Tag: Nathaniel Hackett

Falcons held second interview with Brad Holmes for GM opening

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Falcons held a second interview with Holmes on Saturday.

The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly narrowed their search for the team’s next general manager to two or three candidates. After a week of interviews, it appears that Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes and Saints vice president/assistant GM Terry Fontenot are the most likely to land the job.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Falcons held a second interview with Holmes on Saturday. Pelissero also mentioned former Texans GM Rick Smith as a candidate the team is high on.

Holmes has spent nearly two decades with the Rams organization, working his way up to college scouting director in 2013 and helping the team draft a ton of talented players.

Stay tuned for more interview updates throughout the week.

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Report: Falcons interviewing Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett will hold a virtual interview with Atlanta.

The Atlanta Falcons continue to knock out interviews for their general manager and head-coaching vacancies. After confirming that the team interviewed Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Wednesday, the Falcons will talk to another NFC offensive coordinator on Thursday.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Atlanta will a virtual interview Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett today.

Hackett, 41, coached as an offensive assistant at Stanford and Syracuse, before eventually landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the quarterbacks coach in 2015. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016 and held  that position for three seasons before joining Green Bay’s staff in 2019.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently praised Hackett for helping get the franchise back on track. “Hack has been a really important part of our culture change and a part of our success on offense,” said Rodgers. “I love him — hope he doesn’t go anywhere.”

Stay tuned for more Falcons coaching updates as the week unfolds.

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Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett gets head-coach interview with Falcons

The Packers’ top offensive assistant coach is getting some head coach interest from another team in the NFC.

A top assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers’ record-setting offense is getting some head-coaching interest.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has a virtual interview with the Atlanta Falcons for their head-coach opening.

Hackett, who was hired by Matt LaFleur to be his offensive coordinator in Green Bay in 2019, has helped build the Packers into the NFL’s top-scoring team in 2020.

On Wednesday, Hackett said he was “definitely ready” for a head-coaching opportunity.

Although he doesn’t call plays, Hackett has been a primary builder of the offense’s red-zone plan. The Packers scored touchdowns on 80.0 percent of red-zone trips in 2020, good for first in the NFL and the highest-percentage overall in the NFL in at least 40 years.

The Packers have won 26 games in two years since LaFleur and Hackett took over the offense in 2019. The scheme, based in concepts built by Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, has become more and more popular around the NFL. In Green Bay, the new scheme has turned Aaron Rodgers into the leading MVP candidate in just two years.

Hackett, 41, has never been a head coach. He does have seven years of experience as an offensive coordinator at the NFL level. His father, Paul Hackett, was a coach in college and the NFL for 40 years.

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Ranking the NFL’s final four head coaches

Touchdown Wire ranks (from worst to best) the four coaches remaining in the NFL’s postseason.

If you did a ranking of the league’s head coaches at any other time, New England’s Bill Belichick would top the list. After all, the man has won six Super Bowls.

But, in this case, we’re talking only about the here and now. Belichick doesn’t even qualify for this list. That’s because we’re ranking only the four coaches whose teams will be playing in the conference championship games.

We’re ranking only Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Kansas City’s Andy Reid, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan and Tennessee’s Mike Vrabel. This is a unique crew of coaches. Reid is the well-known veteran while the other three are in the early years of their careers.

With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, Touchdown Wire provides a scouting report and ranking of each of the four head coaches remaining. We go from worst to best.

4. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

This is Shanahan’s first winning season in his three years as a head coach. The 49ers have been outstanding in most areas. But I think it’s still a little too early to classify Shanahan as a great head coach. He certainly may get there and it may be soon. But, for now, I see him as a great offensive coordinator. That’s his background and he holds the coordinator and play-calling duties with the 49ers. Shanahn is a master out of running and passing out of the same personnel groups and formations. Wisely, he’s not really involved on defense. He leaves that at up to coordinator Robert Saleh, who is one of the best in the business.

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