Tag: Outside Linebackers Coach

Packers hire Jason Rebrovich to replace Mike Smith at OLBs coach

The Packers replaced Mike Smith at OLBs coach with Jason Rebrovich, who spent four seasons in Buffalo and four seasons in Jacksonville prior to coming to Green Bay.

Jason Rebrovich will be Mike Smith’s replacement as the Green Bay Packers outside linebackers coach. The team announced the hiring on Friday.

Smith, who spent three seasons with the Packers, is leaving Green Bay to pursue other opportunities.

Rebrovich has eight seasons of experience at the NFL level. He spent four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars; two as the assistant defensive line coach (2017-18), and two more as the defensive line coach (2019-20). Before coaching in Jacksonville, he spent four seasons with the Buffalo Bills; one as a defensive quality control coach (2013), one as the assistant defensive line coach (2014), one as the outside linebackers coach (2015), and one as the defensive line coach (2016).

Rebrovich was in Jacksonville as first-round pick Josh Allen developed into a quality edge rusher. He also worked with the likes of Calais Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, Malik Jackson and Dante Fowler. In Buffalo, he coached veteran rushers such as Mario Williams, Jerry Hughes and Lorenzo Alexander.

In Green Bay, Rebrovich will take over a position group featuring Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith, although both Smiths have uncertain futures entering the offseason. The trio has combined for 67.5 sacks over the last three seasons.

Former Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine was on staff with Rebrovich in Buffalo. So was former Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

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Report: Bert Watts heading to the NFL with the Denver Broncos

Bert Watts will leave Auburn as return to the NFL.

Associate head coach Bert Watts appears to be on the move from the Auburn Tigers. He joined the staff after arriving from Memphis after just one season there. Watts also spent three seasons at Fresno State as the linebackers coach.

It appears that now head coach Bryan Harsin will have another assistant on this staff. Watts served as the associate head coach, special teams coordinator, and outside linebackers coach for the Tigers.

Dan Graziano of ESPN is reporting that Watts will head to the NFL to join the new staff with the Denver Broncos.

This will make the sixth coordinator to be replaced on the staff during the tenure of Harsin. The team has yet to place offensive coordinator Austin Davis, who stepped down from his post less than two months on the job.

Watts now returns to the Broncos where he helped them to the top seed in 2012. The hunt begins for his replacement. Safe to say that head coach Bryan Harsin has plenty of work to do.

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Broncos add new member to defensive coaching staff

John Pagano has been named the Broncos’ new outside linebackers coach.

The Broncos have hired John Pagano as their new outside linebackers coach, Denver head coach Vic Fangio announced Thursday. Pagano coached under Fangio for three seasons as a defensive assistant with the Colts from 1999-2001 (Fangio was the Colts’ defensive coordinator at the time).

John is the younger brother of Chuck Pagano, who interviewed for the Broncos’ head coach position last year. Chuck now serves as the Bears’ defensive coordinator. The brothers grew up in Boulder, Colorado.

Pagano has 25 years of coaching experience in the NFL, including two stints as a defensive coordinator (Raiders, 2017 and Chargers, 2012-2016). He most recently served as the Texans’ senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach from 2018-2019.

Pagano will be responsible for coaching up Broncos superstar outside linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. When they were both healthy and played in all 16 games in 2018, Miller and Chubb combined to record 26.5 sacks and forced six fumbles.

Pagano is replacing former Broncos OLBs coach Brandon Staley, who left the team to become the Rams’ defensive coordinator earlier this year.

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Broncos interview John Pagano for open OLB coach position

The Broncos interviewed John Pagano for their outside linebackers coach position.

The Denver Broncos interviewed longtime NFL assistant coach John Pagano for their vacant outside linebackers coach position on Thursday, according to The Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran. John is the younger brother of Chuck Pagano, who interviewed for the Broncos’ head coach position last year.

Pagano, 52, coached under Denver coach Vic Fangio for three seasons as a defensive assistant with the Indianapolis Colts from 1999-2001 (Fangio was the Colts’ defensive coordinator at the time). Pagano is not the only candidate the Broncos have interviewed but he appears to be the favorite to get the job.

Pagano has been coaching in the NFL since 1996. He served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator with the Oakland Raiders in 2017 before joining the Houston Texans as their senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach, a position he held the last two seasons.

Denver was left with an opening out OLBs coach after Brandon Staley left the team to become the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator.

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Report: Texans dismiss OLB coach John Pagano

The Houston Texans have dismissed outside linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant John Pagano, according to a report.

The Houston Texans have dismissed outside linebackers coach John Pagano.

According to a report from the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the AFC South club informed the senior defensive assistant that they will no longer require his services with the organization.

The Texans’ edge rushing was anemic in 2019 as the team produced 31 sacks, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Only the Seattle Seahawks with 28 has fewer among playoff teams.

Houston’s tackles for loss were also bottom-10 in the NFL as they generated 51, the third-fewest in the league and the absolute fewest among playoff teams.

Part of the problem was personnel. The Texans traded defensive end-outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks on Aug. 31 for draft picks and also outside linebackers Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin. However, given how putrid the Seahawks were with Clowney, there is no guarantee he would have made much of a difference for Houston either.

The Texans’ leading sack producer was outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus with 7.5. 2019 was the first time since 2017 when Clowney had 9.5 that the Texans failed to have a single player go over the double-digit sack mark.