NFL assistant coaches on the rise

By Tom Pelissero
October 28, 2017

By any measure, Sean McVay was a unique head coaching candidate a year ago: He was 30 years old, already three years into his role as Washington Redskins offensive coordinator, an experienced play-caller, the product of a football family, a fantastic communicator and mature beyond his age.

The Los Angeles Rams heard the predictable concern as they did their homework -- "He's a couple years away" -- but also knew that, for every Lane Kiffin-level failure, there was a Jon Gruden, Don Shula, John Madden or Mike Tomlin who had jumped out at an early age. McVay did that in his interview and checked every other box. So, the Rams decided to bet on McVay immediately, rather than betting they'd get another shot when others deemed him ready.

Now 31, McVay is all of seven games -- and five wins -- into his NFL head coaching career. I'm not enshrining him in Canton just yet. If going young were a magic formula, Kyle Shanahan (37) and the 49ers wouldn't be 0-7 right now. (Shanahan's wildly talented, too, and has plenty of time on a six-year contract to grow through a roster overhaul.) But it's worth wondering if the life McVay has infused into a Rams franchise that sorely needed it might embolden a few other teams to step outside their comfort zones during the upcoming coaching-search season and ask the question I posed to dozens of NFL executives, GMs, coaches, agents and others this past week:

Who's this year's Sean McVay?

My criteria were loose. Nobody has the experience McVay had at that age; it's hard to even find many under age 40. But my focus was to identify young and, in many cases, less-heralded coordinators and assistant coaches who might get a shot to run the show sooner than expected. Here's a short list of names to remember:

-- Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs: The former Arena League quarterback has trained under Andy Reid for a decade, rising to co-offensive coordinator last year, and now he has the solo job. People who have worked with Nagy, 39, say he has done tremendous work with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes and would have Reid's endorsement. Nagy doesn't call plays, but Doug Pederson didn't do that very much in Kansas City before he landed the Eagles' head coaching job, either (nor did Reid in his pre-Philly days). One person who knows Colts general manager Chris Ballard says Nagy will be high (if not first) on Ballard's list if Indianapolis makes a change. The two worked together in Kansas City.

-- Kris Richard, defensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks: A former NFL defensive back, Richard is known as a very good leader and speaker -- traits you need to be heard in a Seahawks meeting room filled with strong personalities. He was an assistant on both of Seattle's Super Bowl teams and was promoted to coordinator in 2015. One NFL executive who knows Richard, 38, said he's ready for a head job -- it'd just need to be at the right place, with time on his side and a strong GM overseeing personnel. The Bills interviewed Richard last year and told people he did well.

-- Mike Vrabel, defensive coordinator, Houston Texans: The 14-year NFL veteran followed Bill O'Brien's branch of the Bill Belichick tree to Houston, and Vrabel, 42, was promoted to defensive coordinator this year. O'Brien's assessment of Vrabel when we spoke in June: "He's a great leader. He's a very good communicator. He's got that good ability to be tough on his players, but also have a chance to put his arm around them and pick them up. He's got a good motivational way about him. Brings a lot of cachet to the field, because he played 14 years, played in a [Patriots] defense that required a lot of smart people and a lot of communication." The Rams requested an interview with Vrabel last year, but they hired McVay before it happened.

-- Matt Patricia, defensive coordinator, New England Patriots: I almost disqualified him from this list, given the fact that his profile is much higher than the others (and not just because of his post-Super Bowlwardrobe choices). But his name comes up in every conversation about the NFL's bright, young assistants. Patricia, 43, has won two rings in five-and-a-half years as Patriots defensive coordinator, and he interviewed the past couple of years with the Browns, Rams and Chargers. He's smart (rocket science!) and engaging. Several people told me they've gotten the impression it'd have to be a perfect fit to convince Patricia to leave New England.

-- John DeFilippo, quarterbacks coach, Philadelphia Eagles: Carson Wentz said he was excited the Eaglesblocked DeFilippo, 39, from interviewing for the Jets' offensive coordinator job, and why not? People who know him say he's energetic, passionate and fun to work with. One former colleague with the Raiders recalls DeFilippo even embraced trying to get something out of all-time bust JaMarcus Russell (who had his only modestly functional season with DeFilippo as his QB coach in Oakland in 2008). He's highly motivated to be a head coach and has a plan. He's a bit of a wild card, because he only has one year of experience as a coordinator, on a doomed staff in Cleveland in 2015. The 49ers interviewed him the following January.

-- Todd Downing, offensive coordinator, Oakland Raiders: Tough sell right now, with the Raiders' offense struggling out of the gate in his first season calling the plays. But they made sure to keep Downing, 37, for a reason. The traits people in Oakland describe are what teams look for in a head coach: great communicator, relates to players, has organizational skills and personality. Some people even pushed him as a candidate last year. Said one coach who has worked with Downing: "He has head coach written all over him."

-- Matt Burke, defensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins: A 13-year NFL assistant who replaced close colleague Vance Joseph (now the Broncos' head coach) as coordinator this year, Burke was the guy I knew the least about on this list, until NFL people kept bringing up his name. Scouting report from people Burke, 41, has worked with: very smart, great communication skills, adjusts well on game day, good leader, players respond to him. Said one NFL executive I respect: "If I said, 'Who's the next Sean McVay?' it would be Matt Burke."

A few other young coaches to keep an eye on in the coming years: Jim Bob Cooter (age 33), offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions; Matt LaFleur (37), offensive coordinator, Los Angeles Rams; Marquand Manuel (38), defensive coordinator, Atlanta Falcons; David Raih (37), offensive perimeter coach, Green Bay Packers.

Top candidates

The full field of head coaching candidates is shaping up a little like last year's: It's Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and everyone else. McDaniels, 41, is reflective about how things went in his first head coaching stint with the Broncos (11-17 in Denver) and has learned a lot since. He pulled out of the 49ers' coaching search last year and will remain selective, but I'm told he's ready and excited if the right opportunity comes. Other names that came up in my conversations with people around the league, several of whom had interviews last year:

Those who would be getting their first shot: Frank Reich, offensive coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles; Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers; Paul Guenther, defensive coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals; Dave Toub, special teams coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs; Teryl Austin, defensive coordinator, Detroit Lions.

Those who would be getting a second chance: Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings; Jim Schwartz, defensive coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles; Mike McCoy, offensive coordinator, Denver Broncos; Leslie Frazier, defensive coordinator, Buffalo Bills; Tom Cable, offensive line coach/assistant head coach, Seattle Seahawks; Mike Smith, defensive coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

White whales: Former Raiders and Bucs coach Jon Gruden, Stanford coach David Shaw, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.

5 thoughts following the Cats' latest win

By Justin Rowland | Publisher
October 30, 2017

Five thoughts following Kentucky's win over Tennessee, which moved the Cats to 6-2 and 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference.

It really doesn't matter how good you think Kentucky is or isn't.

What matters is through eight games the Cats are 6-2. If you're trying to gauge "how good Kentucky really is" then you can find whatever evidence supports your point. It's certainly true that Kentucky could be worse than 6-2, but the Cats were also a series of unfortunate events away from being 7-1 and most people would probably take Kentucky's 6-2 over Florida's 3-4. The schedule is far from the toughest Kentucky has faced in recent or much longer history, but that doesn't matter. A decade from now very few people are going to be talking about Kentucky's strength of schedule, but a lot of people will remember how many games were won in 2017 and what bowl game the Cats reached. You can only play the schedule you're given.

For the doubters, there are only four regular season games left. The season is two-thirds of the way over, and no matter how much improving you think Kentucky needs to do, three of their four remaining games (Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Louisville) seem very winnable.

It really was all about beating Tennessee.

During the heat of a game it's easy for anyone (myself included) to get caught up in what's going right and what's going wrong. Overreactions are always going to happen anytime humans are involved. We're good at snap judgments and we're prisoners of the present moment to varying degrees.

But at the end of the day, it really was all about beating Tennessee. It's the second time in more than three decades that it's happened, and the second time in the same period of time that Kentucky is 6-2.
You're still going to hear about how often Tennessee has beat Kentucky because it will make for a nice graphic anytime the SEC Network is showcasing games in the series to the casual fan, but now that Kentucky has won two against UT since 2010, it doesn't sting nearly as bad.

I hope you're appreciating Stephen Johnson, because he really does just win.

Johnson is now 13-6 as Kentucky's primary quarterback over the last two seasons. Over the past two weeks the passing numbers have regressed to some of the uglier numbers from last season and more than once in a while Johnson reminds you that he's not an elite passer. But when he went out of the game with an injury that was clearly very painful, and came back in, was there any doubt that he would sacrifice limb and seemingly life to pick up that extra yard and do whatever it takes to win a football game?

Kentucky's football turnaround in the Mark Stoops era is due to a lot of things. Vince Marrow's recruiting, Eddie Gran building an offense that's more conducive to wins based on Kentucky's personnel and program strengths/weaknesses, but just as much as anything, Johnson's penchant for making the big play at the right time.

Beyond the intangibles, at this point it's clear that it's Johnson's mobility that has won several of these games.

Benny Snell had his best moment of 2017 and showed some real maturity last night.

When Snell fumbled in the Southern Miss game, during the Cats' season opener, he did not respond well. He went on to miss several holes and ran with less confidence than he did in 2016. He didn't fumble again until last night, but he promptly put the miscue behind him and on the very next drive ripped off the huge run and followed it up with his first of three rushing scores. That showed some real maturity on his part and perhaps learning from an earlier response, against Southern Miss, that hindered his productivity for a little while.

If the offensive line has rightfully been the object of blame for much of 2017, the unit deserves a lot of credit for Kentucky's win against Tennessee.

What a difficult year it must have been for John Schlarman until last night. He returned what many believed would be one of the SEC's top offensive lines, but the Cats' front has struggle with snaps, penalties, missed assignments and simply getting pushed backwards. But last night there was some serious redemption. The line handled a very talented Tennessee front, got plenty of push off the ball, blew open holes, avoided bad mistakes and kept Johnson clean unless he wanted to run, which he did for more than 80 yards.

Blythe’s Practice Time Allows for Seamless Transition

October 24, 2017
By Kristen Lago

Losing your starting center is never ideal for an NFL team. But for the Rams in particular, anytime starter John Sullivan goes down during a game — as he did in Week 7 against Arizona — the transition is made easier because of who takes his place.

Austin Blythe, a former Iowa standout, joined the Rams in May after he was claimed off of waivers from the Colts. Since then he has proven himself as both a capable and dependable player with solid technique.

So far this season, Blythe has had to step in for Sullivan on two occasions — once against the 49ers and most recently against the Cardinals. In both instances, his effort was met with high praise from head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff.

“I thought Austin Blythe stepped in again and did a nice job,” McVay said Sunday. “Those guys are getting better and they’re getting more comfortable playing together as well.”

“Austin again did a great job stepping in,” Goff said. “He’s done it twice now and his ability to come in there cold and be able to kind of just pick it up on the move and not really hit any speed bumps is really impressive.”

Much of that seamless transition stems from Blythe being able to practice with the other starting linemen on Wednesdays. As part of the team’s maintenance program, Sullivan is one of a few veteran players held out of practice each week in an effort to keep them healthy come game time. McVay says Wednesday’s sessions have “been very helpful, as [Blythe] is able to go through some of the looks that we anticipate.”

“Some of those looks came up and I think it helps Austin continue to gain a command on all the communication that’s involved from that center spot,” McVay said. “I think it’s a big reason why he’s handled the playing time that he’s had this year pretty seamlessly and he’s done a great job filling in when John’s had to step out.”

On Sunday against Arizona, Blythe was instrumental facilitating a lengthy 10-minute drive in the fourth quarter. The series consisted of five converted third downs and culminated in an 18-yard touchdown by wide receiver Cooper Kupp. It also helped drain the clock, all but sealing the Rams’ 33-0 shutout victory.

Right guard Jamon Brown praised Blythe’s efficiency in Sunday’s contest, saying there was “no drop off or decline in the level of communication or the level of play.” He also credited Blythe’s ability to practice with the starting line as key to his success.

“It’s been huge,” Brown said. “Having him on Wednesdays and being able to work on things that he would not have necessarily worked [on] if Sully went on Wednesdays has been huge in game time. … Building confidence that we have in him and obviously his confidence — you see that just riding an all-time high.”