Tag: Kliff Kingsbury

5 things to know about new Commanders LB coach Ken Norton Jr.

Here are five things to know about new Commanders LB coach Ken Norton Jr.

Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris said one of new head coach Dan Quinn’s strengths was his ability to assemble a staff of quality people. Over two weeks into Quinn’s tenure, that statement rings true.

Shortly after Quinn’s hiring, the Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator) and Joe Whitt Jr. (defensive coordinator). While Kingsbury had some issues as Arizona’s head coach, he should thrive focusing only on the offense.

Whitt, a first-time coordinator with outstanding credentials, was more than ready for this opportunity. He’s worked with Quinn since 2020.

Another big-time hire for Quinn is linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. A veteran NFL player and coach, Norton is widely respected across college football and the NFL. He is a two-time NFL defensive coordinator, bringing plenty of experience to Quinn’s staff.

Here are five things to know about Washington’s new linebackers coach.

Bobby Engram to return as Commanders wide receivers coach

Bobby Engram is the third Washington assistant set to return in 2024.

As Dan Quinn continues to fill out his first coaching staff for the Commanders, another holdover from Ron Rivera’s staff will return in 2024.

Former NFL player and veteran coach Bobby Engram will return next season as Washington’s wide receivers coach, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. Engram was hired by Eric Bieniemy last offseason and joins quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard coaches who’ll be on Quinn’s staff.

Washington’s wide receivers took a step back last season, although that had more to do with Bieniemy’s offense than Engram’s coaching. The Commanders’ wideouts had issues separating consistently, and Washington’s route concepts were often criticized.

Engram, 51, is a former second-round pick of the Chicago Bears. He played 14 NFL seasons and finished his career with 650 receptions, 7,751 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns. His coaching career began immediately after playing with the 49ers in 2011.

In his 13-year coaching career, Engram has had stops with the 49ers (2011), Pitt Panthers (2012-13), Baltimore Ravens (2014-21) and Wisconsin (2022) before coming to Washington in 2023.

One person happy that Engram was back: Wide receiver — and fellow Penn State alum — Jahan Dotson.

Engram, Pritchard and Ryan Kerrigan will all return in 2024, with Kerrigan taking on the role of outside linebackers coach/pass rush specialist.

The only position offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury must fill on his staff now is running backs coach. Former running backs coach Randy Jordan is now in Tennessee.

Commanders hire David Raih as tight ends coach

Dan Quinn found his tight ends coach.

Dan Quinn continues to put the finishing touches on his first coaching staff with the Washington Commanders.

On Monday, the Commanders added three coaches, and on Tuesday, they hired David Raih as their tight ends coach. Raih, 43, was a senior offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

Raih is the first Washington assistant thus far with experience working with new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Raih’s first full-time coaching job came in 2013 with Kingsbury at Texas Tech as the assistant quarterback coach and outside receivers coach. Kingsbury was in his first season as head coach of Texas Tech.

Raih, who played collegiately at Iowa, moved to the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2014. He spent five years with the Packers, working with the wide receivers and offensive line.

In 2019, Raih went to Arizona, reuniting with Kingsbury as his wide receivers coach for two seasons. In 2021, Raih returned to the college game, landing with Vanderbilt as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

He resigned after one year at Vanderbilt before joining Tampa Bay in 2023.

The Commanders will look to upgrade the tight end position this offseason.

Bucs assistant coach David Raih leaves for Washington

Raih came to Tampa Bay last year with former offensive coordinator Dave Canales.

Another member of Tampa Bay’s offensive staff is going elsewhere this offseason.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Bucs offensive assistant David Raih is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to join the Washington Commanders as their tight ends coach for 2024. The move reunites Raih with Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, for who he was a wide receivers coach in Arizona.

Raih was a very recent addition to Tampa Bay’s staff. He joined the Bucs in 2023 when offensive coordinator Dave Canales came to Tampa Bay to be a part of his offensive staff as a senior assistant. Canales would leave the Bucs just a year later to be the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, so with that connection gone, Raih joins another one in Kingsbury under new Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.

Raih is one of a number of staff changes to the Bucs this season following Canales’ departure. The offensive staff in Tampa Bay could look a lot different under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who was hired at the beginning of February.

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Dwindling NFL opportunities likely led to Chip Kelly going to Ohio State

Chip Kelly’s NFL options dwindled. Instead, he went to Ohio State. Maybe he will return to the NFL one day.

Former USC Trojans’ offensive analyst and Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has found a home again in the NFL.

With Bruins’ head coach Chip Kelly potentially eying an NFL return, the Las Vegas Raiders presented the best last option for him to make the jump to the big leagues before this season begins. However, it was too late.

Nonetheless, Chip Kelly decided to join Ryan Day at Ohio State as the OC, moving from one Big Ten program (soon, at least) to another.

Prior to Kingsbury’s hire, Kelly’s name was floated as a potential fit in Washington and Las Vegas. But when Kingsbury wiggled out of his pending deal with Las Vegas, he opted for the other remaining vacancy with the Commanders, who hold the #2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Having interviewed twice with the Raiders so far, following Kingsbury’s departure, Kelly’s name likely re-entered the fold with the Seattle Seahawks as well, but he ultimately chose to go to Columbus. Or, maybe he got passed over for the Seahawks job.

 

Given the Bruins’ change in conference to the BIG 10 and a near-dead-even .500 record (35-34) since Kelly’s hire back in 2018, perhaps the time was now for a coaching change at UCLA.

His departure comes with all kinds of obstacles, and Bill Plaschke, Dan Wolken, and many others weren’t entirely thrilled at the timing of the move.

Twitter reacts to Commanders hiring Bobby Johnson as OL coach

It’s safe to say the Giants are laughing at the Commanders over this move.

When the Washington Commanders hired Kliff Kingsbury (offensive coordinator) and Joe Whitt Jr. (defensive coordinator) last week, the next highly anticipated hire would be on the offensive line.

Who would new head coach Dan Quinn pick as his first offensive line coach in Washington?

Quinn’s first choice was believed to be Dallas tight end coach Lunda Wells. However, the Cowboys denied Quinn permission to interview Wells. On Monday, Quinn hired former Bills and Giants offensive line coach Bobby Johnson as Washington’s O-Line coach.

A quick search of Johnson, and you’ll find he was let go by the Giants recently after two seasons. The Giants allowed 85 sacks in 2023, the most in the NFL and the second-most of all time. While New York’s problems weren’t all due to Johnson, Evan Neal, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, regressed badly.

You can blame injuries for part of New York’s OL woes, but every team has injuries. And when it was revealed that the Commanders had hired Johnson, Giants’ fans either laughed or felt sorry for Washington fans.

Here are some reactions to Johnson’s hiring — they aren’t positive.

Commanders’ OC Kingsbury called ‘the biggest fraud in football’

One radio host seems to have issues with Kliff Kingsbury.

CBS Sports Radio show host Damon Amendolara apparently doesn’t like Kliff Kingsbury very much.

Amendolara was in Las Vegas Friday for the Super Bowl week and took a few moments to speak with The Team 980’s Craig Hoffman. Hoffman himself admitted initially he was not too excited about the Commanders hiring Kingsbury to be the offensive coordinator. However, since his initial reaction, Hoffman has “begun to warm to it a bit.”

Hoffman then asked Amendolara where he stood on the hiring of Kingsbury, to which Amendolara responded, “I think he is the biggest fraud in football. Because he has not succeeded anywhere he has been to any significant degree.”

“When he gets the head coach job at Texas Tech he never had a winning record within the Big 12.” Amendolara pointed out that even with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback, the best Kingsbury could do was 7-5.

“Then he somehow fails upward to get the head coaching job at Arizona. Every year is the same thing: they start out hot and collapse down the stretch. The one year they go to the postseason they are completely ill-prepared. They take on that Rams team and were down 21-0 at the half, 28-0 in the third quarter.”

Amendolara continued to pile on Kingsbury. “His team is known for penalties, poor coaching and sloppy play and slow starts or fades in the second half of the season.”

Amendolara insisted that Kingsbury going to USC also resulted in Caleb Williams having a worse season than previously for the Trojans. That is actually not easily determined nor debated. For in fact, it was the USC defense who really struggled much more in 2023 than they did in the 2022 season.

“This guy has never proven anything. He just keeps getting plum jobs.”

Hoffman countered that at both Texas Teach and USC, Kingsbury was losing 50-48 games, and secondly, Kingsbury was not hired to be the Commanders’ head coach, but only the offensive coordinator.

We don’t know yet how Kingsbury will perform or function, but it is noteworthy, that many in the sports media field, have felt the need to criticize the Dan Quinn and Kingsbury hires.

Commanders land help everywhere in new 4-round mock draft

The Commanders land six players who could them immediately in this new four-round mock draft.

The Washington Commanders enter the offseason with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Quarterback is Washington’s biggest need, and the Commanders will be able to choose between Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels at No. 2.

Many believe the Chicago Bears will take Williams at No. 1, leaving the Commanders to decide between Maye and Daniels. However, Maye and Daniels aren’t consolation prizes. Both are considered elite quarterback prospects.

Quarterback isn’t Washington’s only need. The Commanders have needs on the offensive line, at wide receiver, cornerback, defensive end and linebacker. While Washington will be able to fill some needs in free agency, the draft presents an opportunity to shore up other positions for the foreseeable future.

The Commanders have six picks in the top 102 in April’s draft. In a new mock draft from Curt Popejoy of Draft Wire, Washington lands help everywhere.

Stay or go: Previewing Commanders’ top 11 2024 free agents

We look at 11 Washington free agents and determine whether they should stay or go in 2024.

Super Bowl LVIII is over, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers. That means the offseason is upon us.

The offseason began for Washington five weeks ago after a Week 18 loss to the Dallas Cowboys handed them their eighth consecutive loss to finish the season with a 4-13 record.

Since then, Washington fired head coach Ron Rivera and hired general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn. And with the most salary cap space in the NFL and five of the top 100 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including No. 2 overall, the Commanders have a chance to drastically improve next season.

But before Washington gets to free agency, it must decide on its 28 free agents. Some will remain, others will leave. Much of it will depend on the price.

We look at Washington’s top 11 free agents and determine if they should stay or go — and why.

5 things to know about Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes when he played for Texas Tech

Here are some fun facts about Patrick Mahomes while he played college football.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of the most notable athletes in any sport, thanks in large part to his sustained excellence on the field.

As his Chiefs prepare to play in their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons and try to win a third Lombardi in that span, let’s look back on the prolific quarterback’s college days at Texas Tech.

Before he was a superstar quarterback, Mahomes was a budding talent down in Lubbock, Texas, who was working his way to being a starting NFL signal caller and also played baseball for a brief time.

Let’s take a look at a few interesting facts about Mahomes’ time at the college level.

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