Tag: Mike Munchak

9 potential offensive line coaching candidates as the Browns to replace Bill Callahan

Where will the Browns turn to replace Bill Callahan?

The Cleveland Browns now have to replace Bill Callahan and find a new offensive line coach. Will they look internally at Scott Peters, or will they go for another seasoned coach like Mike Munchak?

Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas has already stated he is not interested in taking any coaching jobs until his kids are in college. This means the Browns will have their work cut out for them as they look to replace one of the best in the business.

They have already replaced their offensive coordinator, hiring Ken Dorsey, their running backs coach, adding Duce Staley, and their tight ends coach, bringing in former Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to fill that role.

With one position left to fill, how will the Browns look to get the job of replacing a legend done? Here are 10 potential candidates the Browns could target as they look to round out their offensive staff after an offseason of turnover.

Mike Munchak open to returning to Titans as OL coach

Former Titans head coach Mike Munchak is open to returning as the team’s OL coach in 2024.

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak is apparently open to a reunion with his former team as the offensive line coach.

According to Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, former Titans guard Zach Piller recently stated on 104.5 The Zone that Munchak is on board with coming back.

Kuharsky added that he has heard the same:

I learned this in early December when Mike Vrabel was still head coach. Munchak, who lives in the Denver area and hasn’t worked since a three-year term with the Broncos that concluded in 2021, said if Vrabel had an opening he would be interested in that. He’d also consider a handful of other select openings around the league based on head coaches and geography.

Munchak would not feel any awkwardness about returning to the Titans after having been fired as their head coach, as that move was made by Tommy Smith, who is no longer connected to ownership. His sister-in-law, Bud Adams’ daughter, Amy Adams Strunk now runs the team.

Munchak hasn’t coached since 2021, his last year as the offensive line coach with the Denver Broncos. Kuharsky notes that the former Titans coach hasn’t taken another job recently because he had to recover from knee replacement surgery.

Whoever comes in as the next head coach should absolutely hire Munchak for the job.

Tennessee’s offensive line has been a mess for years now and Munchak is one of the best in the business and would be a huge asset in the rebuild of the group upfront.

If hired, it would be Munchak’s second stint as the Titans’ offensive line coach after he served in that role from 1997-2010 before becoming head coach in 2011.

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Sean McVay won’t rule out bringing Mike Munchak onto Rams’ coaching staff

Mike Munchak has been a consultant for the Rams and Sean McVay wouldn’t rule out bringing him onto the coaching staff.

Sean McVay made changes to his coaching staff following the 2022 season and he could add another notable name to it soon. While Mike Munchak has been consulting with the Los Angeles Rams, McVay wouldn’t rule out bringing him onto the coaching staff.

“We’re working through the specifics of that whether it’s consulting or different things, but when he’s around, it’s great for the Rams,” McVay said.

Earlier in the offseason, Munchak was seen consulting with McVay and the Rams. The Hall of Fame offensive lineman and legendary offensive line coach wasn’t on the coaching staff, but McVay seemingly brought him in to help with the new-look offensive line of the Rams.

Even after helping the Rams during training camp, Munchak has remained around the team to begin the season. Through the first two weeks of the season, the Rams have allowed one sack and Matthew Stafford has had plenty of time to operate in the pocket.

Ryan Wendell, the Rams’ new offensive line coach, deserves a ton of credit for how the offensive line has performed thus far. The likes of Alaric Jackson, Steve Avila, Coleman Shelton, Joe Noteboom, and Rob Havenstein have all excelled in the first two weeks.

It remains to be seen if Munchak takes on a full-time role with the Rams, but it’s clear McVay wants to keep him around the team moving forward.

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Legendary OL coach Mike Munchak was seen at Rams’ practice on Monday

Hall of Famer Mike Munchak was present during Rams’ practice session on Monday.

The Los Angeles Rams are in a transitional period along the offensive line, and Sean McVay has brought in a consultant who may know a thing or two about O-line play. During Monday’s practice session, Hall of Famer Mike Munchak was seen consulting with the Rams.

Munchak played 12 seasons in the NFL (all with the Houston Oilers) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. After his successful playing career, Munchak remained with the Oilers and stayed with the organization through the name change to Titans, spending 14 years as the team’s offensive line coach from 1997 to 2010.

The former offensive guard would then become the head coach of the Titans from 2011 to 2013 before serving as the offensive line coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers (2014-2018) and most recently, the Denver Broncos (2019-2021).

The Rams are holding a competition at multiple spots along the offensive line and they have a new offensive line coach in Ryan Wendell. So having Munchak make an appearance and observe the offensive line could aid McVay and Mike LaFleur in the process of deciding the best five linemen for the upcoming season.

McVay has never shied away from trying to get insight from longtime coaches in the NFL, and he’s consulting with Munchak in hopes it could benefit the Rams’ offense this season.

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Penn State’s all-time first-round NFL draft picks

Every Penn State football player ever drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in school history.

In the history of the NFL draft, only a handful of schools have had more players drafted by NFL franchises than Penn State. The Nittany Lions have sent over 360 players through the NFL draft over the years, and that number continues to climb every year. And when it comes to first-round picks, Penn State has had a solid number of those as well, including some top draft picks.

Lenny Moore, arguably the best player in Penn State football history, is appropriately the first player in program history to be selected by an NFL franchise in the NFL draft. Since then, Penn State players have been selected in the first round numerous times through the decades with players like Shane Conlan, Blair Thomas, Ki-Jana Carter, LaVar Arrington, Saquon Barkley, and Micah Parsons.

Here is a look at every first-round NFL draft pick in Penn State history, starting with the first.

Calvin Anderson posts goodbye message to Broncos after leaving in free agency

Calvin Anderson: “I’m forever grateful to George Paton, Mike Munchak, and so many others. I will always be proud of my time as a Bronco.”

Former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Calvin Anderson tweeted out a heartfelt goodbye to Broncos Country after he signed with the New England Patriots on Tuesday.

In the tweet, he thanked the fans, Denver general manager George Paton and former offensive line coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Munchak.

Anderson began his career with the Broncos in 2020, dressing for a career-high 16 games that season. Over the last three years, Anderson earned 12 starts. Last year, Anderson started seven games when Denver’s offensive line was plagued by injuries.

Anderson was first signed by the Patriots after the 2019 NFL draft out of the University of Texas. Anderson was later waived by New England, before signing with the New York Jets. The Jets then became the second team to waive him before Denver signed Anderson in October 2019.

Anderson now returns to the Patriots on a two-year deal, and will be thrust into Bill Belichick’s offense to compete for playing time at offensive tackle.

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Broncos expected to hire Zach Strief as offensive line coach

The #Broncos are expected to hire Zach Strief as their new offensive line coach, according to NFL Network.

It sounds like neither Mike Munchak nor Mark Schlereth will coach the Denver Broncos’ offensive line in 2023.

The Broncos are expected to hire Zach Strief as their new offensive line coach, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Strief, 39, played 12 years in the NFL as an offensive tackle, spending his entire career (2006-2017) playing under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints. Three years after he retired, Strief returned to the Saints in 2021 as an assistant offensive line coach.

Now, with two years of coaching experience on his resume, Strief is expected to reunite with Payton in Denver as the team’s new offensive line coach. The Broncos had an opening at the position after Butch Barry was fired with two games remaining in the 2022 season.

After the team fired Nathaniel Hackett in December, interim coach Jerry Rosburg made several additional changes to the coaching staff, including firing Barry. We are tracking all of the team’s coaching staff changes on this page.

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Mark Schlereth open to coaching Broncos’ offensive line if offered role

“I’d be interested if that opportunity arose.,” Mark Schlereth said of the possibility of coaching the Broncos’ offensive line.

Mark Schlereth won three Super Bowls during his 12-year career in the NFL, including two titles with the Denver Broncos. He now works for 104.3 The Fan, but the player-turned-radio host has not ruled out a potential return to the Broncos, this time as a coach.

Schlereth said 104.3 The Fan‘s “Schlereth and Evans” show last week that he has spoken with new coach Sean Payton and would be open to coaching the team’s offensive line, if offered the job.

“I talked to Sean several weeks ago. I haven’t talked to him since,” Schlereth said, via DenverSpots.com’s Will Peterson. “But, yeah, would I be interested? Certainly I’d be interested if that opportunity arose. I don’t know that it will. I would imagine that we’re going to have a chat about that, but maybe not, I don’t know. Let’s just say that we talked about it several weeks ago, haven’t talked about it since.”

The fact that “Stink” hasn’t heard from Payton lately might be a sign that returning as offensive line coach is a longshot. Perhaps returning to the club as an assistant coach would be a more likely scenario.

Post update: Schlereth clarified in a tweet that he has not spoken to Payton about coaching with the Broncos. Payton also responded to the tweet.

Payton would be wise to also talk to Mike Munchak, who was let go by Nathaniel Hackett last year and then took a year off from coaching. Munchak would quickly return to being counted among the best offensive line coaches in the NFL if Denver managed to bring him back.

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A Hall of Famer visited Vikings practice today

The Vikings received a Hall of Fame visit on Tuesday

It’s not too often that you have a Hall of Famer visit practice, but the Minnesota Vikings got just that on Tuesday.

Mike Munchak, a Hall of Fame guard for the Houston Oilers after being selected eighth overall in the 1982 NFL draft, visited the Vikings as an observer and to help out the coaching staff.

Since retiring, Munchak has been an excellent offensive line coach. He has been in coaching since 1994, including getting promoted from offensive line coach to head coach of the Tennessee Titans in 2011. He spent a total of 20 seasons coaching the team that he played for, spending 32 years in the same organization.

Munchak is also widely regarded throughout the league and is the reason the Vikings hired offensive line coach Chris Kuper. Kuper was Munchack’s assistant offensive line coach in Denver, having also worked with Vikings defensive coordinator Ed Donatell.

The advice from Munchak can be invaluable and make a massive difference for the unit and Kuper.

6 members of Vic Fangio’s old coaching staff have landed with NFL teams

Ed Donatell, Curtis Modkins and Chris Kuper are among the former members of Vic Fangio’s coaching staff who have landed new jobs.

By our unofficial count, the Denver Broncos parted ways with 14 members of Vic Fangio‘s coaching staff in addition to Fangio himself.

At the time of this writing, six of those coaches have landed gigs with other NFL teams.

Ed Donatell has accepted a defensive coordinator position with the Minnesota Vikings, assuming the same role he held in Denver.

Minnesota also hired ex-Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins (same role) and ex-Denver assistant offensive line coach Chris Kuper as their new OL coach. The Vikings also poached quality control coach Justin Rascati from the Broncos’ staff, giving him a promotion as an assistant OL coach.

Ex-Denver special teams coordinator Tom McMahon was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders as their new STC. Former Broncos assistant ST coach Chris Gould was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers to fill the same position he held in Denver.

Elsewhere in L.A., former Broncos assistant coach Chris Beake has joined the Los Angeles Rams as their new linebackers coach.

Perhaps the most notable former members of Fangio’s staff still available are offensive line coach Mike Munchak and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Munchak and Shurmur both have head coach experience in the NFL.

As for Fangio, he is expected to take a year off from coaching.

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