Tag: Joel Thomas

Giants hire Joel Thomas: 5 things to know about the RB coach

The New York Giants have hired Joel Thomas and here are five things to know about their next running backs coach.

The New York Giants officially announced the hiring of Joel Thomas as their next running backs coach on Tuesday.

Thomas will replace Jeff Nixon, who recently departed for Syracuse, where he’ll serve as their offensive coordinator and running backs coach.

Thomas will inherit a running back group rife with uncertainty. Saquon Barkley avoided exit interviews and all but demanded the Giants franchise him before March if they intend to. If not, Barkley says, it’s time to let him go.

If the Giants opt against franchising Barkley and fail to sign him to a long-term deal, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Needless to say, Thomas has a lot of work to do. But before that begins, here are five things to know about the Giants’ new running backs coach.

Giants hire Joel Thomas, Aaron Wellman

The New York Giants have hired Joel Thomas as their running backs coach and Aaron Wellman as their executive director of player performance.

The New York Giants continued filling staff vacancies on Tuesday and put a cap on their hunt for a new running backs coach and a new executive director of player performance.

The team officially announced the hire of Joel Thomas as their running backs coach, replacing Jeff Nixon, who left to coach the offense at Syracuse.

Thomas had been the New Orleans Saints’ running backs coach since 2015, overseeing the likes of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Prior to his time in The Big Easy, Thomas spent 13 years coaching at the college level, including a stint as Washington’s co-head coach (offense).

Thomas takes over an uncertain running back situation for the Giants. Saquon Barkley is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in March and has once again expressed a desire to avoid the franchise tag. For the first time, his future with the team is very much in doubt.

Meanwhile, the Giants also announced the hire of Aaron Wellman as their executive director of player performance, replacing Craig Fitzgerald, who left for Florida in December.

If you recognize Wellman’s name it’s because he spent four years as the Giants’ strength and conditioning coach under both Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur. During that time, the Giants were among the most-injured teams in the league.

Wellman left the Giants following the 2019 season and joined Indiana as their senior assistant athletic director for football performance.

In addition to his time with the Giants and Indiana, Wellman also had stints at Ball State University (2004-2008), San Diego State University (2009-2010), and the University of Michigan (2011-2014).

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Giants hire longtime Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas

The Giants hired longtime Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas. More changes are hitting the New Orleans coaching staff:

This seemed to be likely: the New York Giants announced that Joel Thomas will take over as their running backs coach on Brian Daboll’s staff, marking the latest departure from the New Orleans Saints. Thomas had worked with the Saints since 2015 but he’ll be leaving in a lateral move.

It’s another shakeup on the offensive side of the ball in New Orleans. The Saints rushing attack fell off in recent years, finishing 21st, 19th, and 15th in rushing yards each of the last three seasons while totaling 37 touchdown runs in their last 51 games.

Notably, Thomas is the only position coach that Alvin Kamara has known in his Saints career. The fan-favorite running back has a couple of years left on his contract but speculation has swirled that he could be on the trade block in the near future as one of the team’s few enviable assets. Hopefully he’s receptive to a new position coach who can help Kamara get back to the record-breaking form we saw in years past so he can finish his career in black and gold.

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Giants interviewed Joel Thomas for running back coaching job

The New York Giants have interviewed Joel Thomas (New Orleans Saints) for their vacant running back coach position.

The New York Giants continued their search for coordinators and assistant coaches on Saturday, this time focusing their attention on the offensive side of the ball.

While the NFL playoff slate kicked off, the Giants hosted New Orleans Saints running back Joel Thomas for an interview.

The Giants are again in the market for a running backs coach after Jeff Nixon departed to take over the offense at Syracuse. Their next hire will be their fourth in four years.

By contrast, Thomas has been the Saints’ running backs coach since 2015, overseeing the likes of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Prior to his time in The Big Easy, Thomas spent 13 years coaching at the college level, including a stint as Washington’s co-head coach (offense).

If hired, Thomas will take over an uncertain running back situation for the Giants. Saquon Barkley is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in March and has once again expressed a desire to avoid the franchise tag. For the first time, his future with the team is very much in doubt.

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Giants interview Saints RB coach Joel Thomas for a possible lateral move

The Giants are interviewing Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas for the same position. Approving a lateral move suggests changes are coming for New Orleans:

This is interesting: NFL Network’s Ian Rapport reports that the New York Giants are interviewing Joel Thomas for their open running backs coach job. That’s the same position Thomas has held on staff with the New Orleans Saints, meaning the team has given him permission to seek a lateral move — which suggests changes are on the way on Airline Drive.

Thomas is one of the longest-tenures members of the Saints coaching staff, having held his current post since 2015, and he’s the only position coach that Alvin Kamara has had during his storied career. Moving on from him would be a big shakeup.

But the New Orleans rushing attack has struggled to get going in recent years. As a team, they averaged the second-fewest yards per carry (3.6) in 2023. The Saints ranked 21st in rushing yards per game (102.5) and they didn’t have a single carry gain 20 or more yards by their running backs all season. It’s true that their offensive line hasn’t met expectations, but their running backs haven’t done enough to make a difference, either.

Thomas has drawn attention from other teams before. He interviewed for the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator job last offseason. Before that, he was a candidate to take over as head coach at his Idaho alma mater. He’s a respected coach and this interest from the Giants suggests he’ll land on his feet if the Saints are intending to make a change in the weeks ahead.

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Tulane RB Tyjae Spears landing with Saints could be the best story in 2023 NFL draft

Tulane star running back Tyjae Spears landing with the New Orleans Saints could be the best story in the 2023 NFL draft, via @MaddyHudak_94:

I’ve always said life imitates sports, and there’s no greater illustration of that sentiment than Tulane running back Tyjae Spears. No better example of persevering through adversity; battling the ugly and finding the beauty at the end of the tunnel.

It’s a mindset that saw the 2022 Green Wave football team accomplish the greatest single-season turnaround in college football history. While the team captains primarily led the charge, the origins of that campaign tie back to the words of the most dynamic back I’ve witnessed from the sideline.

The New Orleans Saints might not have to look far for more help at running back. This is Tyjae Spears’ story:

Cardinals seek OC interview with Saints RB coach Joel Thomas

Thomas has been the Saints’ RB coach since 2015.

The Arizona Cardinals are in the process of forming their coaching staff under new head coach Jonathan Gannon. They have at least three candidates they want to interview for their offensive coordinator job.

One candidate they have requested permission to speak with is New Orleans Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

The Cardinals have also requested permission to interview Browns QB coach Drew Petzing and Commanders WR coach Drew Terrell. Petzing is expected to win the job.

Thomas, 48 years old, has coached in the NFL and in college since 2000.

He has been the Saints’ running backs coach since 2015, coaching players like Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.

Before that, he coached in college mostly as a position coach for running backs since 2002.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals request interview with Saints RB coach Joel Thomas for OC job

The Cardinals requested an interview with Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas for their open offensive coordinator position:

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the Arizona Cardinals requested an interview with New Orleans Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas for their open offensive coordinator position, which would be another big loss for the Saints coaching staff. Thomas would have an opportunity to call plays under first-year Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator.

Hopefully the Cardinals aren’t just seeking a meeting with Thomas to satisfy the Rooney Rule for promoting minority candidate interviews. He’s a good coach who has worked with the Saints for a long time and deserves opportunities like this. Arizona has been linked heavily to Cleveland Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing for the open coordinator job, though, so this may end up not going anywhere for Thomas.

That’s not to say Thomas won’t be on the move eventually. He has ambitions. Last year he interviewed for the open head coach job at his old alma mater, the Idaho Vandals, and he should be getting more looks around the football landscape for his work in New Orleans. We’ll see if anything develops on this front.

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Idaho announces new head coach, passing over Saints RB’s coach Joel Thomas

Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas was a candidate for the open head coach job at Idaho, but the Vandals went with Jason Eck instead:

New Orleans Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas was a candidate for the open head coach job at Idaho, his alma mater, but the Vandals went with someone else instead: Jason Eck. South Dakota State’s offensive coordinator for the last three seasons, Eck was announced as Idaho’s new head coach Sunday.

As fate would have it, he and Thomas were part of the same Vandals coaching staff in 2004 — Thomas coached the running backs and worked as co-offensive coordinator, while Eck worked with the offensive line. Thomas later made the jump to the NFL, while Eck continued to climb the ladder in the college ranks.

So for now Thomas will stay in New Orleans on Sean Payton’s staff. Maybe he gets more calls in the offseason; the Saints lost a number of assistants early in 2021 and could hemorrhage more coaches over the next few months. It’s not impossible to imagine Thomas moving on if the right opportunity arises, though you have to think on some level his interest in Idaho was related to his history with the school.

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Report: Saints RB coach Joel Thomas interviewed for Idaho opening

Report: Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas interviewed for head coach opening at Idaho, his alma mater

Well that’s interesting. The Lewiston Tribune’s Stephan Wiebe reports that the Idaho Vandals interviewed New Orleans Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas for their head coach opening, along with nearly a dozen other candidates. Why the attention on Thomas?

It’s because he’s one of the Vandals’ most popular graduates. Thomas still holds the school records for rushing yards (3,929) and touchdown runs (51), and previously worked as their co-offensive coordinator back in 2004. A return to his alma mater has to be appealing for the 47-year-old, who would be replacing longtime head coach Paul Petrino.

Still, it’s early in the process, and there appears to be a wide range of candidates for the job. Other reports suggest Thomas isn’t even the leading candidate at this stage, but speculation is rampant as the national coaching carousel spins.

It would be great to see Thomas get this opportunity but at the same time you’ve got to wonder how much more turnover Sean Payton’s coaching staff can take; New Orleans lost four position coaches this offseason and could use the continuity Thomas offers, having held his post since 2015. It would be surprising to see him leave during the season, but stranger things have happened. If he does go let’s hope it turns out better for him than it did Joe Brady.

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