Tag: Aaron Glenn

Patriots to interview Saints LB coach Michael Hodges for DC opening

Saints linebackers coach Michael Hodges will interview for the Patriots’ open defensive coordinator spot under head coach Jered Mayo, per NFL Network:

This could be a big loss: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the New England Patriots have scheduled an interview with Michael Hodges, the New Orleans Saints linebackers coach, while seeking to hire a defensive coordinator on head coach Jerod Mayo’s staff.

Hodges has been an important part of Dennis Allen’s staff in recent years. He’s been responsible for scouting and developing draft picks like D’Marco Jackson (2022), Pete Werner (2021), Zack Baun (2020), and Kaden Elliss (2019) as well as undrafted linebackers like Nephi Sewell and Andrew Dowell. He’s also played a big part in helping Demario Davis perform at a high level late in his career.

So it’s easy to see why other teams are coveting him. We’ll see if Hodges ultimately leaves New Orleans, but the Saints have a history of cultivating talented coaches on the defensive side of the ball — former Dennis Allen assistants Aaron Glenn and Ryan Nielsen have both moved on to run their own defenses as coordinators, and Glenn has drawn a number of head coach interviews around the league. Hodges might be the next man up.

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Falcons to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn

Falcons to interview Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Friday morning

The Atlanta Falcons are set to interview Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coach vacancy, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported on Friday morning.

Glenn, a former NFL defensive back, was hired as Detroit’s defensive coordinator in 2021 after spending five years in New Orleans as the defensive backs coach for the Saints.

The 51-year-old was recently selected as the league’s best coordinator in an NFLPA poll. Glenn would be the ninth person to interview for the Falcons’ coaching vacancy. The team also interviewed Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson on Thursday.

Atlanta is expected to host former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick for a second interview this weekend. While it was initially reported that Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was requested for an interview, there doesn’t appear to be one scheduled as of yet.

Stay up to date with every Falcons interview and interview request using our head coach tracker!

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Titans to interview Aaron Glenn for head coach job

The Titans are reportedly set to interview Lions DC Aaron Glenn for their head coaching vacancy.

After requesting to interview him over a week ago, the Tennessee Titans are finally set to meet with Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the two are set to talk about the Titans’ head coaching vacancy, although an exact date was not given.

Glenn isn’t the only Lions coordinator the Titans are reportedly interested in, as the team has also requested to interview offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. That interview has not happened yet.

While Titans fans aren’t exactly high on the idea of hiring another defensive-minded head coach, ESPN’s Dan Graziano previously reported that Glenn was considered “a strong candidate” for Tennessee’s job.

In fact, Graziano even went as far as to predict that he would land the gig.

Make sure to keep up to date with all of the latest news on the Titans’ head coach search by following along with our head coach interview tracker, which is updated regularly.

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Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson are ready for their head coaching interviews

Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson are ready for their head coaching interviews, which will begin after Friday’s Lions practice

Having a second playoff game to prepare for is a welcomed new phenomenon for the Detroit Lions. So too is having coordinators in demand for head coaching jobs elsewhere.

Welcome to 2024, and welcome to the very busy time for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. The duo has been requested to interview for head coaching positions by at least 10 teams combined.

Those interviews, at least some of them, will get crammed into the Lions busy game prep schedule on Friday and Saturday this week. Johnson has known interviews with the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers on Friday after Detroit’s practice.

Johnson made it clear that his focus is on preparing the Lions to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday.

“I’ve left that to other people,” Johnson said. I know it’s still a very fluid situation and truth be told, we’ll find out more once the gameplan’s done. That’s been told to everybody I’ve been around. Nothing’s more important than the gameplan.”

It’s a good reminder of why coaches have agents. Given Johnson’s time crunch with game-planning and the interviews, he’s already cutting deeply into his family time. Johnson, 37, has a young family and is losing time with them to go through the interviewing process.

“Well, the truth is, it gets taken away from somewhere and so it gets taken away from my family a little bit,” Johnson said. “And so, it’s not the easy thing to say, but normally Fridays, get home, I can pick my daughter up from school and we’re wrestling downstairs and doing whatnot, and we’ll have to skip that this week.”

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Glenn has received four known interview requests, including with the Seahawks, Titans and Commanders. He is also expected to conduct some remote interviews on Friday and Saturday, though Glenn himself didn’t confirm any that were scheduled.

How is the longtime NFL player and coach prepping while also getting his Lions defense ready for a playoff game?

“I prepare by being myself,” Glenn said on Thursday. “Listen, I’ve been playing this game for a long time, I’ve been coaching it for a while. So, the questions that they ask, there’s a good chance I’ve got them already in my head. So, like I said, I look forward to them, nothing’s confirmed yet, but when they do happen, I’m sure you guys will know.”

Aaron Glenn strongly defends Kerby Joseph against ‘dirty player’ accusations

“Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

During the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams, Lions safety Kerby Joseph made a play against Rams tight end Tyler Higbee that resulted in Higbee tearing up his knee. Joseph dove at Higbee’s legs as the tight end tried to haul in a high throw over the middle from Rams QB Matthew Stafford.

After the play, Stafford got after Joseph. He told the young safety, whom he never played with in Detroit, that it was a dirty hit. Here’s what Stafford said to Joseph, via Rams Wire,

“Hey! Hey! That’s a good hit. That’s a good hit,” Stafford said. “You’re dirty as (expletive), though. And you know it. You’re dirty as (expletive). It’s been on tape. I’ve seen it. It’s been on tape. You’re right. You’re right.”

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wanted nothing to do with any assertions that Joseph’s hit was done with intent to injure.

“Absolutely not. This is football. This is football,” Glenn said agitatedly when asked if he thought the hit was dirty and if he needed to talk to Joseph about his style of play. “And I understand exactly what the NFL is doing when it comes to trying to – a player’s safety, and I totally agree with it. And the thing that he did against the Minnesota Vikings, he hit a guy high, and he got fined for it. So then he hits a guy low, and people are saying he’s a dirty player. Kerby plays football, and we’re going to continue to play football. And we don’t care what anybody else has to say.”

Glenn was just getting started.

“Listen, no one wants anybody to get hurt in this league. No one wants that. Hell, I was hurt in this League before, so I understand; I know how it feels. But I also understand I play football and when you play football, things like that happen. So, guys have got to continue to play no matter what. And it kind of bothers me that you hear that from people across the league because you know the risk you’re taking when you play this game and that’s just what it is.”

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Aaron Glenn considered ‘a strong candidate’ for Titans head coach vacancy

Lions DC Aaron Glenn is reportedly considered “a strong candidate” for the Titans job.

As the Tennessee Titans continue to work through interviews for their head coaching vacancy, one ESPN reporter has revealed a potential favorite.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is considered “a strong candidate” for the job — and so much so that Graziano predicts the Titans will hire him.

My prediction for the next Titans coach: Aaron Glenn. I’ve been told by a couple of people close to this situation to keep an eye on Glenn as a strong candidate. The Titans are casting a wide and diverse net, and this is one of the tougher ones to call at this point, but Glenn has appeal as a former player, as a part of what Dan Campbell has built in Detroit and as the coordinator who graded out the best of any on either side of the ball in a recent NFLPA poll of players. He will get a head coach job sooner rather than later, and he could be the guy the Titans pick to work with GM Ran Carthon on their rebuild.

While Glenn is certainly qualified for the job and well-liked by his players, hiring him would amount to a lateral move, at best, from head coach Mike Vrabel, who was also a defensive-minded coach.

Adding to that, Glenn’s defenses in Detroit have been nothing to write home about. Since 2021, the Lions haven’t finished better than bottom-10 in points allowed.

As I’ve said all along, the Titans need to go in a totally different direction and prioritize hiring an offensive-minded coach to help them make the transition to a more modern offense that is built around quarterback Will Levis.

If the Titans were to go with a defensive-minded coach, my top choice would be Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who has had success in his current role.

Hiring Glenn would an unpopular and uninspiring move that would leave the fan base frustrated, to say the least.

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Dan Campbell explains how the Lions will handle head coaching interviews for his coordinators

Dan Campbell explains how the Lions will handle head coaching interviews for coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson while Detroit remains in the playoffs

There are currently seven head coaching vacancies around the NFL. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are each getting a lot of buzz as top candidates for those vacancies.

Both have already had requests from teams with openings to interview for those jobs. However, Detroit’s playoff progress makes it difficult for Glenn and Johnson to interview. They’ve got more urgent business going on, after all.

Head coach Dan Campbell supports them both as head coach candidates. Campbell also knows the limitations the Lions’ ongoing success places on their ability to interview for the openings.

Campbell talked about it during his press conference on Monday.

“Yeah, I mean, the best we can do is it’ll have to be Friday and a little bit of Saturday. So, Friday afternoon after practice is done, they’re going to have to crunch them in there,” Campbell said. “They’re already working on scheduling it. And then Saturday, there’ll be a small window in there after practice, before night meetings and that’s it.”

Five teams have requested interviews with Johnson, with four of them also wanting to interview Glenn.

Campbell made no bones about his belief in both as top candidates.

“First of all, they’re both – like I said, those are worthy candidates and I think they’re, both of them, should be at the top of everybody’s list.”

Several potential Commanders coaches in action on wild-card weekend

You can bet new Washington GM Adam Peters is watching this week’s playoff games very closely.

Washington Commanders’ new general manager, Adam Peters, was probably watching one Saturday playoff game closely.

The Houston Texans (4th seed) were hosting the Cleveland Browns (5th seed) in the first playoff game of the 2023 NFL season.

The reason Peters was probably watching closely was to observe the offense of Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

The Texans offense and defense both performed well, as the Texans surprised NFL fans, not in the fact that they won on their home field, but that the game was determined by the middle of the third quarter.

Houston won the game coasting to a 45-14 romp over the Browns. For Peters, he might have preferred the Texans offense to have been the primary reason for their 45 points. However, it was the Texans defense who, in the third quarter, intercepted two Joe Flacco passes, returning them for touchdowns.

As for the Texans offense, rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud was very efficient and effective, completing 16 of his 21 passes for 274 yards and three first-half touchdown passes. The Texans led 24-14 at the half, and the defense really sealed the win with two pic-sixes in the third quarter.

Slowik has been credited with his work in structuring an offense and overseeing the development of Stroud, who last year was playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

So we don’t get too carried away, Slowik’s Texans only ran 44 offensive plays compared the Browns 70. Yet, might that perhaps be the case because the Texans did average an impressive 8.1 yards per play? And this was against a playoff team?

Sunday, Peters will most likely be watching closely the playoff game in Detroit between the Rams and the Lions. Remember, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris are all said to be top head-coaching prospects in this year’s hiring cycle.

All 30 of the former Saints players competing in the playoffs

All 30 of the former Saints players competing in the playoffs, from Terron Armstead and Teddy Bridgewater to Sheldon Rankins and Willie Snead:

Who should New Orleans Saints fans pull for in the playoffs? A lot of fans may have already checked out now that the black and gold were eliminated, and some may be choosing their own personal favorites to win it all. But if you’re interested in keeping up with the former Saints on new teams, we’ve got everything you need.

There are plenty of players who suited up for New Orleans competing in the postseason, as are former Saints coaches like Frank Smith and Vic Fangio (with the Miami Dolphins) as well as former scouts like Omar Khan (the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager). To say nothing of former Saints assistant coaches Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn doing big things with the Detroit Lions. The division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only team in the playoffs without a single former Saints player on their roster.

Here’s a quick look at the former Saints players on each playoff team going into the wild-card round:

Lions coordinators Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn speak on interview requests

Aaron Glenn will take all of his interview requests. What about Ben Johnson?

It didn’t take long for the Washington Commanders to begin requesting permission to interview potential head coaching candidates after firing Ron Rivera Monday.

Two of the first names reported for Washington were both of the Detroit Lions coordinators: OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn.

Johnson is considered by most to be the most wanted candidate on the coaching market for 2024. He turned down opportunities last season to return to the Lions, which only increased his stock this time around. A former quarterback at the University of North Carolina, Johnson, 37, began his NFL coaching career with the Dolphins in 2012, gradually moving up until receiving his first coordinator position with the Lions in 2022.

Johnson’s work with quarterback Jared Goff has caught the attention of everyone across the NFL.

Glenn, 51, is a former NFL first-round pick who played 15 seasons. He started his coaching career in 2014, and his first coordinator job came with the Lions in 2021.

The Lions have had a remarkable turnaround under head coach Dan Campbell, with his coordinators receiving a lot of praise for that turnaround. And when you have the type of success Detroit had this year, other teams notice.

As of Friday, five teams have requested permission to speak with Johnson. Four teams have requested permission to speak with Glenn.

On Thursday, both coaches spoke about that interest.

“It’s — it’s awesome, quite an honor,” Johnson said. “But I honestly haven’t thought about it beyond anything that’s going on this week.”

Will Johnson take each of those interviews?

“Don’t know, yeah,” he answered.

Glenn, on the other hand, will take each of his interview requests.

“Will I take them all?” he answered. “I mean, yeah.”

“Well, listen, I’m flattered by the interview requests, I really am,” Glenn said. And, man, I do not want this to sound like coach-speak, but I try to focus on the main thing for this team, for this organization, because this is a big deal for us. ”

Johnson is in more of a position to turn down interview requests. That’s not to knock Glenn, but Detroit’s offense was much more successful than the defense. And the Carolina Panthers are known to badly want Johnson — a North Carolina native.

Can the Commanders convince Johnson to come to Washington and groom a young quarterback — the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft? It could be either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye — a fellow UNC alum like Sam Howell.