Tag: Coach

Darren Rizzi is already one of the Saints’ winningest interim coaches

After just two games, Darren Rizzi is tied for the second-most wins by a New Orleans Saints interim head coach. How far to reach the top?

Darren Rizzi’s the only New Orleans Saints head coach other than Sean Payton to start 2-0. The second victory tied him with Aaron Kromer for the second most victories by a Saints’ interim head coach. The only person with more victories is Joe Vitt, who took over for Kromer after six games.

The big difference between Rizzi, Kromer and Vitt is the situations they inherited. Kromer and Vitt were interim coaches because Payton was suspended for a year. The team the year prior went 13-3 and is one of the greatest teams in franchise history. Did we mention Drew Brees was still the quarterback?

That was a flourishing team who lost their head coach for the entirety of the season. Rizzi took on a team in the middle of the year that was in the midst of a seven game losing streak. These were drastically different circumstances, to say the least.

Unless there’s a complete explosion, Rizzi will finish the year with more victories than Kromer. To cross Vitt’s bar of five wins, New Orleans will have to beat the Rams, Packers, Commanders or Buccaneers in addition to winning the easier games on the schedule.

Rizzi has started his run strong, but how it ends will determine how the Rizzi Era is remembered.

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Former Broncos TEs coach takes over as UNC-Charlotte’s interim coach

Tim Brewster, who coached Broncos tight ends from 2005-2006, has been named interim head coach of the Charlotte 49ers.

A former Denver Broncos assistant coach is getting a head coach job at the college level, at least on an interim basis.

After parting ways with Biff Poggi halfway through their season, the Charlotte 49ers have named Tim Brewster their interim head coach.

Brewster, 64, is a veteran coach who served as Denver’s tight ends coach from 2005-2006. The Broncos’ top tight ends in those two seasons Jeb Putzier, Stephen Alexander and Tony Scheffler.

Brewster left Denver in 2007 to become the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After going 15-30 over four seasons, Brewster was let go in 2010. Since then, he has spent time with eight other colleges, each time as an assistant coach.

Before joining UNC-Charlotte as an associate head coach and tight ends coach earlier this year, Brewster served as Colorado’s tight ends coach under Deion Sanders in 2023. He also coached with Sanders at Jackson State in 2022. Before that, Brewster spent time at Florida, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Florida State and Mississippi State.

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2 ex-Broncos players fail to advance in Hall of Fame voting

The Broncos will not have any players added to the Hall of Fame in the 2025 class.

Former Denver Broncos defensive linemen Neil Smith and Simeon Rice are not among the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. So the Broncos will not be represented by any players in next year’s class.

Smith, 58, spent the first nine years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Broncos in 1997. He won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver and then finished his career with the San Diego Chargers.

Smith totaled 625 tackles, 104.5 sacks, 30 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries and four interceptions during his 13-year career.

Rice, 50, played five years with the Arizona Cardinals and then had a six-year run with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning Super Bowl XXXVII with the Bucs. He spent part of his final year in the NFL with the Broncos in 2007.

Rice recorded 483 tackles, 122 sacks, 43 pass breakups, 28 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and five interceptions during his 12-year career.

Former coaches Mike Shanahan and the late Dan Reeves were previously named coach semifinalists for the 2025 class in October. The selection committee voted on a coach finalist yesterday, but the result is not expected to be announced until December.

Broncos candidates for Hall of Fame

  1. Coach Mike Shanahan
  2. Coach Dan Reeves

The list of modern-era player semifinalists will be trimmed down to a finalists list later this fall. The 2025 class will be announced before Super Bowl LVIX next year.

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Sean Payton gives strong take on Mike Shanahan’s Hall of Fame candidacy

Sean Payton said Mike Shanahan has a better resume than some of the recent coaches that have reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is one of nine coach semifinalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

Sean Payton, Denver’s current coach, gave Shanahan a strong endorsement during his conference call with Broncos reporters on Monday.

“I’ve had a long friendship with him,” Payton said. “What he’s accomplished though in our game, he has two Super Bowl championships. He’s been behind, I would say, the minds behind so many coaches working right now. I’d say almost a third of the league at one point has been impacted by Mike. Not only the coaching tree, I’m talking about the offensive tree.

“When I got into the league, there were two or three teams that you studied, and Denver was one of them. We’re sitting here in 2024 and we’re looking at a guy — a candidate — who quite honestly has a lot better credentials than maybe some others [who] have gone before him as coaches. He was one of the guys. [He’s] extremely intelligent and then the Super Bowls, the quarterbacks, the success and all those other things. I don’t know when the vote is or how that all unfolds, but his candidacy for someone like myself, it’s easy.

“It’s all there right in front of you. Then go ahead and look back at the last — just take the last six coaches that have gone in. Just use that number and then throw their numbers at Mike and their accomplishments and I think that’s a simple way to look at it and arrive at the right decision.”

This certainly isn’t the first time Payton has backed Shanahan. Denver’s current coach previously noted that elements of Shanahan’s offense are still used in the NFL today, and Payton said last summer that Shanny should already be in the Hall of Fame.

We should find out soon if Shanahan is advancing in the voting process.

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Tyrann Mathieu hints at how many years he plans on playing pro football

Tyrann Mathieu hinted at how many years he plans on playing pro football, at which point he’ll trade in his cleats and, hopefully, coach his LSU Tigers:

Tyrann Mathieu isn’t about to retire from pro football and hang up his cleats, but the New Orleans Saints does have a plan in mind for what’s next. He was as frustrated by his LSU Tigers’ loss to their longtime rival Florida Gators as any other fan on Saturday night, and that got Mathieu to drop some hints about his future.

In a couple of since-deleted tweets on Twitter, Mathieu said he “cannot wait to get to Baton Rouge & coach,” and that he’s eager to “trade in my cleats for turf shoes.” But he has some unfinished business with the Saints to deal with first. Mathieu added he wants to “play at least 2 more years” before making that transition.

Patience has worn thin with much-hyped LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who was seen arguing back and forth with players on the game’s broadcast. The proud program had lost four or more games in only seven seasons dating back to 2000, but Kelly has done that twice in his first three years on the job. He isn’t meeting high standards, and famous alumni (with ambitions of  coaching themselves) like Mathieu are taking notice.

Hopefully Mathieu’s retirement is still on schedule and a couple of years away. He’s been the most consistent playmaker in the Saints secondary since he came back to town, and they don’t have a long-term replacement lined up to take his spot. But when the time comes, Mathieu has clearly put in the work to continue on to the next stage in his football life.

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Broncos ST coach Ben Kotwica thankful for Mike Westhoff’s mentorship

“He’s been a mentor, but most importantly he’s been a friend,” Broncos special teams coach Ben Kotwica said of retiring coach Mike Westhoff.

Finally, 76-year-old Mike Westhoff gets to actually retire. And there’s no talking him out of it this time.

After coaching New York Jets special teams units from 2001-2012, Westhoff stepped down from coaching in 2013. Four years later, Sean Payton convinced Westhoff to unretire midway through the 2017 season to help the New Orleans Saints get their special teams turned around.

After one more season in New Orleans, Westhoff retired a second time. Five years later, Payton came calling again and Westhoff joined the Denver Broncos as an assistant head coach in 2023.

Westhoff was set to retire again following last season, but Payton had team owner Greg Penner talk the coach into returning for the 2024 season. Now, midway through the season, Westhoff is retiring again, this time due to health concerns.

Ben Kotwica, Denver’s special teams coordinator who previously overlapped with Westhoff with the Jets from 2007-2012, spoke about his mentor’s retirement following Thursday’s practice.

“When I ended up getting into the league, Mike and I worked together back in the day with the Jets back in 2007. To get back together here over the last couple years and help shape this unit — which arguably is one of the top ten in the year — [has] really been rewarding and special.

“He’s been a mentor, but most importantly he’s been a friend. So I’m very grateful for time — we’ll obviously stay connected moving forward, but I just wanted to thank him for everything that he’s given me.”

The Broncos now have two dedicated special teams coaches remaining on staff in Kotwica and assistant Chris Banjo. Westhoff can now enjoy retirement — more than a decade after initially stepping away from football in 2013.

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Sean Payton says Mike Westhoff is a Hall of Fame-worthy coach

The Broncos will miss retiring assistant coach Mike Westhoff, who Sean Payton said is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.

Earlier this week, news broke that Denver Broncos assistant head coach Mike Westhoff was stepping down due to health concerns.

After Wednesday’s practice, Broncos head coach Sean Payton began his press conference by addressing Westhoff’s retirement.

“I want to start real quickly and I know there’s already been a release regarding Mike Westhoff,” Payton said. “He and I’ve been together for quite some time. I think over the last two and a half weeks, he started having some blurriness in one of his eyes. Of course he didn’t say anything initially, he’s kind of a tough sucker. This [has] progressively been concerning to him. After the game, he went through some scans — went through quite a bit of medical work — and he felt, as well as his medical team, that it was in his best interest to step away. There’s a stress level obviously that takes place that can take its toll and certainly at his age with the condition.

“I know he’s gotten the treatment he’s needed, and he’ll continue to monitor that. I would say this — because I didn’t know him — I always knew of him, and we hired him mid-season in New Orleans. It’s not often that assistant coaches get into the [Pro Football] Hall of Fame. I’m not — I’m just saying, if there was, he’s one of those top special teams’ coordinators. Certainly, if you look at our numbers in two years relative to where we’ve come, he’s done a tremendous job here. We’ll miss him. Certainly, we’ll stay in touch.”

Payton convinced Westhoff to unretire in 2023 to help oversee Denver’s special teams units. The Broncos also hired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica and assistant Chris Banjo. The plan was for Westhoff to help for one season and then have Kotwica completely take over in 2024. After last season went so well, though, Payton told owner Greg Penner to ask Westhoff to come back for one more season.

“[A]fter last season, I actually went in and saw Greg and said, ‘Hey why don’t you meet with him and see if you can talk him into coming back. He doesn’t have to come back until training camp,'” Payton recalled. “So Greg’s a good salesman and that went well.”

Westhoff will now retire again to focus on his health. Payton’s unlikely to get him to unretire a fourth time, so the Broncos will thank the coach for his service and move forward with Kotwica and Banjo.

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Broncos assistant head coach Mike Westhoff steps down with health concerns

“It’s not easy to make this decision, but this was a wake-up call that I needed to put my health first,” Mike Westhoff said.

Denver Broncos assistant head coach Mike Westhoff has stepped down from his role with the team due to health concerns, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported on Tuesday evening.

Westhoff, 76, experienced vision problems last week and after undergoing testing on Monday, he has decided to step away from the team and return to his home in Florida.

“It’s not easy to make this decision, but this was a wake-up call that I needed to put my health first,” Westhoff said, via NFL Network. “This team is very much headed in the right direction with a strong foundation and a winning culture. I’m grateful to Sean for giving me the opportunity to contribute to a first-class organization and wish the Broncos the very best.”

Westhoff previously coached under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints from 2017-2018. Five years after Westhoff retired from coaching, Payton convinced him to unretire and join the Broncos in 2023 as an assistant head coach. Westhoff helped oversee the team’s special teams units over the last season and a half. He will now step aside to focus on his health.

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Two former Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired

Two former Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired by the teams that hired them. Klint Kubiak must prove he shouldn’t join them.

Two former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator candidates have already been fired by the teams that hired them this offseason, with the Chicago Bears jettisoning Shane Waldron not long after the Las Vegas Raiders moved on from Luke Getsy.

Klint Kubiak, who the Saints ultimately went with, must prove he shouldn’t join them. Getsy interviewed with New Orleans twice before accepting the Raiders job. Kubiak may have been hired by Dennis Allen but that doesn’t mean Darren Rizzi won’t let him go if the team doesn’t get results. Fortunately, that feels unlikely after the team revived itself with a win in Rizzi’s head coaching debut last weekend.

A big reason naming Rizzi the interim head coach made sense was because it meant little disruption for Kubiak on offense and Joe Woods coordinating the defense. That Rizzi didn’t quickly dismiss Kubiak and go with his own play-caller after being named the interim speaks volumes.

Still, Waldron and Getsy being axed doesn’t necessarily mean the Saints got it right with Kubiak. He’s been too slow to adapt when the defense has countered his game plans, and he didn’t do a good job preparing rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler to start during a string of losses when Derek Carr was injured. Widespread injuries to the offensive line and skills positions played a part, sure, but Kubiak’s unit hasn’t reached the same heights they met back in Weeks 1 and 2.

Hopefully he gets back on track once Erik McCoy returns to the lineup. The Saints welcomed their starting center back at practice last week and waived his backup Conner McGovern on Monday, which probably signals his return. McCoy was vital to Kubiak’s vision for the offense — the Pro Bowler was tasked with setting protections pre-snap, not the quarterback, which took a big load off Derek Carr’s shoulders to start the season. There’s not much reason to think Kubiak’s job is in jeopardy right now, but if the Saints fall back into a slump after beating Atlanta every option should be on the table. They need to know who’s part of the solution, long-term, and who’s part of the problem.

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Sean Payton says ‘the sky is not falling’ for Broncos

“This team has been resilient,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “The sky isn’t falling relative to our season and the schedule.”

The Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday that dropped them to 5-5 on the season.

Despite the devastating loss and Denver’s .500 record, coach Sean Payton indicated this week that there’s no alarm at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit.

“The sky is not falling,” Payton said during his Monday conference call with reporters. “There’s a lot ahead obviously. We have [seven] games left. I think this team has been resilient. The sky isn’t falling relative to our season and the schedule. We’re sitting here at 5-5. Obviously, we’d have loved to have been 6-4 with a win yesterday, but the focus [is] just quickly to the next game.”

The Broncos have to move on quickly as the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons are now set to come to town in Week 11. Payton believes the locker room has the right makeup of players to bounce back from Sunday’s loss.

“I like the leadership on this team — someone asked about that yesterday,” Payton said. “It’s an entirely different team than a year ago. It’s tough — it’s tough mentally and physically. We have to have a good week of practice here coming up for Atlanta. Overcoming a tough loss…listen, when you talk to the players about that, you tell them, ‘Hey, that’s going to happen periodically in your career.’ You hope that you have a few of those games that maybe you thought that you didn’t deserve to win that you did win. You have to bounce back either way.”

Denver remains in the playoff hunt with a lot of football left to play. The Broncos still control their own destiny, and there’s no reason to panic.

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