars offense back up to speed with either Gardner Minshew or Nick Foles under center.

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Ranking the head coaching situations in NFC East for 2020

Three of the four NFC East teams will be with new head coaches in 2020, so who has the best man for the job, and who has the worst?

There has been a lot of news coming out of the NFC East this offseason, and rightfully so. The division, which saw one of the worst years in recent memory, experienced significant turnover in the past month, with three of the four teams hiring a new head coach to take over operations. The Philadelphia Eagles are the only team to maintain stability in recent weeks, with Doug Pederson remaining at the helm.

As we enter the 2020 season with a fresh outlook for the NFC East, let’s take a look at the men who are in charge and rank them from who got the best guy, to who got the worst.

No. 4 — Joe Judge, New York Giants

New England Patriots special teams coach Joe Judge, center, speaks to head coach Bill Belichick, left, and safeties coach Steve Belichick, right, in the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

This is not a knock on Judge’s ability as a coach so much as it is a holdout until we know more about the guy. How many of you were even aware of who Judge was before he was hired by the Giants? I can’t say I was. As the former special teams coordinator in New England, Judge knows what it means to be part of a successful team, as he’s won five Super Bowls or NCAA Championships in his coaching career — he was a member of the coaching staff in Alabama that won both the 2009 and 2011 BCS Championships.

Regardless of past success, however, we still have very little to base future success on. Sure, Judge was successful when working with Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, but what can he do on his own? Now in New York, he will be in charge of orchestrating QB Daniel Jones and RB Saquon Barkley all while dealing with the tough NY media market. He has little margin for error, so hopefully, he figures it out before it’s too late.

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Bill Callahan expected to land new coaching job with Cleveland Browns

After spending a year with the Redskins as the interim head coach, Bill Callahan is likely to be hired in Cleveland under Kevin Stefanski.

The Washington Redskins former interim head coach and offensive line coach Bill Callahan is expected to be finding a new home soon, with the Cleveland Browns likely to name him their offensive line coach.

If hired in Cleveland, Callahan will be working under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

The Browns are thought to have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, though they haven’t been able to put all of the pieces together as of late. The offensive line is a major issue for the team, as second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield was under duress all season long, and he rarely had time to get the ball out of his hands. If Callahan can get the line improved to even be in the top half of the league, the Browns could become contenders with the amount of talent they have on both sides of the ball.

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