Tag: strength and conditioning

Lions make changes to the strength and conditioning coaching staff

The Detroit Lions have hired two new assistant coaches to the strength and conditioning staff and parted ways with another

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The Detroit Lions have made some changes to their strength and conditioning coaching staff in advance of training camp. The Lions hired two new assistant coaches and have parted ways with another assistant.

Gone is former assistant coach Morris Henry, who had been with the Lions since the 2000 NFL season. No official announcement of any dismissal has been made but Henry no longer appears on the team’s official website.

In his place are two new coaches, Emmanuel “EJ” Hibbler and Corey Smith. Both come to Detroit from the college ranks. Smith most recently served as the strength and conditioning AD for Abilene Christian University in Texas.

Hibbler has years of experience working in the field beyond football. He spent some time at Michigan State working with the women’s volleyball team, and he also worked on the Arkansas Razorbacks football staff when Lions CB Jerry Jacobs was on the team.

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Beau Lowery could be a ‘game changer’ for the Broncos

After two years at LSU, Beau Lowery joins the Broncos as their new VP of player health and performance. It’s a “game changer” in Denver.

In addition to changing their strength and conditioning staff this offseason, the Denver Broncos also brought in Beau Lowery as their new vice president of player health and performance.

Lowery worked under Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints from 2017-2021 before going to LSU, where he worked in sports medicine from 2021-2022.

“I think Beau is a game changer,” general manager George Paton said at the NFL combine last month. “Sean has been speaking about him since our first interview with Sean. Then you talk to the people at LSU, the people at the Saints, and he’s very progressive, data-oriented on the medical side.

“He’s going to bring it all together. He’ll be over the top. We have a lot of good people in our building. He’ll kind of bring everything together, strength and conditioning, in the training room, nutrition. He’s very humble, he has a great way about him. I think he’s going to be a game changer for us.”

Paton said Lowery will integrate strength and conditioning, nutrition and equipment to help players perform at their peak levels in Denver. Payton is confident he will be well-received by the team’s players, just like he was in New Orleans.

“I watched our transition when Beau came to New Orleans and how the players responded,” Payton said at the combine. “Not only just the veteran players, but some of the younger players. If you just Google searched the amount of players that sent him congratulations or sent comments, it gives you an idea how he was thought of. It’s kind of hard to have that.

“When you have it, like you recognize that it’s special, because he’s firsthand [when] dealing with the injuries and dealing with the setbacks. It can be a lonely place if you’re a player while you’re missing time. He’s very much respected. I mean, he fellowed under [Dr. James] Andrews. We lost him in New Orleans. We tried not to, but he wanted to live a little bit closer to Baton Rouge, and that’s why he went back up there. That’s a game changer for us, I think.”

After years of having a long list of injured players, the Broncos will hope that Lowery can help them stay healthier going forward.

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Sean Payton brings former Saints strength coach Dan Dalrymple to Denver

Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos have hired longtime New Orleans Saints strength coach Dan Dalrymple, who Dennis Allen dismissed in 2022:

It took a few days of negotiations, but another former New Orleans Saints coach is joining Sean Payton’s coaching staff with the Denver Broncos, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. Underhill reports that Dan Dalrymple is joining the Broncos. Dalrymple was one of Payton’s first hires with the Saints back in 2006, and he spent 16 years with New Orleans as its strength and conditioning coach before being dismissed in 2022.

Dalrymple has won multiple NSCA Professional Coach of the Year awards during his time with the Saints, most recently in 2021. But head coach Dennis Allen wanted to go in a different direction, hiring Matt Rhea and Matt Clapp away from the Alabama Crimson Tide to run the weight room in New Orleans.

He’s the latest former Saints assistant joining Payton in Denver: the list now includes formerly-retired special teams coach Mike Westhoff, offensive assistant coach Declan Doyle, and offensive line assistant Zach Strief. Last year’s co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard also interviewed for the DC role on Payton’s staff, though he’s more of a longshot behind ESPN analyst and two-time NFL head coach Rex Ryan.

It’s worth noting that Strief and Doyle are the only members of this group the Saints hadn’t already chosen to move on from, or who had been comfortable on the golf course until Payton gave them a call. Some losses were to be expected but it’s not like Payton ripped the copper wire from the walls while cleaning out his desk.

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Texans strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubanks returns for 2023

The Houston Texans will keep Mike Eubanks as their strength and conditioning coach, a job he has held with the team since 2019.

The Houston Texans may be on their fifth different coach since 2019, but nothing will change inside the weight room.

According to Aaron Wilson from KRPC-TV, the Texans have decided to keep strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubanks onboard for the 2023 season.

Eubanks got his start with the Texans in 2018 after spending 2012-17 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Denver Broncos. Prior to Eubanks’ time with the AFC West club, he was strength and conditioning intern with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2009 before becoming a part of the strength staff from 2010-11.

Eubanks was one of the people that cornerback Bradley Roby consulted with before signing with the Texans in free agency in 2019.

Quarterback Davis Mills credited Eubanks for helping him and the team prepare for the 2022 season.

“I’ve been working out here in Houston in the building all offseason, and Mike Eubanks has done a great job preparing us and the guys that have been working out here,” Mills said on April 12, 2022. “I felt like I’ve made big steps in both of those areas. I’m excited to go out and test that against defenses.”

Linebacker Garret Wallow also gave Eubanks credit for his transition from his rookie season to his second year with the Texans.

“Physically, working with Mike all season and the whole strength staff has helped me change my body around and just help me get in better shape for year,” Wallow said on Aug. 7, 2022.

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Broncos assistant strength and conditioning coach Pierre Ngo leaves team to join Bears

Broncos assistant strength and conditioning coach Pierre Ngo has left the team to join the Bears in a lateral move.

As the Denver Broncos head coach uncertainty continues, it’s understandable if the holdovers from the Nathaniel Hackett era decide to look for opportunities elsewhere. According to On3.com’s Matt Zenitz, Denver’s assistant strength and conditioning coach Pierre Ngo is departing his Broncos position for a lateral move with the Chicago Bears.

Ngo spent two years with the Broncos, joining Denver in 2021.

This is not Ngo’s first go-round with the Bears, as he served on the staff from 2015-2020 as their assistant strength and coordination coach. However, this may not be the worst news for Denver since whomever they hire as their head coach will likely bring their own staff or hire new faces for their program.

Denver is still meeting with candidates to fill the head coach position. The Broncos met with Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh this weekend, but no deal materialized. They have also ruled out several candidates.

Whoever Denver chooses to hire to lead the Broncos into 2023 will have to find a replacement Ngo, while they look to remodel and rebuild.

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Texas football should thrive in second year of lifting heavier weight

Texas should make strides in the weight room again in 2023.

When Gary Patterson came to Texas, things changed in Austin. One of the first steps involved fixing strength and conditioning.

Texas struggled in the trenches in 2021. As early as the second game, Arkansas exposed the Longhorns’ lack of strength, explosion and size.

After Patterson joined the coaching staff in an advisory role, Steve Sarkisian’s team switched from lifting light weight for speed to lifting heavy weight. It was the difference between five wins in 2021 and eight in 2022.

It’s no coincidence that TCU has the explosion and strength to play for a national championship in Sonny Dykes’ first season. Strength and conditioning is a huge part of their success.

The Horned Frogs didn’t just start building NFL players in the weight room this season. They’ve been doing so since Gary Patterson walked the sidelines. Now Steve Sarkisian will aim to duplicate Patterson’s development with five-star talent.

Credit whoever you will with the changes that have occurred on the football field, but the former TCU head coach has made a huge impact on the Texas football team.

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New Orleans Saints reportedly interested in Alabama’s David Ballou and Matt Rhea

Alabama’s Matt Rhea and David Ballou are on the Saints’ radar.

Alabama could potentially lose a pair of valuable assets if the NFL’s New Orleans Saints get their way, as it is being reported by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill that the Saints are interested in hiring Matt Rhea, Director of Sports Science, and David Ballou, Director of Sports Performance, away from the Crimson Tide.

The pair joined the Alabama football program in March of 2020 following the departure of longtime strength and conditioning coordinator Scott Cochran in February of the same year.

Both men were together at Indiana University prior to being offered a spot on Nick Saban’s coveted staff at the Capstone, and both bring valuable knowledge and experience to the table.

Alabama’s football program has suffered noticeably fewer injuries under the dynamic duo of Rhea and Ballou than in years past. It would certainly be a great loss to the program if they were to depart from it.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continued coverage of the Crimson Tide.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Layne Gerbig on Twitter @LayneG_29.

Sooners continue staff rebuild with re-hiring of Jerry Schmidt as the S&C Coach

Oklahoma continues reunion tour by poaching Jerry Schmidt and Russell Dennison from Texas A&M for their Strength and Conditioning staff.

We have reached a full-on reunion tour for Oklahoma football over the last few weeks. Less than two weeks ago, Lincoln Riley was the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Since his departure to USC, Bob Stoops stepped up to be the interim head coach while the new head coach, Brent Venables, gets his staff together and settles into his new role. Venables was a defensive coordinator for a decade-plus at Oklahoma and coached in four national title games.

While Bob Stoops handles preparations for the Alamo Bowl, Venables is out on the recruiting trail and assembling the rest of his staff. It looks like the new offensive coordinator is on board. And the reunion tour picked up steam as Jerry Schmidt, a long-time Sooners Strength & Conditioning coach, has chosen to leave his post as Director of Sports Performance at Texas A&M and head back to Norman, where he was from 1999-2017.

Schmidt was a highly respected and beloved guy for his time in Norman, and judging by former player reactions to the news, he was not one to be messed around with. Former players have lauded him for his tough workouts and how he goes about his business. Schmidt will be bringing Russell Dennison with him as well.

Dennison has also spent time with Oklahoma and served as Schmidt’s assistant with the Sooners. Dennison previously served as Wyoming’s director of sports performance and worked with the football team.

Before his time in Wyoming, he spent five years (2011-15) as an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the University of Oklahoma football program. Dennison was responsible for designing speed, strength, and conditioning programs for the Sooners, working with Jerry Schmidt per Texas A&M’s official website.

Schmidt and Venables are very close and have worked together for years. It seems that the relationship and the results of Schmidt’s work made it an easy decision for Venables to reach out to his old friend. Dennison is also familiar with the Oklahoma program, making this a total package.

With Venables committing to redefining the culture and instilling a level of toughness and physicality that some questioned OU football lacked over recent years, getting guys like Schmidt and Dennison seem like perfect moves.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Cowboys elevate new strength and conditioning coach from interim role

Harold Nash, Jr. assumed the role midseason, taking over after the passing of Markus Paul. Now Nash will officially have the job in 2021.

Harold Nash, Jr. had the unenviable task of taking over the Cowboys’ strength and conditioning program following the untimely passing of Markus Paul in midseason.

Now he’ll have the job officially as the team prepares for the 2021 season. According to the club’s website on Wednesday, the team is expected to elevate Nash as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

Nash, 50, has 16 years of NFL experience under his belt, all of it as an S&C coach. He spent six years in an assistant role in New England on the staff of famed former Cowboys strength coach Mike Woicik. In 2011, after Woicik left the Patriots to return to Dallas, New England promoted Nash to their head position for the next five seasons. Nash won a Super Bowl during his tenure in Foxborough. He then went to Detroit in the same role from 2016 to 2018. He was fired by the Lions following the 2019 season.

Prior to coaching, Nash was a three-time All-Star in the Canadian Football League. He played defensive back for four CFL teams from 1994 to 2004.

Nash looks to be a popular fixture at The Star this offseason as he works with Cowboys athletic trainers to rehab several key injuries from last year. Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Blake Jarwin, and Trysten Hill are among the players who had surgeries during the 2020 campaign. Several more- including Amari Cooper, Jaylon Smith, and Tyrone Crawford- have undergone procedures since the season ended.

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Notre Dame football loses a strength coach to a rival school

The offseason for Notre Dame sees an important piece of the program move on to a west coast rival.

A set of coaches that don’t get enough credit are always the strength and conditioning coaches. Notre Dame has a great one in Matt Balis, but he is losing one of his assistants. Robert Stiner, the now former assistant director of football strength and conditioning will be moving on the become the head of USC’s strength and conditioning program.

Although Stiner is not someone most fans recognize the loss is significant. Balis along with Stiner have made major strides in the Irish program for Brian Kelly, a move that after the 2016 season became a focus for Notre Dame.

It’s safe to say that Stiner will be missed, and this one stings a bit more due to the fact that he’s going to a rival in USC. Although we wish him the best, those sentiments won’t be echoed when the Irish face off against the Trojans in mid-October during this season and beyond.