New ST Coach: Helping out an old friend

[Mr. Scot]

Excerpts:

 

 

Russ Purnell was simply wishing a friend good luck. The Panthers travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars in the regular season opener, and Purnell, who lives in the Jacksonville area, texted Carolina special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven to let him know he'd be pulling for him.

"I texted him," Purnell said, "and he called me right back."

Purnell won't just be rooting for DeHaven, he'll be coaching for him. On Tuesday, it was announced that DeHaven will take a leave of absence for medical reasons. Purnell will serve as his season-long replacement.

"He said he had a health issue and he might need some time to get well," Purnell said. "So we talked about it for a bit, and I got the blessing from my wife.

"The next week, he said (general manager) Dave Gettleman and (head coach) Ron Rivera wanted to talk with me."

 

First thing that stands out to me in this: the phrase "season long".  Up till now, I haven't seen a specific time frame, but this definitively says that DeHaven won't be back this season.  Sad, because I wonder what it means for his health.

 

Purnell, a 26-year NFL coaching veteran – most recently with the Jaguars in 2011, was retired a few weeks ago. Now, he's the special teams coordinator for the Panthers.

"I accepted an offer to come down here and help out a friend," Purnell said, "and to be a part of a great organization."

This is a difficult situation for everyone involved, and Purnell admits he may not have been comfortable replacing another man for another team.

But when DeHaven recommended him for this job, he was compelled.

"I'm very flattered he recommended me," Purnell said. "Some places I might not have been comfortable doing this. I might have had second thoughts. But Bruce had fantastic things to say about the staff here and the players. He was very positive, and I believed him when he said I would enjoy the experience."

 

Now I understand how he got the job so quickly.

 

 

Purnell and DeHaven go way back. When Purnell was coaching at Edison High School in southern California (1973-81), DeHaven, who was coaching at Kansas University (1979-81), successfully recruited some of his players.

"I got to know Bruce, and we stayed in touch," Purnell said. "We ran into each other at coaches' conventions. Then all of the sudden we were both in the NFL. We'd always meet up at the Scouting Combine and at the Senior Bowl. We kept track of each other."

This winter, while DeHaven was settling into his new role as special teams coordinator after two years as an assistant for the Panthers, Purnell was retired, but he wasn't completely detached from football.

Coaching in the United Football League in 2012 was his last full-time role, but in 2015 he served as an assistant coach at the East-West Shrine Game – a college football all-star game in January.

"It's in your blood," Purnell said. "I'm excited to get back in the mode of coaching."

 

Nice story, honestly.

 

The rest of the article - by Huddle buddy Max Henson - talks about how Purnell is getting up to speed with the players and coaches.

 

It's a good read (link)

[GRWatcher]

I agree about seeing the phrase "season long". Of course any coach taking time off for health reasons is a big deal but when it is now in writing that it will be a full season at least, well, damn. Get better, Coach DeHaven. Get better.

[propagandamachine]

Coaching football in 1973 - jesus. How the hell do you coach that long

[Lumps]

Good story but don't really care. Our special teams is going to take a special coach to fix. Guess it can't get worse.