Tag: Scott Peters

Patriots OL coach admits Mike Onwenu playing at tackle isn’t ideal

In a perfect world, the Patriots wouldn’t be playing Mike Onwenu at tackle

Patriots offensive line coach Scott Peters admitted the team would like to put Mike Onwenu back at the right guard position.

Onwenu currently plays at the tackle position for New England. The team practiced with him at guard in training camp, but due to struggles along the offensive front, they ultimately decided to keep him at tackle.

Onwenu returning to guard would be an ideal scenario for the Patriots, as he broke into the NFL in 2020 playing at the position. He has served at a variety of roles on the line during his time with the Patriots, including left and right tackle. He was the starting right tackle for the 2023 campaign.

“In a perfect world, Mike is a guard – really physically,” Peters said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “He can play tackle. He’s a rare athlete that way that can move. But if you had your way, you’d like to see Mike at guard, just with the power inside and keeping the pocket firm there.

“He understands that and wears a lot of hats. But you want him to be able to really dig into something and in a perfect world you like to see him at guard.”

Onwenu can play multiple positions, but his best production has clearly come when he’s playing at guard. However, the Patriots will need to see tackle upgrades for a move back to that position to make sense.

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Patriots hiring former Browns assistant as new OL coach

Another former Cleveland Browns assistant coach is New England-bound

The band is getting back together.

After targeting former Cleveland Browns tight ends coach T.C. McCartney as a quarterbacks coach, the New England Patriots are reportedly hiring former Browns assistant coach Scott Peters as their new offensive line coach, per the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan.

Peters landed his first NFL opportunity with the Browns in 2020 and worked extensively underneath Van Pelt for four seasons. He’ll now join him in New England in hopes of helping to fix one of the biggest trouble spots for the team throughout the 2023 season.

If anything, this signing shows the Patriots are letting Van Pelt pick his own offensive staff. Per the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi, this Patriots coaching staff was hoping to avoid a Bill O’Brien situation.

The Patriots are buying in completely and letting Van Pelt run with the offense. Of course, the biggest question is whether Peters will have the right personnel to be successful, which was the issue last season with Adrian Klemm coaching the offensive line.

It was a revolving door of injuries, linemen playing out of position and players just straight up underperforming. But this time around, the Patriots have the cap space and draft capital to fix those problems. Hopefully, they also have the right coaches to show them the way.

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Another Browns assistant joins Alex Van Pelt with Patriots

The Browns are down an assistant offensive line coach as Scott Peters joins Alex Van Pelt with the Patriots

The Cleveland Browns see another member of their 2023 offensive staff join the New England Patriots as assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters joins Alex Van Pelt in the AFC East.

After the departure of Bill Callahan, there was a thought that Peters could be promoted from assistant offensive line coach to Callahan’s job. However, the Browns have other plans as Peters is now off to New England. He joins Van Pelt, former tight ends coach T.C. McCartney, former assistant GM Eliot Wolf, and former front office staffer Alonzo Highsmith as former Browns personnel to join the new era in New England.

This could mean that Andy Dickerson, the former offensive line coach of the Seattle Seahawks, could be announced as the heir apparent to Bill Callahan any day now. The Browns interviewed Dickerson for the offensive coordinator gig before hiring Ken Dorsey, and it was reported the Patriots were making a “strong push” to hire the former Seattle coach as well.

With one coach exiting Cleveland and another not going to New England as originally thought, could the writing be on the wall?

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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.

Kevin Stefanski returns to in-person coaching with the Browns

Stefanski is back but 3 assistants remain out with COVID-19

Kevin Stefanski is back at the helm of the Cleveland Browns. The head coach returned to team headquarters in Berea on Thursday after missing over a week after testing positive for COVID-19.

For Stefanski, getting back to his team couldn’t come soon enough. He had been sequestered in isolation in his basement after testing positive on January 5th.

“Those walls were closing in on me,” Stefanski said on his Zoom with reporters. “So I’m enjoying this big building.”

He was welcomed back by players and coaches. One player, backup QB Case Keenum, made sure the coach knew he was appreciated.

“Case Keenum told me he hid something in my office, and he asked if I smelled it yet,” Stefanski noted. “But I don’t because I lost my sense of smell.”

Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer filled in as acting head coach for Stefanski. He was glad to hand the duties back to the head coach.

“Anytime your leader comes back to the building and is going to lead us into battle this weekend, I think it’s a great thing for our football team,” Priefer said.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who took over play-calling duties in the wild-card win over Pittsburgh, expressed a similar sentiment.

“It’s huge,” Van Pelt said. “He’s such a presence around the guys. He was greatly missed while he wasn’t here, so having him back is big for us.”

While Stefanski did return, three of his assistants remain away from the team as they deal with their own positive COVID-19 diagnoses. Pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jeff Howard, tight ends coach Drew Petzing, and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters are all still out.

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Updated Browns COVID-19 status for the divisional round

There are still players and coaches who could return for Sunday’s game

The Browns are preparing to face the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round on Sunday. More players and coaches who have been sidelined with the team’s COVID-19 outbreak continue to become available by the day.

On Wednesday, the Browns activated Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Both cornerbacks missed the last two weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus.

There are still some players and coaches whose statuses remain up in the air.

Players still on the reserve/COVID-19 list

Left guard Joel Bitonio

Wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge

Both Bitonio and Hodge have the potential to be activated before Sunday’s game, but it is not certain that will happen. They were placed on the reserve list on Jan. 5th, which means the earliest they can be activated from their positive tests is Friday, Jan. 15th.

Coaches still sidelined

Head coach Kevin Stefanski

Passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard

Assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters

Tight ends coach Drew Petzing

All the coaches could return as early as Thursday, based on the timeline of the positive testing. They will each need to clear the COVID-19 protocols established by the NFL and NFLPA, which do carry over to the coaching staff as well.

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan has cleared the protocols and is back with the team.

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OL coach Bill Callahan, assistant Scott Peters will miss Steelers game

The Browns COVID-19 issues continue

Already down wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Chad O’Shea, the Cleveland Browns will also face the Pittsburgh Steelers without two more offensive assistants.

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan and assistant OL coach Scott Peters have both been identified as close contacts to a positive COVID-19 test via contact tracing. Neither Callahan nor Peters will be on the Browns sideline on Sunday as a result.

It’s a major pinch for a unit already scrambling to get enough healthy bodies to face Pittsburgh. Right guard Wyatt Teller is questionable with an ankle injury that has kept him out of the last two games. His primary backup, Chris Hubbard, is on injured reserve. The next man up, rookie Nick Harris, has been ruled out for Week 17 with a knee injury of his own.

The Browns signed Blake Hance off the Jets practice squad and promoted tackle Alex Taylor and guard Cordel Igwuagwu from their own practice squad to fill out the roster. Hance played under Callahan in Washington in 2019 when both were part of the Football Team.

Chief of staff Callie Brownson is filling in for O’Shea, who tested positive for COVID-19 during the week.

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Giants vs. Browns: A revenge game for many

A Week 15 matchup between the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns will be a revenge game for many — probably more than you realize.

The New York Giants will be entertaining some old friends when the Cleveland Browns come to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey this Sunday night.

Additionally, the Browns are going to see some familiar faces on the other side of the ball as well.

In fact, there are quite a few cross-connections here in Week 15.

Browns hire martial arts expert Scott Peters as assistant OL coach

Peters has trained MMA champs and won Jiu Jitsu world championships since retiring from the NFL

New Browns assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters is not someone players will want to fight. Even though Peters has been retired from the NFL for over a decade, he’s still able to whip some tail.

Peters, hired Thursday to be the top assistant under OL coach Bill Callahan, is a martial arts expert. He’s won several Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world championships and also competed in MMA events. In fact, Peters created his own MMA gym and has trained the likes of Chain Velasquez and Brock Lesnar at his The Lions Den gym in Arizona.

He’s a former NFL offensive lineman, playing center and guard for five teams between 2002 and 2008, finishing his career with the Cardinals team that lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl.