Tag: Mike Mitchell

Colts opt against renewing contracts of two defensive coaches

Some slight changes to the defensive coaching staff are coming.

The Indianapolis Colts will not renew the contracts of defensive line coach Nate Ollie and assistant defensive backs coach Mike Mitchell, per Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star.

These mark the first changes to Gus Bradley’s staff on the defensive side of the ball after what was an up-and-down season for the Colts defense.

Both Ollie and Mitchell worked under Bradley for the last two seasons. The pass rush has enjoyed a resurgence under Bradley and Ollie, which is why it’s a bit surprising to see the latter let go.

Mitchell has worked under defensive backs coach Ron Milus for the last two seasons, spending the majority of his time working with a young safety room that included Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II.

There aren’t expected to be major changes coming to the coaching staff this offseason, but these expired contracts at least show the staff will look somewhat different on the defensive side of the ball.

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The perfect replacement for Gerald Alexander is on the market

The Steelers should bring in Mike Mitchell to replace Gerald Alexander.

News came out on Wednesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers were losing assistant defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander. Alexander is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders to be their new safeties coach. This means the Steelers are in need of a new assistant to coach up the defensive backs and the best fit just happens to already be on the market.

The Colts did not renew the contract of assistant defensive backs coach Mike Mitchell. yes, that Mike Mitchell.

Mitchell spent four of his 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers and established himself as one of the biggest hitters in the NFL.

When the Steelers and Colts played last season, Steelers safety Damontae Kazee was ejected after a big hit on a Colts receiver and even Mitchell had a hard time not defending the play.

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Duke Coach Jon Scheyer Strongly Compliments Notre Dame

Pretty strong compliments from Duke’s head coach.

Notre Dame basketball is clearly transitioning in Micha Shrewsberry’s first year as head coach but that doesn’t mean they’re not improving.  The Irish were a heavy home underdog to No. 13 Duke on Saturday night but they didn’t play the part of an unworthy opponent.

The Irish actually jumped out to a nine-point lead, but it didn’t hold.  As has been an issue seemingly for years for Notre Dame, they couldn’t close the first half well, allowing Duke to end it on a 13-4 run.

In the second half Duke was largely in control but at various times when it appeared they were about to run away, Notre Dame would tighten up on defense and stay within an arms length.

Ultimately it was a 67-59 Duke victory but one that left Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer impressed with what Micha Shrewsberry is building in South Bend.  Below are a few of the highlights from Scheyer’s postgame press conference.

Colts assistant and former Steelers S Mike Mitchell sounds off on Kazee suspension

Even Colts coaches don’t agree with the suspension of Damontae Kazee.

When he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Mitchell was one of the hardest-hitting safeties in the NFL. Mitchell was an enforcer and one of the most physical guys on the field any given week.

Mitchell spent four of his 10 NFL seasons with the Steelers and developed a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the secondary. In 2022, Mitchell joined the Colts as a defensive assistant and he took to Twitter on Monday after the suspension of Damontae Kazee was announced and he was frank about his concerns with it.

“I don’t know what to tell my safeties anymore,” Mitchell wrote. “I guess just let them [receivers] catch it. If I were a WR I would dive for every catch. That would ensure no contact and a completed pass. Playing deep safety in today’s NFL where rules are made mostly by people who’ve never played is tough.”

After going back and watching the play that Kazee was ejected for far too many times, there’s zero doubt he had no ill intent. If Colts quarterback Garner Minshew puts that football on target, we aren’t having this conversation today. The hit was big but I’m not even sure if it qualifies as an illegal hit, much less a dirty hit.

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5 guards the Oregon Ducks should pursue in the transfer portal

With Will Richardson gone, and the rest of Oregon’s roster still in flux, here are some potential guards to watch in the transfer portal.

One of the biggest changes in college basketball over the past few years has been the creation of the transfer portal, which effectively forces coaches to re-recruit their roster every offseason.

For Dana Altman and the Ducks, it means the only guarantee for next year is the departure of Will Richardson, who exhausted his final year of eligibility while becoming Oregon’s all-time leader in games played.

Jermaine Couisnard stated he plans to come back for next season, Tyrone Williams entered the transfer portal, but right now the Ducks are awaiting word on whether Keeshawn Barthelemy or Rivaldo Soares will be back or not.

That makes pursuing guards via the portal a difficult exercise at the moment, but Altman and his staff are no doubt perusing the names available anyway, looking for any way to improve the roster after failing to make the NCAA Tournament again in 2023.

Here is a look at five guards currently available in the portal who could fit in Eugene next season:

Report: Colts to hire Mike Mitchell to coaching staff

The Colts are reportedly hiring former safety Mike Mitchell to the coaching staff.

The Indianapolis Colts are reportedly hiring former safety Mike Mitchell to the coaching staff, per Stephen Holder of The Athletic.

The former second-round pick got his start with the Oakland Raiders (2009-2012) and also had stints with the Carolina Panthers (2013), Pittsburgh Steelers (2014-2017) and finally the Colts (2018).

While the Colts hired Ron Milus to coach the secondary, Mitchell will reportedly be working as an assistant.

Mitchell is the second former Colts player to join the staff after they hired former linebacker Cato June as the assistant linebackers coach under Richard Smith.

Though he joined the Colts in Week 6 of that 2018 season, he left a profound mark on the players and locker room. His leadership with an extremely young secondary went a long way into that playoff run.

The Colts still are searching for their defensive line coach but the group under Gus Bradley is starting to come together.

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Who has scored the most points for losing teams in NBA history?

Who has scored the most points for losing teams in NBA history?

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