Tag: Phil Rauscher

Jaguars OL coach: Anton Harrison’s feet ‘best I’ve seen out of a rookie’

Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher is very impressed with what he’s seen out of Anton Harrison.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had high hopes from day one for first-round pick Anton Harrison, essentially anointing him the team’s starting right tackle days after picking him in April.

After a few weeks of training camp, the Jaguars’ optimism hasn’t faded. Harrison has looked more than capable of starting duties in both training camp and preseason.

“His feet are the best I’ve seen out of a rookie,” Jaguars offensive line coach Phil Rauscher told the Florida Times-Union earlier this week. “We drafted Christian Darrisaw when I was in Minnesota in the first round and Christian’s an unbelievable player, but foot-speed-wise, Anton’s got him beat in that sense.

“When you don’t have great foot speed, you have to have great length and fundamentals and stuff. So [having great foot speed] kind of gives you an edge. … If you screw up, your feet can catch you back up and get you through the down, which is hard.”

Jacksonville would be very fortunate if Harrison developed the way Darrisaw has in Minnesota. The Vikings’ 2021 first-rounder earned a stellar 90.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022, second highest among offensive tackles and third highest among all offensive linemen.

For now, the Jaguars are just hoping Harrison can be an adequate starter as a rookie when the team attempts to defend its AFC South crown. In a preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Harrison allowed zero pressures across 12 snaps in pass protection.

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Report: Jags have added Phil Rauscher, Andrew Breiner to offensive staff

ESPN’s Field Yates is reporting that the Jags have landed two more offensive assistants in Phil Rauscher and Andrew Breiner.

After having the 2021 season off, new Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has hit the ground running in terms of getting a coaching staff together. And while an offensive coordinator hasn’t been named yet, the offensive staff is coming along just fine.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the team hired former Minnesota Vikings assistant Phil Rauscher as their offensive line and run game coordinator. Yates also reported that the team has hired former Florida Atlantic offensive coordinator Andrew Breiner as an offensive assistant.

Rauscher, who previously was the Vikings’ offensive line coach last season, brings eight years’ worth of NFL experience to the table. Before joining Minnesota, he made a stop in Denver (2015-17) as a coaching assistant and an assistant to the head coach and was on the staff for their Super Bowl 50 victory. Then from 2018-19, he joined Washington’s staff where he was an assistant offensive line coach under Bill Callahan, who is one of the league’s most respected offensive minds.

Rauscher had interviewed with the Buffalo Bills earlier this offseason, but it appears Pederson was able to reel him in and sell Rauscher on the vision he has  for the Jags. Rauscher, as a result, will now be replacing the Jags’ previous offensive line coach, George Warhop, who is now with the Houston Texans.

As for Breiner, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio reported that he could be on the Jags’ radar last week as he worked under Pederson as a passing game analyst in 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He will now join the Jags after spending the year with Florida International University as an offensive coordinator and receivers coach.

Vikings make a trio of coaching decisions official

Minnesota made several coaching decisions official on Tuesday.

News originally came that longtime NFL coach Rick Dennison was out as a coach after refusing to get the vaccine. However, Dennison simply ended up in a different role: he will be a senior offensive advisor for the team.

That still leaves a couple open coaching staff positions, both of which have been filled. As was reported previously, Phil Rauscher was hired as the offensive line coach. Rauscher was the assistant offensive line coach before getting promoted.

Ben Steele fills Rauscher’s old job as the team’s assistant offensive line coach. Steele was hired as a special teams analyst at Auburn recently.

The vaccine is a requirement for Tier 1 staff such as coaches, front-office executives, equipment managers and scouts. It is not required for the players. A team employee not having Tier 1 status prevents them from participating in activities like being on the field, in meeting rooms and having direct interactions with players, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

The Vikings cited NFL-NFLPA COVID-19 protocols to move Dennison to this position.