Tag: coaching staff

New events added to Pro Bowl Skills Showdown this year

A number of new events have been added to this year’s Pro Bowl Skills Showdown at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

Before the 2020 Pro Bowl kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 26 from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Pro Bowl players will be participating in a number of events throughout the week.

For the fourth year in a row, players will get to showcase their talents in the Pro Bowl Bowl Skills Showdown.

Here are the events for this year’s Skills Showdown, per NFL Communications:

  • Precision Passing presented by Skittles
  • Gridiron Gauntlet presented by Castrol EDGE
  • Best Hands presented by Intuit
  • Thread the Needle presented by Panini
  • Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball presented by Old Spice

The Skills Showdown competition will take place on January 22 at ESPN Wide World of Sports, but will air the following day, on Thursday, Jan. 23 on ESPN at 6:00 p.m. PT.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner were the only team members selected to the Pro Bowl this season. As the NFC team with the best record to lose in the divisional round of the playoffs, the Seahawks’ staff will be coaching the NFC roster.

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Pete Carroll, Seahawks staff to coach NFC roster in Pro Bowl

Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks staff will be coaching the NFC roster in the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl in Orlando on January 26.

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was likely hoping to square off against John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl in Miami this year, but the 2020 Pro Bowl in Orlando will have to do instead.

After falling to the Packers last Sunday to end their season, Carroll and his staff will be coaching the NFC squad in the exhibition matchup. Harbaugh and his crew will head the AFC team.

The NFC and AFC Pro Bowl coaches are represented by the staff from the teams with the best records who were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“Really to see the caliber of the other players,” Carroll explained Monday of the opportunity. “I mean, we’ve been with our guys for six months. To have a chance to compare what these guys are capable of looking like. It’s not going to be the most intense preparation that we’ll ever go through. We’ll be around them. I’m looking forward to the game as much as anything.

“For comparison purposes, it’ll be good.”

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner – who may not participate due to injuries – were selected to this year’s Pro Bowl roster.

The Pro Bowl is set to kick off at 12:00 p.m. PT on January 26 from Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

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Broncos fire quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney

After hiring a new offensive coordinator, the Broncos have fired quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney.

The changes to the Broncos’ offensive coaching staff continue.

After moving on from Rich Scangarello, Denver hired former Giants head coach Pat Shurmur to be their new offensive coordinator. It appears that Shurmur now plans to bring in his own quarterbacks coach.

The Broncos have fired quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, according to multiple media reports. Benjamin Allbright of KOA Radio was the first to report the news of McCartney’s firing on Wednesday.

McCartney played QB at LSU and went on to serve as an assistant coach with the University of Colorado and LSU before making the jump to the NFL, spending time with the Browns and 49ers.

McCartney spent three seasons in San Francisco before following Scangarello to Denver last year. He helped groom rookie Drew Lock in 2019 and the quarterback won four of his five games as a starter.

After firing McCartney, the Broncos may target former New York QBs coach/offensive coordinator Mike Shula. Shula’s familiarity with Shurmur likely makes him the favorite to replace McCartney in Denver.

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Broncos hire Pat Shurmur as new offensive coordinator

The Broncos have officially hired Pat Shurmur, who will replace former offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

It’s official, the Broncos have a new offensive coordinator.

After the team fired Rich Scangarello on Sunday, reports quickly emerged that the team planned to hire former Giants coach Pat Shurmur to replace Scangarello. Denver officially announced the hire on Tuesday.

Shurmur hasn’t found much success as a head coach — he has a 19-46 record — but he is a respected offensive mind. Shurmur won AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2017 as a coordinator after helping the Vikings reach the NFC Championship game.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio and general manager John Elway feel that Shurmur is an upgrade over Scangarello. The stats from last season reflect that belief, but not by much.

Denver’s offense averaged 298.6 yards per game (28th) and 17.6 points per game (28th). New York’s offense averaged 298.6 yards per game (23rd) and 21.3 points per game (18th). Shurmur’s 2019 numbers are better, of course, but they still ranked in the bottom half of the league.

The Broncos now have two assistant coaches with head coach experience — Shurmur and offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who served as the Titans’ head coach from 2011-2013.

To read more about Shurmur’s career leading up to Denver, click here.

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Mike Shula may interest Broncos

Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur might have interest in bringing Mike Shula to Denver.

After moving on from Rich Scangarello, the Denver Broncos are expected to make former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur their new offensive coordinator. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Shurmur have some of his old coaching staff join him in Denver.

Mike Shula, who served as New York’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2018-2019, is presumably available after Shurmur’s departure. The Giants are expected to hire Jerry Schuplinski as their new QBs coach, which might be a sign that Shula won’t be brought back for the 2020 season.

The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala noted on Twitter on Monday that Shula “spent a good bit of time” with quarterback Drew Lock at Missouri’s pro day last year. If Shurmur wants one of “his guys” coaching Denver’s quarterbacks, Shula would make sense.

It’s also possible that the Broncos could stick with current QBs coach T.C. McCartney, who joined Denver’s staff last year. McCartney has five years of coaching experience in the NFL. He worked for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns before joining Vic Fangio’s staff in 2019.

So far, Scangarello is the only coach the Broncos haven’t brought back.

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Doug Nussmeier expected to replace Jon Kitna as Cowboys QB coach

The Cowboys appear to be leaning on an internal candidate to be Dak Prescott’s new position coach, but who will coach the tight ends?

Doug Nussmeier and Jon Kitna both played integral roles in the revamping of the Cowboys offense under first-time offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Their contributions to a scheme that strove to be more versatile and multidimensional resulted in one of the top offenses in the league. Dallas finished 2019 ranked tops in the NFL in yards per game and scrimmage yards per offensive play, and they placed 6th across all teams in points per game.

But those rankings didn’t translate to enough wins, and a change at head coach has brought the inevitable reshuffling of staff, regardless of the year’s statistical success. Kitna now looks to be headed out of Dallas, according to reports, with tight ends coach Nussmeier taking his place as quarterbacks coach under new skipper Mike McCarthy.

Nussmeier came aboard in early 2018, after serving in the college ranks since 2008 with the programs at Fresno State, Washington, Alabama, Michigan, and Florida. Nussmeier was charged with the development of the Cowboys tight ends, who were suddenly without veteran Jason Witten as the 2018 season approached.

The former college, NFL, and CFL quarterback stayed on in that role with the Cowboys when then-quarterbacks coach Kellen Moore was promoted to offensive coordinator and Kitna was brought in just prior to the 2019 Pro Bowl, where the Dallas staff coached the NFC squad.

Kitna had been a journeyman quarterback with several pro teams including the Cowboys before transitioning into coaching at the high school level. He then accepted a position as the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Fleet of the AAF, but took the Dallas quarterbacks coaching job before that league began play.

Kitna was known for a detailed approach to mechanics- especially footwork- and is credited with playing a major role in the dramatic uptick in the play in 2019 of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. In one year under Kitna, Prescott enjoyed his best season as a pro in terms of passing yards, yards per attempt, touchdowns, and sacks.

As a collegiate quarterback at Idaho, Nussmeier built an impressive body of work. He is one of only five quarterbacks in NCAA history to amass 10,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards, on a list that includes Steve McNair, Daunte Culpepper, and Colin Kaepernick.

As ESPN’s Todd Archer points out, Nussmeier would be Prescott’s fourth position coach in five NFL seasons.

And as many Cowboys fans are pointing out, Nussmeier’s move would leave an opening for a tight ends coach. And the Cowboys already have in the building a veteran tight end- a future Hall of Famer at the position- who has shown a proclivity for breaking down the nuts and bolts of the game and a strong allegiance to the franchise that drafted him in 2003. Could this be the toppling of the first domino that eventually brings Witten to the coaching staff?

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Broncos expected to hire Pat Shurmur as new offensive coordinator

The Broncos are expected to hire former Giants head coach Pat Shurmur to be their new offensive coordinator.

After parting ways with Rich Scangarello on Sunday, the Denver Broncos plan to make Pat Shurmur their new offensive coordinator, according to multiple media reports. Shurmur chose Denver over the Chicago Bears and several other teams, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

Raanan noted on Twitter that the New York Giants — Shurmur’s former team — were “high on” quarterback Drew Lock leading up to last year’s NFL draft. New York ended up selecting quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick and the Broncos selected Lock in the second round.

Shurmur, 54, has been coaching in the NFL since 1999. After serving as the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2017 and earning Assistant Coach of the Year honors, he was named the Giants’ head coach in 2018. New York struggled under Shurmur, going 9-23 over the last two years.

Shurmur’s record as a head coach is not impressive (19-46) but he is a respected, experienced offensive mind. Denver now has two assistant coaches with head coach experience — Shurmur and offensive line coach Mike Munchak, who served as the Titans’ head coach from 2011-2013.

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Texans OC Tim Kelly says Bill O’Brien taught him everything he knows about evaluating talent

Houston Texans first-year offensive coordinator Tim Kelly says that coach Bill O’Brien schooled him on every aspect of talent evaluation.

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien has his team atop the AFC South (6-3) and is one of the best teams in the conference.

Part of the secret sauce has come from the crucial and unexpected trades O’Brien influenced from Aug. 8 onward. While he’s taking criticism for some of his roster decisions — trading Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo, and a thrid-round pick — his roster additions have worked in Houston’s favor.

Trades for running backs Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde along with left tackle Laremy Tunsil have the Texans as the fifth-ranked rushing offense.

Receiver Kenny Stills has been tremendous in his role with the offense, and the midseason move for cornerback Gareon Conley along with the waiver claim for former first-round cornerback Vernon Hargreaves show that the Texans are committed to boosting the talent at positions that needed it.

Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has taken notes.

“All I know is that as far as with him and personnel, he’s taught me everything I know about evaluating talent,” Kelly told reporters Thursday.

What O’Brien has taught everyone through the first 11 weeks of the season is that the club doesn’t believe they’re out of it, and they will constantly churn their roster.

Being a coach in the NFL comes with the criticism, whether justifiable or not, and a coach is only as good as the next win or bad as the next loss. O’Brien has been a hot seat nominee, but his personnel moves have made the Texans a hot ticket.