Tag: Mike Nolan

Will Alex Smith’s concerns apply to Commanders in 2023?

Alex Smith had some interesting comments about defensive-minded head coaches and their development of young quarterbacks. He speaks from experience.

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Will Alex Smith’s recent comments apply to Sam Howell this upcoming season?

Smith knows something about overcoming adversity as an NFL quarterback; even more, he knows about severe adversity in real life such as almost having your leg amputated.

Smith quarterbacked Washington in the 2018 and 2020 NFL seasons. Previously he had been with the 49ers for 7 seasons after they drafted him and 5 seasons with the Chiefs, the last of which he mentored current star Patrick Mahomes.

Smith voiced his concern this week (on SiriusXM’s NFL Radio) for young NFL quarterbacks who are forced to play under a defensive head coach. He questioned how well a defensive head coach can develop a young quarterback.

“There is a different mentality, from my career, when you play for an offensive head coach that wants to light up the scoreboard and outscore the opponent,” Smith said.

“There’s a different mentality you have, especially as a young quarterback versus a defensive head coach, when really the [coach’s] mentality is, ‘Hey, don’t screw up, don’t turn the ball over, don’t put us in a bad situation.’ … That’s a huge difference in a mentality and a mindset for a young quarterback, especially if it’s a bit rocky to start.”

It’s no secret Smith was drafted by the 49ers in 2005, and his first head coach was former Washington defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. Nolan was the head coach for Smith’s first seasons (2005-2008) before being replaced by former Chicago Bears middle linebacker Mike Singletary (2008-10).

Three more seasons with the defensively intense Singletary before Smith had himself an offensive-minded head coach in Jim Harbaugh in 2011.

After two seasons with Harbaugh (2011-12), Smith went to Kansas City playing for head coach Andy Reid from 2013-17. So, is there any reason to doubt that Smith is not merely speaking abstractly? He is speaking from his many years of experience in the NFL.

But might much of this depend upon how much the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator build a relationship with the quarterback? For instance, yes, Ron Rivera a former linebacker for the Chicago Bears is Sam Howell’s head coach here in Washington.

Yet, if Rivera truly gives control of the offense over to Eric Bieniemy, then isn’t it up to Bieniemy and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard to build as much a rapport as possible with Howell? This is after all Bieniemy’s opportunity to take on more leadership with an NFL offense. Isn’t this why he departed Kansas City and future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Mahomes?

I could be entirely wrong (it wouldn’t be the first time) but Alex Smith’s experiences with his defensive head coaches do not have to necessarily be a very similar experience for Sam Howell. Bieniemy and Pritchard could go a long way in preventing Smith’s experiences from being repeated with Howell.

 

Former Saints assistant Curtis Johnson hired as USFL team head coach

Former Saints WR coach Curtis Johnson has been hired as the USFL’s Houston Gamblers head coach. His first game is against his old coworker Mike Nolan’s Michigan Panthers:

This is cool: the USFL has hired former New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson as the head coach of its Houston Gamblers franchise. Johnson’s coaching career took off with the Saints from 2006 to 2011, when he was hired as head coach of the Tulane Green Wave; he later returned to New Orleans as a senior offensive assistant from 2017 to 2021, though Dennis Allen didn’t retain him after taking over as head coach.

Now Johnson is running his own team again. The Gamblers compete in the USFL’s South division and are looking to make some noise after a 3-7 debut under head coach Kevin Sumlin last year.

The spring league’s 2023 season kicks off in April, with Johnson’s Gamblers meeting a team coached by one of his old coworkers — former Saints linebackers coach Mike Nolan, now head coach of the Michigan Panthers. The Gamblers and Panthers will play in Memphis, Tenn. at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on April 16. The USFL is rolling out a regional hub model after playing all of its games in Birmingham, Ala. during the 2022 campaign, with plans to install each franchise in its own home city in the near future.

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Former Saints assistant Mike Nolan named head coach of USFL team

Former Saints assistant Mike Nolan named head coach of USFL team, replacing Jeff Fisher on the Michigan Panthers:

One former New Orleans Saints assistant coach made headlines on Friday morning, with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers announcing that Mike Nolan has been named their head coach. Nolan replaces Jeff Fisher, who stepped down citing personal reasons.

Nolan coached the Saints linebackers from 2017 to 2019 before leaving for the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator job in 2020; he was let go after the season, but has since returned to lead one of the startup spring league’s eight teams. He was a respected defensive assistant in New Orleans and played a big part in scouting, drafting, and developing players like Alex Anzalone and Kaden Elliss.

While the USFL has used nominally based each of its teams in different cities around the country, they have used a “hub” model in the first season with all games played in Birmingham, Ala. with plans to expand to home venues by 2024. The Panthers expect to play their home games from Ford Field in Detroit. They went 2-8 in 2022 but led the USFL in passing yards per game. Maybe Nolan can build off of that.

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Cowboys end offseason with different outlooks than 2020

After a disastrous 2020, the Dallas Cowboys have made changes to ensure that this season is better than the last.

The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason is essentially over, with only a rookie developmental program remaining before players report to training camp in July. After a truncated offseason in Mike McCarthy’s first season, things returned to mostly normal for his second campaign.

McCarthy and his staff never had a chance to fully implement everything cleanly last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. With so much turnover on the staff, an already rough transition was compounded by a lack of in-person tutoring as the whole world went virtual.

A new year brings new hope. This offseason has gone much smoother, which even allowed McCarthy to cancel the final minicamp practice before the giving the team off until training camp.  As it’s a wrap on the organized team practices, let’s look at where the Cowboys stand now, as opposed to where they were when they ended a disappointing 2020 season. Here’s a look at what has changed.

PFF’s draft recommendations for Cowboys’ ‘ugly’ defense

Pro Football Focus spotlights the Cowboys’ defensive deficiencies and lists several top college prospects who could help in 2021.

Pro Football Focus has analyzed the Cowboys roster top to bottom and come away with a conclusion that was obvious to anyone who watched the team for more than a few quarters this season.

The new defensive scheme under coordinator Mike Nolan was an “utter disaster.” When it comes to identifying their drafts needs for 2021, the club could literally pick any position on that side of the ball, according to their latest recommendations.

The trouble spots were indeed numerous. In posting 10-plus losses for the first time since 2015, the Cowboys defense in particular shouldered most of the blame. Nolan’s unit was Dallas’s worst at stopping the run since 2000, and they allowed the most points per game in franchise history.

Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, once billed as the best linebacking duo in the sport, both set career-low grades in PFF’s system. And while edge rusher Randy Gregory was singled out as a bright spot who exceeded expectations, the site’s reviews of the team’s defensive tackles were less than glowing. The Cowboys interior linemen posted a grade that ranked them 30th among all 32 teams; former second-round pick Trysten Hill dragged down that curve significantly with a 33.8 grade, “one of the lowest among the position in the league.”

So how do new coordinator Dan Quinn and the Cowboys address their defensive woes via the draft? Where do they start?

According to PFF:

“Literally anywhere along that defensive line, linebacking corps, cornerback group, safety,” goes the advice. “They could go anywhere on that roster, defensively. That’s how many holes they have. That’s how ugly it was for them this season.”

For what it’s worth, here’s what Pro Football Focus has to say about several of the highest-rated defensive prospects in this upcoming draft, listed by their overall rank within the site’s Top 100. Most- if not all- of these players will be available when Dallas goes on the clock with the tenth overall pick.

ICYMI: Cowboys fire some staff in season aftermath, search for path to glory

The latest Dallas Cowboys news and notes: Nolan and Tomsula were fired, potential replacements are already being interviewed, and more.

The Dallas Cowboys season came to an abrupt end last Sunday, and now it is time to look forward to the offseason. Dak Prescott is recovering well from his injury. Amari Cooper had a “clean-up” procedure on his injured ankle, but should definitely be good-to-go for 2021.

Dallas waited no time after the season to make the coaching changes that the front office deemed necessary. This week, the Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, as well as defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. Both coaches spent just a year in Dallas, and potential replacements are already set to be interviewed.

The Cowboys have so many decisions to make regarding free agents, it is impossible to tell which direction the front office will head with the personnel. There may be some positions that are actually worse off than they seem today for Dallas, including left tackle should Tyron Smith’s health continue to be a problem. Plus, what really means the most to Jerry Jones, building his brand, or winning football games?

Cowboys fire first-year DC Mike Nolan, former Saints linebackers coach

The Dallas Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who coach Mike Nolan hired away from the New Orleans Saints as an assistant.

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Woof. There were high hopes for Mike Nolan this time last year, when he received the opportunity for a promotion on a new coaching staff — moving up the ladder from his post as New Orleans Saints linebackers coach to  defensive coordinator for Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. But he’s been let go after just one season in which his defense set some historic lows in Dallas.

It’s obviously a disappointment for the Cowboys, and for Nolan. He was well-respected in New Orleans and did a terrific job revitalizing the linebacker corps after a near-decade of mediocrity, coaching up draft prospects like Alex Anzalone and turning then-journeymen like Demario Davis into All-Pros.

But maybe he’s at his best as a position coach. His track record with the Saints speaks for itself. Even when shorthanded due to injuries, his squad won games with Manti Te’o and Craig Robertson starting at linebacker. It’s just a shame things didn’t work out when more responsibilities were on his plate, much less during as chaotic a year as one marred by COVID-19.

So what’s next for Nolan? It’s too soon to say, but he has options. His protégé Michael Hodges turned in a solid first year as the full-time position coach after working as Nolan’s assistant for some time, so it feels unlikely he’d get demoted so soon.

He could maybe return to New Orleans and work as a senior defensive assistant, which is a title they’ve used before for experienced hands like Peter Giunta.

Or maybe Nolan gets back into broadcasting with NFL Network. Whatever move he makes next, he probably won’t do so quickly. After such a hectic season, maybe he’s looking forward to a breather.

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Report: Dallas Cowboys fire defensive coordinator Mike Nolan

The Dallas Cowboys have canned defensive coordinator Mike Nolan

One Mike is gone from the Dallas Cowboys’ coaching staff … and it isn’t head coach Mike McCarthy.

FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reports the Cowboys have fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan on Friday.

Nolan’s tenure was a disaster, to say the least. The Cowboys were 6-10 in 2020 and gave up 473 points.

He was hired as DC in Dallas on Jan. 5, 2020.

Breaking: Cowboys fire DC Mike Nolan after historically bad season

The Dallas Cowboys weren’t coy, and on Friday made the move many expected. After a lackluster performance by their defense which featured some of the worst statistical measures of any team in the franchise’s 60-year history, the club has fired …

The Dallas Cowboys weren’t coy, and on Friday made the move many expected. After a lackluster performance by their defense which featured some of the worst statistical measures of any team in the franchise’s 60-year history, the club has fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

Hired from most recently being a linebacker’s coach for the New Orleans Saints, Nolan was head coach Mike McCarthy’s pick to get the most out of an underachieving defense. Instead, the club fell to rock bottom, allowing more points (473) than any unit in club history. They gave up more passing touchdowns (34) than any other year and at one point enjoyed a historically bad pace for run defense.  During the course of the season, Dallas had anonymous players rip the defensive coaching staff as “totally unprepared” and as being “just not good at their jobs.” The man in charge of that effort is no longer employed by the team.

Earlier on Friday, McCarthy was noncommittal when asked about Nolan’s future with the club.

“Well, that’s what we’re working on. We’re working on all the coaches, frankly. That’s what this process is about. You’ve got to take the emotion out of the disappointment of what 6-10 is, regardless of COVID and all the other challenges. I think it’s important to put everything on the table, and that’s what this process is.”

The Cowboys will now begin their search for a new DC, which could include current advisor George Edwards, who was Mike Zimmer’s coordinator in Minnesota for several years with the Vikings.

The club could also look outside the organization. What will be interesting is how many of the position coaches will remain with the club.

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Cowboys’ McCarthy reflects on Dak, Jaylon, Nolan, Kellen, COVID, and 6-10 finish

The first-year coach recaps the ups and downs of his first year in Dallas, while offering hints about what he expects for the 2021 campaign.

According to the old adage, hindsight is 20/20. But now, after a year that defies explanation, hindsight finally includes 2020. As fourteen NFL teams advance to the postseason to crown a champion of this unlikeliest of seasons, the Dallas Cowboys are left to clean out their lockers and conduct exit interviews as they close up shop.

Head coach Mike McCarthy says he plans to watch this weekend’s playoff games more as a fan “to see who’s playing well” but will spend next week finishing up his coaching duties around The Star. Then, the 57-year-old plans to travel back to Green Bay to spend time with family (and his snowblower) before early preparations for the Cowboys’ 2021 offseason begin in earnest.

On Friday, the one-year anniversary of his introductory press conference as head coach, McCarthy made his final weekly call-in of the season to Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. With no more upcoming opponents to scout, no more injury reports to update, no more gameplans to tease, the conversation was a reflective one that looked back on several areas of the 2020 campaign.