Tag: Keenan McCardell

Report: What the Vikings hiring Keenan McCardell as WR coach could mean going forward

What does the Minnesota Vikings hiring Keenan McCardell as WR coach have to do with the team as whole?

Despite Minnesota thriving at the wide receiver position in 2020, the Vikings elected to hire a new wide receivers coach this offseason: Keenan McCardell, as Eugene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union reported.

On the surface, this hire might look confusing, considering wide receivers coach Andrew Janocko is still on the staff. However, with offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak officially retired, this move suggests that the team is making some internal changes.

Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported that everything he continues to hear is that Klint Kubiak is the front-runner to be the offensive coordinator, with Janocko shifting from WRs coach to QB coach in that scenario.

Goessling reported earlier that many expect Klint Kubiak, Gary’s son, to take over as the offensive coordinator. The move would be an inside hire and most likely be a sign of continuity for the offense. 

Minnesota has to hire its sixth offensive coordinator of the Mike Zimmer era. From Pat Shurmur to Kevin Stefanski, there have been some sound offensive minds in that role. The Vikings will hope to find another one this offseason.

Our friends at Jaguars Wire said that McCardell was the coach who Jacksonville fans wanted to retain the most this offseason. The Jaguars fired both their general manager and head coach in 2020.

Report: Keenan McCardell expected to join Vikings’ staff

The Jags’ WR coach from 2017-20, Keenan McCardell, will not be retained on the 2021 staff.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ staff will look dramatically different this season as most, if not all, of their coaches from 2020 aren’t expected to be retained. Per The Florida Times-Union, one coach who won’t be returning is Jags legend Keenan McCardell, who had been coaching the receivers since 2017. Instead of returning under Urban Meyer, he’ll be heading to Minnesota to join the Vikings’ staff.

McCardell, 51, was the coach fans wanted to retain the most, but Meyer seemingly wanted to make a change. In the process of conducting a search, Meyer decided to bring longtime receivers coach Sanjay Lal aboard, who will likely replace McCardell and has coached in the NFL since 2009.

McCardell, who has six years of coaching experience in the NFL and played in it for 16 seasons, did an excellent job with the Jags’ young receiving corps while in Jacksonville. Notables like Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, D.J. Chark Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr., Keelan Cole, and Collin Johnson all had the luxury to learn under him. Of the group, Chark became a Pro Bowler under the tutelage of McCardell and registered over 1,000 yards in 2019.

The good thing about McCardell’s unfortunate departure is that he’s going to coach one of the league’s best receiving duos as the Vikings have Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen atop their depth chart. Both accumulated totals of 1,400 and 925 yards, respectively, and combined for 21 touchdowns.

Report: Keenan McCardell expected to join Vikings’ staff

The Jags’ WR coach from 2017-20, Keenan McCardell, will not be retained on the 2021 staff.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ staff will look dramatically different this season as most, if not all, of their coaches from 2020 aren’t expected to be retained. Per The Florida Times-Union, one coach who won’t be returning is Jags legend Keenan McCardell, who had been coaching the receivers since 2017. Instead of returning under Urban Meyer, he’ll be heading to Minnesota to join the Vikings’ staff.

McCardell, 51, was the coach fans wanted to retain the most, but Meyer seemingly wanted to make a change. In the process of conducting a search, Meyer decided to bring longtime receivers coach Sanjay Lal aboard, who will likely replace McCardell and has coached in the NFL since 2009.

McCardell, who has six years of coaching experience in the NFL and played in it for 16 seasons, did an excellent job with the Jags’ young receiving corps while in Jacksonville. Notables like Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, D.J. Chark Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr., Keelan Cole, and Collin Johnson all had the luxury to learn under him. Of the group, Chark became a Pro Bowler under the tutelage of McCardell and registered over 1,000 yards in 2019.

The good thing about McCardell’s unfortunate departure is that he’s going to coach one of the league’s best receiving duos as the Vikings have Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen atop their depth chart. Both accumulated totals of 1,400 and 925 yards, respectively, and combined for 21 touchdowns.

Is Chad Johnson looking to join the Jaguars’ staff?

Chad Johnson says he was going to pay Doug Marrone a visit this week, but what for?

It’s never uncommon to see a player try his hand in coaching after stepping away from football and that seems to be what Chad Ochocinco wants to do with his future. He expressed his interest in joining the Washington Redskins’ staff under Ron Rivera a week ago, however, nothing came into fruition for the former All-Pro and Pro Bowler, so it appears he’s still a free agent.

However, one coach who he has visited this week is Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, who coincidentally will be doing some staff evaluations next week.

Of course, it’s not for certain that Johnson’s meeting with Marrone was for a job on his staff but things would certainly get a little more interesting with him on the staff. Receivers coach Keenan McCardell is likely one of the safest coaches on the staff in terms of job security when considering the job he’s done with DJ Chark Jr., Dede Westbrook, Keenan Cole, and Chris Conley. However, the team could add another assistant to join McCardell or help out on offense if they wanted.

As most fans who follow him on Twitter are aware, Johnson is one of the more active former players from the league on social media and is always interacting with other players whether it’s to challenge them competitively or simply interact. He’s interacted with a few Jags players in the past, too, including former cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who he paid a visit to during the Jags’ preseason game against the Miami Dolphins last year.

Johnson’s last stint in the NFL was during the 2012 preseason with the Miami Dolphins. He finished his career with 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns.

Are there any Jags assistants who should survive a coaching change?

There are two coaches who may stand a chance to survive a coaching change for the Jags in our books. One of them is Joe DeCamillis.

With a 4-9 record currently and five straight losses by at least 17 points, the Jacksonville Jaguars are unquestionably going to have a coaching change at the end of the year. Of course, the reason for their record and pending changes is somewhat due to the Jags’ current staff being out-coached at times and fans have been very vocal about getting Doug Marrone and his staff out of the facility.

That said, our question of the day is whether or you all at home feel there is a member of the current staff who should survive what will likely be a coaching staff change in a few weeks? Here are two candidates who we feel at least deserve another year:

Special teams coach – Joe DeCamillis

Joe DeCamillis is one of the league’s most respected special teams coaches and it’s easy to see why when looking at his body of work before joining the Jags and after. Prior to coming to Jacksonville, he was so highly regarded at his last stop that he served as the interim head coach for the Denver Broncos Week 6 of the 2016 season with Gary Kubiak dealing with and illness.

First and foremost, he deserves praise for what he’s gotten out of Josh Lambo, who is kicking at a Pro Bowl level this season. The veteran, who the Jags signed off the free-agent market during the 2017 regular season, has converted 96.3% of his field-goal attempts (26-of-27), good for the best in the league.

DeCamillis has also turned Logan Cooke into a stud punter. With the offense not offering much production, Cooke has been a weapon for the Jags averaging just under 44 yards per punt and constantly pinning the opposition behind the 20-yard line. The crazy part about it is that he’s only 24 and keeping DeCamillis by his side could make him an All-Pro down the road.

Receivers coach – Keenan McCardell

The other assistant who comes to mind when discussing the staff’s ability to teach is receivers coach and Jags great Keenan McCardell, who pretty much has done a well as you can with the young receivers he’s inherited.

During his first season on the Jags’ coaching staff, McCardell immediately showed his skills as a communicator. One series into the regular season, he lost his top receiver, Allen Robinson, for the year with an ACL tear but it didn’t stop him from getting the best out of what was left for Blake Bortles to utilize. He got some quality moments and play out of undrafted rookie Keelan Cole that season, who totaled a career-high in statistics with 42 catches, 748 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

McCardell’s other noteworthy achievement was coaching up second-year receiver DJ Chark Jr., who struggled mightily in 2018 but looks like one of the league’s most improved players now. Chark is currently just 44 yards shy of the 1000-yard mark this season and has impressed on all levels of the field despite the frequent changes at quarterback.

If there is a new staff, they almost certainly will recognize the coaching Chark and the other receivers have responded to and possibly consider keeping McCardell. It also may help his case that he was formerly a receiver in the league who was largely successful.

That said, we’d like to know if you all at home believe McCardell and DeCamillis deserve to remain assistants past 2019. Is there someone we missed on the staff that deserves to stay? Let us know in our Jags Wire forum.