Tag: Coaching news

Commanders hire Ken Norton Jr. as linebacker coach

A three-time Super Bowl champion as a player, Norton has been an NFL defensive coordinator for seven seasons.

Dan Quinn has found his linebackers coach. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Washington Commanders are hiring former Pro Bowl linebacker and veteran NFL assistant Ken Norton Jr. as their new linebackers coach.

Norton, 57, enjoyed a 13-year playing career that ended in 2000. He spent the first six seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys before signing with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, where he played the remainder of his career.

Norton was a part of three Super Bowl champions, was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, a one-time first-team All-Pro and a one-time second-team All-Pro selection. Norton played 191 games with 188 starts, finishing with 1,272 tackles.

Norton began his coaching career with the USC Trojans in 2004 as the linebackers coach and won a national championship.

Here’s a look at each stop of Norton’s coaching career:

  • USC Trojans (2004-08): Linebackers coach
  • USC Trojans (2009): Assistant head coach & linebackers coach
  • Seattle Seahawks (2010-14): Linebackers coach
  • Oakland Raiders (2015-17): Defensive coordinator
  • Seattle Seahawks (2018-21): Defensive coordinator
  • UCLA Bruins (2022-23): Linebackers coach

Norton, the son of former World Champion boxer Ken Norton, played collegiately at UCLA and, in addition to winning three Super Bowls as a player, won one as an assistant with the Seahawks.

Norton’s addition follows John Pagano’s hiring as a senior defensive assistant, giving new defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. several experienced voices on defense.

The Commanders have yet to officially hire a defensive line coach and secondary coach.

Commanders hire veteran NFL assistant John Pagano as senior defensive assistant

The Commanders add a highly respected defensive assistant to Dan Quinn’s staff.

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn continues to add to his coaching staff. On Monday evening, Brent Allbright of KOA 850 AM in Denver reported that veteran NFL assistant John Pagano was heading to Washington.

When someone asked Allbright what role Pagano would serve, he said “probably” senior defensive assistant.

Pagano, 56, is the brother of former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. He began his coaching career in college in 1989, with his first NFL opportunity coming in 1996.

Here is a look at Pagano’s list of coaching stops:

  • New Orleans Saints (1996-97): Defensive assistant
  • Indianapolis Colts (1998-01): Defensive assistant
  • San Diego Chargers (2002): Defensive assistant & defensive quality control coach
  • San Diego Chargers (2003): Assistant linebackers coach
  • San Diego Chargers (2004): Outside linebackers coach
  • San Diego Chargers (2005-11): Linebackers coach
  • San Diego Chargers (2012-16): Defensive coordinator
  • Oakland Raiders (2017-18): Assistant head coach & defensive coordinator
  • Houston Texans (2018-19): Senior defensive assistant & outside linebackers coach
  • Denver Broncos (2020-21): Outside linebackers coach

Pagano has a wealth of experience coaching multiple positions and as a two-time defensive coordinator. Per Allbright and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Pagano had multiple opportunities but chose Washington and Quinn.

Ryan Kerrigan to return to the Commanders in 2024

Good news. Ryan Kerrigan is back in 2024.

Franchise icon Ryan Kerrigan will return to the Washington Commanders in 2024.

According to John Keim of ESPN, Kerrigan will remain on Washington’s coaching staff under new head coach Dan Quinn. Kerrigan began his coaching career two years ago as the assistant offensive line coach. Kerrigan will serve as the assistant linebackers coach/pass rush specialist in his new role.

Kerrigan holds Washington’s franchise record with 95.5 sacks. He was a first-round pick out of Purdue in 2011, playing 10 seasons in the burgundy and gold before finishing his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

Kerrigan joined the Commanders as a coaching intern in 2022. When former head coach Ron Rivera fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III, Jeff Zgonina was promoted to replace him, and Kerrigan later replaced Zgonina.

In 2022, Kerrigan was named one of the 90 greatest players in franchise history.

The Commanders have yet to name a new defensive line coach or linebackers coach but hired Joe Whitt Jr. as the defensive coordinator. Quinn will also be heavily involved with Washington’s defense.

Ben Standig of The Athletic also reported that tight end coach Todd Storm and offensive line coaches Travelle Wharton and Juan Castillo will not return in 2024.

The Commanders hired Bobby Johnson as offensive line coach earlier Monday.

6 things to know about new Commanders’ special teams coach Larry Izzo

Six things to know about Larry Izzo, including a surprising reason he received a game ball from Bill Belichick.

New Washington head coach Dan Quinn is wasting no time in putting together an impressive coaching staff.

Shortly after the Commanders officially announced his hiring on Saturday, it was revealed that Quinn had hired former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator. Dallas’ former secondary coach, Joe Whitt Jr., then followed Quinn to Washington to be his defensive coordinator.

On Friday, Ben Standig of The Athletic reported that the Commanders were hiring Larry Izzo as their special teams coordinator.

Quinn isn’t playing around. Izzo is considered one of the NFL’s best special teams coaches.

Want to learn more about Izzo? Here are six things to know about Dan Quinn.

What is Commanders HC Dan Quinn doing to start his offseason?

What is Dan Quinn’s first order of business after he completes his coaching staff?

Now that several members of his coaching staff are already hired, how does Dan Quinn approach this 2024 offseason?

Quinn was a guest on the Chris Russell Show (The Team 980) Thursday.   Here is part one of his dialog, discussing leadership.

Now for part two.

When Russell asked Quinn what he thought went wrong with last season’s team, Quinn avoided (perhaps wisely) talking about last year’s team. He simply responded that he has begun working for this year’s team.

“It starts now for me,” Quinn responded. We made individual cut-ups of every player on the team, including the practice squad, to make sure if they didn’t have game reps, we could see what unique skills that person has and how we fit those into our system.”

“Getting to learn about the players, that is how the 2024 season begins. We look at our roster and then how do we put them in the right spots to say these are the things you do exceptionally well. Yes, you have to work on their weaknesses, but I would much rather feature a player on the things they do well.”

“Can this person change positions? Can we put him in this technique? That is what it is all about, finding the unique traits these players have. Then we are going to work our a—s off to make sure we develop them…”

“We will be adding guys that push one another, that push the standard. We want to make it the most competitive environment we can, the most competitive environment they’ve been in.”

“They will be uncomfortable at times, but it will be a lot of fun. Those are the moments that I think you grow. Then it becomes a new standard of how you get it on.”

“I wasn’t here (last season), so I am not going to have any bias about anything. I want to make sure we are all starting this off-season program together. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough. But it’s going to be exactly the things you need to do to play excellent (football), but we are also going to have a hell of a time doing it.”

“It’s not a job where you do the same things for the next two years. There are always things you keep developing, keep pushing…keep digging, keep finding that little edge. Sometimes, the margins to go from one spot to another are very small. But you have to nail those if you are going to be really good.”

Twitter reacts to Commanders hiring former Eagles OC to Dan Quinn’s coaching staff

Brian Johnson’s hiring was praised by many — for different reasons.

The Washington Commanders appear to be building an impressive coaching staff under new head coach Dan Quinn. Shortly after Quinn’s hiring was made official last weekend, the Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator.

Kingsbury, a former Cardinals head coach, is known for his excellent work with quarterbacks, while Whitt specializes in defensive backs.

On Thursday, Washington added to its coaching staff. First, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Commanders planned to hire former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson as offensive pass-game coordinator and Jason Simmons as defensive pass-game coordinator. Later on Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reported that quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard would return in 2024 after impressing Quinn and Kingsbury.

The Commanders still have several openings and are continuing to interview potential candidates.

Of Thursday’s new hires, Johnson was the big name. And due to the Eagles’ struggles down the stretch last season, his hiring was praised by many — except Philadelphia fans.

Here are some of those reactions.

 

Commanders request permission to speak with Giants’ assistant coach

The Commanders looking to speak with a Giants’ assistant, who played 16 NFL seasons.

New Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is working to fill out his coaching staff. Shortly after accepting the job, Quinn quickly settled on his offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury) and defensive coordinator (Joe Whitt Jr.).

After Monday’s press conference introducing Quinn, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Washington contacted the Raiders to request permission to speak with their 2023 defensive backs coach Jason Simmons. The Raiders granted permission.

On Tuesday, the Commanders reached out to another potential secondary coach.

According to Art Stapleton, a beat reporter and NFL columnist for The Record and NorthJersey.com, the Commanders reached out to the New York Giants with a request to interview their assistant special teams coach Mike Adams.

Adams is rather new to the coaching world, having just retired from 16 16-year playing career in 2019. Adams played for six teams throughout the course of his career and was a former two-time Pro Bowl selection.

He entered the coaching ranks in 2021 as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Bears. In 2023, he moved to the Bears as an assistant special teams coach.

Stapleton says Adams would be interviewing to be Washington’s secondary coach if the Giants grant permission.

Adams served as a special teams coordinator at last week’s Senior Bowl.

Adams, 42, played in 228 career games and finished with 30 interceptions.

Commanders granted permission to speak with Raiders’ assistant

The Commanders will speak to a 10-year NFL veteran for a role of the defensive staff.

New Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn wasted no time making his first coaching hires. Shortly after officially being named head coach, Quinn landed his offensive and defensive coordinators.

On Sunday night, the Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury, the former Cardinals coach, as offensive coordinator, while Joe Whitt Jr. followed Quinn from Dallas to become the Commanders’ new defensive coordinator.

Now, it’s time for Quinn to fill out the rest of his coaching staff.

A possible name has emerged as Washington’s next secondary coach.

Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Commanders requested — and were granted permission — to speak with defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jason Simmons.

Simmons spent last season with the Raiders and was with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021 in the same roles. Before coming to Carolina, Simmons spent nine seasons with the Packers, where he worked with Whitt.

A fifth-round pick in the 1998 NFL draft, Simmons was a college teammate of Pat Tillman. He played 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers and Texans.

 

Former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury a ‘strong candidate’ to be Commanders offensive coordinator

Kingsbury spent the 2023 season at USC, working with presumed No. 1 pick Caleb Williams.

Two days after the Commanders picked Dan Quinn to be their head coach, we’ve begun to learn some of the names in contention to be his first offensive coordinator.

On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Kliff Kingsbury recently interviewed with Washington and is considered a “strong candidate” for the job.

Kingsbury, 44, was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for four seasons and had a record of 28-37-1. Before becoming an NFL coach, Kingsbury was head coach at his alma mater — Texas Tech — for six seasons, and he was Patrick Mahomes’ college coach.

Kingsbury is a protege of the late Mike Leach, who he played quarterback for at Texas Tech from 1998-2002.

Like Leach, Kingsbury runs a version of the “Air Raid” offense. However, during his time with the Cardinals, he modified his scheme to adapt to the NFL.

Kingsbury spent the 2023 season as an analyst for the USC Trojans under Lincoln Riley. It was during the last year he developed a close relationship with the presumed No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Caleb Williams.

The Commanders hold the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft and are expected to select a quarterback.

 

Former Penn State assistant Adam Fisher hired to be Temple’s next head coach

Player-favorite assistant will not be part of the new basketball staff under Mike Rhoades at Penn State

With the announcement of Penn State officially hiring [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] to be the next men’s head basketball coach, the questions about who will be the assistants are the next logical step.

There was some hope and optimism that [autotag]Adam Fisher[/autotag] would be included on the staff. After graduating from Penn State in 2006, he’s racked up an impressive assistant resume under Jay Wright at Villanova, Jim Larranaga at Miami and most recently [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] back at Penn State.

Once a candidate for the head coaching job himself, Fisher had the full backing of the players from this year’s team. The athletic department decided to look elsewhere and eventually hired Rhoades away from VCU.

The optimism that Fisher would still serve on the Penn State staff has ended with Temple reportedly hiring him as their next head coach on Wednesday. Fisher had been a hot name around the country for multiple jobs, so it’s not a surprise that another Pennsylvania school would take a shot on him as their head coach.

It’s been an interesting process for Temple who parted ways with Aaron McKie earlier in the year. There were reports earlier on Wednesday that the Owls were hiring Missouri assistant Charlton Young. However, he eventually turned down the job citing uncertainty with the university leadership.

While lacking head coaching experience, Fisher has been a proven recruiter at both Miami and Penn State. He’s been great at getting Pennsylvania players into whatever program he’s coaching, including five-star prospect and current NBA player Lonnie Walker.

Fisher will become the 19th coach in Temple’s history.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and Tik Tok

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=11]

[mm-video type=video id=01gwqdn54wjc7pkgy2e9 playlist_id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gwqdn54wjc7pkgy2e9/01gwqdn54wjc7pkgy2e9-4e70442d4fe4cc7a53636ea762052e85.jpg]