Tag: Marty Schottenheimer

Former Washington linebacker Antonio Pierce is the new head coach of the Raiders

Pierce began his career with Washington and was an excellent linebacker before he was allowed to walk in 2005.

The Las Vegas Raiders made it official on Friday: They were hiring interim coach Antonio Pierce as the franchise’s new head coach.

Pierce, 45, began the 2023 NFL season as the Raiders’ linebackers coach but was promoted to interim coach when the team fired Josh McDaniels. Pierce did an outstanding job, leading the Raiders to a 5-4 record with some impressive victories, including a Christmas Day win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

Several Las Vegas players, including stars like defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receiver Davante Adams, made it clear to everyone the players wanted Pierce back.

It’s been quite the journey for Pierce. An undrafted free agent out of Arizona in 2001, he signed with the then-Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent. It was Marty Schottenheimer who identified Pierce. He started eight games as a rookie and was a key member of Washington’s special-teams units.

It was the 2004 season in which Pierce had his breakout year. Under the legendary Joe Gibbs and new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Pierce started all 16 games as Washington’s middle linebacker. He was the linchpin on the NFL’s No. 3 defense that season. It was the perfect time for Pierce to enter free agency, too.

Antonio Pierce #58 of the Washington Redskins. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

He wanted to return, and the team seemed to want him to return. Unfortunately, the team lowballed Pierce, allowing him to hit free agency and enjoy a terrific five-year run with the Giants before he retired in 2010.

Pierce started a TV career after retiring but instead pivoted to coaching. He began as a high school coach in California before accepting a position as linebackers coach under Herm Edwards at Arizona State. After two years as a linebackers coach, he was co-defensive coordinator for one season before moving into the role alone in 2021.

In 2022, Pierce accepted his first NFL coaching position with the Raiders.

It’s been an incredible journey for Pierce, who earned the job with his results and outstanding leadership.

Congratulations to the former Washington linebacker.

Can the Commanders next head coach break the losing cycle?

Can Washington’s next head coach produce a winner?

The Washington Commanders are moving on, looking for a new head coach soon, perhaps in the next couple of weeks.

Ron Rivera’s firing reminded all Washington fans that Rivera, in his four seasons (2020-23), did not achieve a single winning season. By not having a winning season for Washington, Rivera joined Jim Zorn, Steve Spurrier, and Marty Schottenheimer as coaches under Dan Snyder, who did not post a winning record.

Zorn (2008-09) was 12-20,  as was Spurrier (2002-03) 12-20, with Schottenheimer finishing 8-8 in his lone season in Washington (2001).

Achieving winning seasons has been difficult in Washington since Dan Snyder took over the ownership. But it has been done.

Norv Turner in Snyder’s first season (1999) led Washington to a 10-6 record and the NFC East title. But Turner did not survive the next season, being fired during an 8-8 season. It’s often forgotten that Turner had two other winning seasons prior to Snyder’s arrival. His team won in 1996 (9-7) and 1997 (8-7-1).

The next winning season in Washington was 2005 when Joe Jackson Gibbs felt so bad for the franchise’s struggles he risked his own reputation and came back to coach the Redskins for four seasons. Gibbs also added a winning season in his last NFL coaching year (2007) when Washington was 9-7 and a Wild Card team. His 2005 team was the last Washington team to win a playoff game.

Mike Shanahan’s team got hot down the stretch, winning their last seven games and finishing 10-6 in 2012. It was Shanahan’s (2010-13) only winning season in Washington, as Robert Griffin refused to run the same offense and proceeded to never develop as a pocket passer in the NFL. By 2015, Washington was attempting to trade Griffin and had no takers.

Jay Gruden (2014-19) actually had two winning seasons, while Kirk Cousins was the quarterback in Burgundy and Gold. Washington was 9-7 in 2015 and 8-7-1 in 2016. Washington has not had a winning season since Gruden was the head coach and Cousins the starting quarterback.

Finally, let the record display that Joe Gibbs (1981-92) was 124-60 under Jack Kent Cooke. Then in the playoffs Gibbs coached in 5 NFC championship games, 4 Super Bowls and won three of those Super Bowls.

Here’s to hoping the next Washington coach has a winning record.

Every Chargers head coach’s record in franchise history

Here is every Chargers head coach, from Sid Gillman to Brandon Staley.

In light of the Chargers firing Brandon Staley, here is a look at the team’s head coaching history and each of their records.

These four Chiefs legends moved one step closer to Hall of Fame election on Thursday

Four #Chiefs legends — Albert Lewis, Otis Taylor, Lloyd Wells, and Marty Schottenheimer — advanced closer to Hall of Fame election.

Four of the Kansas City Chiefs’ most legendary players and administrators — Albert Lewis, Otis Taylor, Lloyd Wells, and Marty Schottenheimer — advanced their bids for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

News of their achievement broke on Thursday afternoon following the Hall of Fame’s announcement of semifinalists.

Each of these outstanding Chiefs left an indelible mark on Kansas City’s beloved football franchise, and their accomplishments merit further consideration by the organization’s selection committee.

Take a look at the case for each of these legends as they advance within the selection’s semi-finals:

Remember when Commanders owner Daniel Snyder…

One last look back at some of Daniel Snyder’s many lowlights as owner of Washington.

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NFL owners will vote on the sale of the Washington Commanders from Daniel Snyder to Josh Harris for $6.05 billion Thursday. Sometime Thursday afternoon, the Commanders — after 24 years of Snyder — will have a new owner.

We remember some of Snyder’s follies on his last day as owner:

  • Had become the owner in May 1999, and Charley Casserly was suddenly resigning as General Manager in July 1999. What GM resigns just as training camp is opening?
  • In the offseason leading up to the 2000 season, he signed aging free agents Bruce Smith, Jeff George, Andre Reed, Deion Sanders, and Mark Carrier. He not only overpaid all of them but why would Snyder overpay Sanders so much when he had just been released by the Cowboys and was available in early June?
  • Upon Sanders being released, suddenly, the Redskins released Brian Mitchell. They actually released Mitchell for MUCH, MUCH less than they gave Sanders? What were they thinking?
  • Fired head coach Norv Turner with the team at 7-6 in the 2000 season and immediately hired Pepper Rodgers as VP of Football Operations? Snyder was ready to hire Rodgers, who had never coached in the NFL, but was persuaded that was not a wise step.
  • Hired Marty Schottenheimer as head coach and Director of Football Operations, then fired him after the 8-8 2001 season, demanding that he again have power over football decisions and not Marty? Then hired Steve Spurrier the next day?
  • Hired Steve Spurrier and brought back and rehired Vinny Cerrato as head of player personnel?
  • Shocked all of us announcing he had hired Joe Gibbs to return to coach the Redskins in January of 2004?
  • When Joe Gibbs retired after four seasons, Snyder hired Jim Zorn to be his offensive coordinator. Why would Snyder do this, not permitting a new head coach to select his own staff? Thus, he couldn’t find anyone to take the job, so he then hired Zorn to be his head coach in 2008, though Zorn had never been a coordinator in the NFL. What?

This only takes us up to 2008, and I am already tired of remembering all of this.

Welcome to Washington, Mr. Josh Harris.

We certainly welcome more competency in the ownership and leadership of the Washington NFL franchise than we have experienced since 1999.

You can follow Ivan Lambert on Twitter @IvanLambert18 and Commanders Wire @Washington_Wire

54 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 54 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 54 jersey number

There are 54 days before the New England Patriots kick off their regular season opener. So we’re continuing our countdown series by listing every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 54 jersey.

The two names that jump out in relation to that number are Patriots Hall of Famer Tedy Bruschi and a surefire future inductee, Dont’a Hightower. Both legendary linebackers spent their entire careers with the Patriots organization and won three Super Bowls each.

They’ve also both had at least one All-Pro nod.

More importantly, they have forever endeared themselves to Patriots fans by coming up with some of the biggest plays in franchise history. Who could ever forget Hightower’s strip sack on Matt Ryan to help New England complete the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history at Super Bowl LI?

And what about the epic stadium snow celebration, following Tedy Bruschi’s game-cinching interception against the Miami Dolphins in 2003?

The No. 54 holds some truly great memories in the Patriots’ organization. Here’s every player that has worn the number throughout franchise history (via Pro Football Reference):

Former Washington stars Larry Brown, Joe Jacoby are Hall of Fame semifinalists

Could this be the year for Joe Jacoby and Larry Brown?

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Joe Jacoby has again made the semifinalist list for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Wednesday, the Hall announced 60 candidates in the seniors and coaches/contributors categories for the class of 2024, and Jacoby and Larry Brown are the headliners for the Washington Commanders franchise.

Each of those categories has a committee of 12 members. They will now vote to select 12 seniors and 12 coaches/contributors for the next round of the process. On July 27, the committee will reveal those 24 names.

One of the original “Hogs,” Jacoby (1981-93) was voted to the 1980s All-Decade team and was an All-Pro twice. He was selected for four Pro Bowls and started for Washington’s three Super Bowl championship teams. The counter trey or counter gap was a tremendously effective play when left tackle Jacoby and left guard Russ Grimm would pull to the right side of the line and the running back would follow behind the powerful duo.

Brown (1969-76) was one of the tougher runners of his era. He rushed for more than 5,000 yards in his first five seasons. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro and the 1972 AP Most Valuable Player, leading the Redskins to Super Bowl VII.

Others with Washington ties who made the semifinalist lists are Henry Ellard, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan, Carl Banks and Clark Shaughnessy. However, each of these players and coaches made their most significant contributions as part of other NFL franchises.

  • Ellard spent his first 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams before coming to Washington for his next five seasons.
  • Schottenheimer coached the Browns to two consecutive AFC championship games and the Chiefs to a 101-58-1 record in 10 seasons before coming to Washington for an 8-8 season in 2001.
  • Shanahan was 138-86 in his 14 seasons with the Broncos, which included two Super Bowl championships. He went 24-40 in his four seasons as Washington head coach.
  • Banks, in his nine seasons with the New York Giants, was a starter on two Super Bowl championship teams. He was also voted to the 1980s All-Decade team, and was a Pro Bowler once and All-Pro once. He played for Washington during the 1993 season.
  • Shaughnessy was with Washington as an offensive consultant in 1947. He then was the Rams head coach for two seasons and spent 12 seasons (1951-62) on the Bears defensive staff.

Tom Coughlin heads list of 8 Giants semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Eight former members of the New York Giants, including head coach Tom Coughlin, are among the semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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Four former New York Giants players, one former coach, and former head coach Tom Coughlin have been included on a list of 60 semifinalists who will advance to the next round of consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

Running back Ottis ‘O.J.’ Anderson, quarterback Charlie Conerly, linebacker Carl Banks, and defensive back Everson Walls will be among a group considered to be among 12 Seniors and 12 Coach/Contributors advancing to the final stage.

Late Giants head coach Dan Reeves, a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year, is also a semifinalist.

The results will be announced on July 27.

Coughlin coached the Giants for 12 seasons (2004-15) and was a two-time Super Bowl winner(XLII, XLVI). He also was the first head coach of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, taking the team to two AFC Championship Games. He had an overall NFL record of 182-157 over 20 seasons.

Anderson split 14 seasons between the St. Louis Cardinals (1979-1986) and Giants (1986-1992). He is a two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time 1,000-yard rusher. He was also named MVP of Super Bowl XXV.

Conerly played all 14 of his NFL seasons (1948-61) with the Giants. He won the NFL title in 1956 and passed for 19,488 yards and 173 touchdowns.

Banks was the third overall selection in the 1984 NFL draft out of Michigan State. He was a two-time Super Bowl champion during his time with the Giants (1984-1992). Banks also played one season in Washington (1993) and two in Cleveland (1994-95).

Walls played most of his NFL career (1981-93) with the Dallas Cowboys, where he was named to three first-team All-Pro teams, four Pro Bowls and led the NFL in interceptions three times while in Dallas. He finished his career with the Giants and Cleveland Browns and helped Big Blue to victory in Super Bowl XXV.

Also on the coach/contributor list is former Giants assistant/defensive coordinator Marty Schottenheimer and head coach John McVay.

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6 with Browns ties named Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 semifinalists

There are six with Browns connections were named as Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced their Class of 2024 semifinalists from their seniors, coaches, and media classification. This means no first-ballot candidates will be selected from this pool. We are now just three weeks away from offensive tackle Joe Thomas being inducted into the Hall of Fame, and soon others with ties to the Cleveland Browns could join him.

Of the list of semifinalists released, there were six players, coaches, and an owner who the city of Cleveland has disdain for to make the cut. Here is the complete list of individuals with ties to the Browns who are Class of 2024 semifinalists.

Countdown to the end of the Commanders Daniel Snyder era

The countdown has officially begun.

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The final ten-day countdown has begun.

NFL owners will meet on July 20 for a scheduled gathering where they will vote for the affirmation of the sale of the Washington Commanders from Daniel and Tanya Snyder to a multitude of owners headed by Josh Harris.

Snyder took over ownership of the Washington NFL franchise in 1999, and 2022 was his last season of ownership. In a surprise move last fall, Snyder suddenly was going to look into selling the once-proud and successful franchise.

When Snyder did not show up for the Sonny Jurgensen jersey being retired, and Snyder had his office in Ashburn cleaned out before the final game, it was confirmed, Snyder really was moving on.

There have been plenty of bad moves by Snyder over the years, and Commanders Wire has chronicled many.

He will be criticized — and heavily. There is no question much of that is deserved. It was a bad ending for Charley Casserly, Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier.

It was Snyder who, for whatever reason, hired Jim Zorn as offensive coordinator, dooming Snyder’s search for a head coach. No one wanting the job, Snyder ended up elevating Zorn to head coach, though he had yet to be an NFL coordinator. It was embarrassing.

He sided with an immature quarterback over a great offensive coaching staff, and when the quarterback couldn’t develop into an NFL pocket passer, Snyder then fired the head coach. Seven years later, he forced his football people to draft another immature quarterback. Again it failed, and backfired.

He and Bruce Allen were so smug as a pair it was harmful to the organization. They certainly mishandled Kirk Cousins, and the franchise has yet to have a winning record since the quarterback was Cousins.

Snyder did, however, bring back Joe Gibbs in his greatest achievement as owner. Gibbs had a heart for the franchise, hated seeing the team struggle, and risked so much of his history and reputation in returning. Yet, Gibbs’s leadership was indeed masterful as the team rebounded to earn two playoff births in his last three seasons.

The team has not won a playoff game since Gibbs 2.0.

In the end, the default for most will be to absolutely demonize Snyder. No, he was not successful. But no, he was not entirely responsible for all of the dysfunction from the business side of operations we have witnessed the last few years either.

It’s true… everything rises and falls on leadership.