Tag: Bobby Johnson

James Madison looking to poach Giants assistant OL coach Chris Smith

Holy Cross is looking to hire New York Giants assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith to oversee their OL.

Editor’s note: Art Stapleton of USA TODAY reports that Smith is being hired by James Madison.

If you thought the New York Giants and head coach Brian Daboll had their staff set ahead of the 2024 season, think again.

Matt Zenitz of 247Sports and CBS Sports reports that James Madison is looking to hire Giants assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith to oversee their OL.

Smith had been serving as the Holy Cross offensive coordinator when hired by the Giants last March. It was a position he held for five seasons.

Prior to that, Smith served as their offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator.

During his time at Holy Cross, Smith helped develop several offensive linemen who went on to receive All-Patriot League honors. Among them are James Murray, Brett Boddy, Brian Foley, and Nick Olsofka.

Smith was part of a staff that has led the Crusaders to three consecutive Patriot League championships. They also earned an NCAA football championship subdivision berth in 2019, which was the first for the program in 10 years.

In addition to his time with Holy Cross, Smith, who played center for the school before graduation, also had stints with New Haven, Northern Colorado, and Buffalo.

Unfortunately, that success didn’t carry over with the Giants. Smith joined offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and the pair oversaw a unit that surrendered 85 sacks, the second-most in NFL history.

Johnson was fired on Black Monday and replaced by Carmen Bricillo.

[lawrence-related id=725250,725247,725238]

Did the Bills just give the Commanders their new starting center?

The Bills released former Pro Bowl center Mitch Morse in a salary cap move. He has connections to the Commanders.

On Wednesday, the Washington Commanders kicked off free agency by agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran tight end Zach Ertz. The 33-year-old Ertz signed a contract that could potentially be worth up to $5 million, giving Washington some much-needed depth at tight end.

Although real free agency doesn’t begin until next week, multiple teams have started releasing players to make room for new additions. Washington released three players last week.

On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills made several moves. They released longtime starters center Mitch Morse, cornerback Tre’Davious White, and safety Jordan Poyer. All would be outstanding additions to the Commanders.

Morse may make the most sense for Washington, though.

One of the Commanders’ moves last week was releasing Nick Gates. Washington signed him to a three-year deal last offseason, and he didn’t play well. Veteran Tyler Larsen is a free agent and injury-prone. That leaves Ricky Stromberg, last year’s third-round pick, as the only center on the roster.

Stromberg didn’t play one snap at center and only played a few at guard before injuring his knee midway through the season. Stromberg was a first-team All-SEC center at Arkansas.

Still, Stromberg is unproven, and you need a veteran. Morse will receive offers to start in multiple places. If the Commanders plan on bringing in a rookie quarterback, pairing him with a veteran center makes sense. The center often helps the quarterback identify the Mike linebacker and set pass protections. It’s often underrated how important it is to have a veteran center who can help a young passer early in his career.

Morse can provide that for Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels.

Morse was a second-round pick in 2015 and was a four-year starter for the Chiefs with quarterback Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes. He signed with the Bills in 2019 and has been Josh Allen’s center for the past five seasons. Morse is dependable, too, having missed only six games with the Bills over the last five years.

Morse also has connections with the Commanders. Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson was Morse’s position coach for his first three seasons with the Bills. While we don’t know the status of their relationship, Johnson is the best person to give GM Adam Peters a scouting report on Morse.

Even better, Washington doesn’t have to wait until next week to sign Morse.

Commanders’ Dan Quinn promised people wanted to come to Washington

Dan Quinn said people want to be in Washington. He’s right.

Dan Quinn wasn’t kidding.

With new coaching staff hires on Wednesday, it reveals Quinn wasn’t exaggerating when last week he promised, “There are people that really want to be here.”

Quinn said in his introductory press conference he learned a lot from his head coaching experience in Atlanta and that if he could get one more shot at an NFL head coach position, he would make the most of what he learned.

Consequently, in this last week, Quinn has retained Ryan Kerrigan, Tavita Pritchard, and Bobby Engram from the staff of the 2023 Commanders. Also added to Quinn’s staff in the last week have been Brian Johnson (offensive pass-game coordinator), Jason Simmons (defensive pass-game coordinator), Larry Izzo (special teams), Bobby Johnson (offensive line), John Pagano (senior defensive assistant), Ken Norton Jr., (linebackers), David Raih (tight ends), Sharrif Floyd (assistant defensive line), Tom Donatell (defensive backs), Darryl Tapp (defensive line), and Anthony Lynn (running backs/offensive run-game coordinator).

Lynn has head coaching experience (Chargers) as does Kliff Kingsbury (Cardinals). Lynn played for and coached under Mike Shanahan and, most recently, was on Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers staff.

Simmons, 47, played defensive back in the NFL for a decade and has coached DBs with the Packers, Panthers, and Raiders.

Donatell played defensive back at Iowa and has served on Pete Carroll’s staff with the Seahawks, worked with Norton for three seasons, and most recently served on Brandon Staley’s staff with the Chargers.

Johnson (Brian) most recently was the Eagles OC employing an innovative run-pass option offense led by Jalen Hurts. Previously, he worked on the Dan Mullen staff at Mississippi State (Dak Prescott) and then Florida (Kyle Trask).

Johnson (Bobby) had the misfortune of the Giants offensive line spending more time in rehab than on the field, thus giving up the most sacks in the NFL. But the previous season, the Giants made the playoffs and won a playoff road game, utilizing an effective running game with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones.

Do you notice a trend? Both Johnsons have worked with systems utilizing a running quarterback. All three of the top quarterback draft prospects, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye, are dual-threat quarterbacks. Come to think of it, so is Sam Howell.

Add to that, Lynn comes from the 49ers rushing attack as the running backs coach. Don’t make the mistake of thinking Kingsbury will only be throwing the ball in 2024. He is surrounding himself with people who know how to creatively run the ball in their schemes.

This coaching staff is loaded with experience, knowledge and talent.

All of them will not be able to be powerful and the smartest man in the room. It will be up to them to lay aside their egos and accept their assigned roles on Quinn’s staff.

But compared to the Ron Rivera staff of the last four seasons, couldn’t Quinn’s team be a much better-coached team?

Isn’t it fun thinking about how much better this franchise is already trending upward?

Twitter reacts to Commanders hiring Bobby Johnson as OL coach

It’s safe to say the Giants are laughing at the Commanders over this move.

When the Washington Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator) and Joe Whitt Jr. (defensive coordinator) last week, the next highly anticipated hire would be on the offensive line.

Who would new head coach Dan Quinn pick as his first offensive line coach in Washington?

Quinn’s first choice was believed to be Dallas tight end coach Lunda Wells. However, the Cowboys denied Quinn permission to interview Wells. On Monday, Quinn hired former Bills and Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson as Washington’s O-Line coach.

A quick search of Johnson, and you’ll find he was let go by the Giants recently after two seasons. The Giants allowed 85 sacks in 2023, the most in the NFL and the second-most of all time. While New York’s problems weren’t all due to Johnson, Evan Neal, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, regressed badly.

You can blame injuries for part of New York’s OL woes, but every team has injuries. And when it was revealed that the Commanders had hired Johnson, Giants’ fans either laughed or felt sorry for Washington fans.

Here are some reactions to Johnson’s hiring — they aren’t positive.

Commanders hire Bobby Johnson as the new offensive line coach

The Giants recently let Bobby Johnson go after two seasons.

The offensive line coach is one of the most critical hires for every new coaching staff after the offensive and defensive coordinator. On Monday, new Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn found his offensive line coach.

The Commanders are hiring 50-year-old Bobby Johnson as their new OL coach.

Johnson, 50, was the New York Giants’ offensive line coach for the past two seasons. He was fired after the season. In 2023, the Giants allowed an NFL-high 85 sacks, which was the second-most in league history. He was with the Giants for two seasons, coming with head coach Brian Daboll from Buffalo.

Johnson was the Bills’ offensive line coach for three seasons.

Johnson played collegiately at Miami (Ohio) and began his coaching career in 1995 at Akron. After four years at Akron, Johnson returned to his alma mater in 1999 for six seasons, serving as tight end and offensive line coach.

From there, he went to Indiana for two seasons as the offensive line coach before receiving his first NFL opportunity with the Bills in 2010, where he stayed for two years as an assistant offensive line coach.

Johnson was the tight end coach for the Jaguars in 2012. In 2013, he landed with the Detroit Lions for two years as the tight end and assistant offensive line coach. In 2015, he went to the Raiders for three seasons (under former Washington defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio) as tight end coach.

He was with the Colts in 2018 as an assistant offensive line coach again before moving to Buffalo in 2019.

Johnson has no direct connection to Quinn or offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Quinn’s Cowboys dominated the Giants’ offensive line in 2023.

Commanders hiring ex-Giant Bobby Johnson as OL coach

The Washington Commanders are hiring former New York Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson to oversee their OL.

Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale won’t be seeing his former team twice next season, but former offensive line coach Bobby Johnson will.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the Washington Commanders are hiring Johnson as their next O-Line coach.

The Giants fired Johnson on Black Monday after two seasons overseeing one of the worst offensive lines in football, including a 2023 campaign that saw them surrender 85 sacks, the second-most in NFL history.

“We moved on from Bobby Johnson and from Thomas McGaughey,” head coach Brian Daboll said at the time of the firings. “I want to thank those guys for what they’ve done the last two years. This is the hard part of the job. I have a lot of respect for them but just felt we were going to move in a different direction.

“I’m not going to add anything to it. Those were private conversations. But I do respect both of those guys and what they’ve done the last two years — their commitment to the deal and their work ethic. But wanted to make a change.”

Johnson followed Daboll over from the Buffalo Bills, where he spent three seasons as their offensive line coach. It was his second stint with the team.

In Washington, Johnson will be reunited with former Giants center/guard Nick Gates.

[lawrence-related id=723972,723968,723966]

Giants hire Carmen Bricillo: 6 things to know about the O-line coach

The New York Giants have officially hired Carmen Bricillo and here are six things to know about the team’s new offensive line coach.

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll completed their comprehensive and in-depth one-person search for a new offensive line coach on Thursday.

The team announced that Carmen Bricillo, the only man publicly known to have interviewed for the job, had been hired to replace Bobby Johnson, who was fired on Monday.

Here are six quick things to know about Bricillo.

5 toughest decisions facing Giants GM Joe Schoen

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen is facing a multitude of tough decisions this offseason, including what to do with the franchise tag.

Now that the 2023 NFL season is over, the New York Giants will be making more changes to fit the vision of general manager Joe Schoen.

Here are the five toughest decisions Schoen has to make this offseason.

Giants’ biggest needs headed into the offseason

The New York Giants are headed into a potentially turbulent offseason and these are their biggest needs — yes, including a QB decision.

The New York Giants finished 6-11 on the season and failed to follow up on their 2022 playoff performance leaving behind questions of whether or not they are headed in the right direction.

The Giants had breakdowns and failures in just about every unit and now must seriously evaluate what needs to be addressed and in what order.

Here are the Giants’ five biggest needs heading into the offseason.

Giants fire Thomas McGaughey, Bobby Johnson

The New York Giants have fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

Black Monday has arrived in the NFL and it has already impacted the New York Giants.

Head coach Brian Daboll says the team has fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey after the unit’s poor showing in 2023.

In addition to McGaughey, Daboll says that the Giants have also fired offensive line coach Bobby Johnson.

“We moved on from Bobby Johnson and from Thomas McGaughey,” Daboll told reporters. “I want to thank those guys for what they’ve done the last two years. This is the hard part of the job. I have a lot of respect for them but just felt we were going to move in a different direction.

“I’m not going to add anything to it. Those were private conversations. But I do respect both of those guys and what they’ve done the last two years — their commitment to the deal and their work ethic. But wanted to make a change.”

The Giants’ offensive line surrendered 85 sacks this season, which was the second-most in NFL history. All three of the team’s quarterbacks suffered an injury at some point due to the porous line, including Daniel Jones, who was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.

Although both firings were expected, moving on from McGaughey will be felt by his players.

“He doesn’t get enough credit,” kicker Graham Gano told the New York Daily News.

“T-Mac is incredible,” long snapper Casey Kreiter added.

For now, those are the only two firings announced by the Giants and the only two that are expected for the time being.

[lawrence-related id=722703,722698,722694]