Looking back at the prior staff (as opposed to now)

[Mr. Scot]

Decided to take a look back at the previous coaching rosters over the past few years just to give us a comparison picture for the staff currently taking shape.

Why? because I'm a colossal football nerd...and perhaps a bit of a masochist

Starting with the original 2020 group…

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Offensive Coordinator: Joe Brady

Quarterback Coach: Jake Peetz
Assistant Quarterback Coach: Matt Lombardi
Runningbacks Coach: Jeff Nixon
Receivers Coach: Frisman Jackson
Tight Ends Coach: Brian Angelichio
Offensive Line Coach: Pat Meyer
Assistant Offensive Line Coach: Marcus Satterfield

Defensive Coordinator: Phil Snow

Defensive Line Coach: Mike Phair
Assistant Defensive Line Coach: Frank Okam
Defensive Run Game Coordinator: Al Holcomb
Linebackers Coach: Mike Siravo
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator: Jason Simmons
Cornerbacks Coach: Evan Cooper

Special Teams Coordinator: Chase Blackburn
Assistant Special Teams Coach: Ed Foley

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jeremy Scott
Strength and Conditioning Assistant: Thomas Barbeau
Strength and Conditioning Assistant: Gus Felder

Head Athletic Trainer: Kevin King

Coaching Assistant: EJ Barthel
Coaching Assistant: DJ Mangas
Coaching Assistant: Grant Udinski
Coaching Assistant: Cedric Whitaker

Assistant to the Head Coach: Matthew Delgado

____________________________________________________________________________________________

So this is how we started off under Rhule. As far as NFL experience, the leader was DRGC Al Holcomb with 11 years (5 of them with the Panthers). Right behind him was RB Coach Jeff Nixon with 10 years, DB Coach Jason Simmons and DL Coach Mike Phair with 9 each. TE Coach Brian Angelichio and OL Coach Pat Meyer both had 7, QB Coach Jake Peetz had 5, DC Phil Snow and ST guy Chase Blackburn had 4 (all with the Panthers, plus his playing days) and bringing up the rear was OC Joe Brady with 2 and WR Coach Frisman Jackson with just 1.  

So yeah, one, honestly two, of the least experienced guys had top spots on the staff. Hell, if you put all three coordinators together you had only 10 years of NFL coaching, and that’s behind a head coach with only 1 (as basically an assistant to an assistant).

Looking back now, it was kinda sketchy overall, but in general we were willing to give it a chance (especially after that first season turned out better than most of us expected).

Moving on to 2021…

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Offensive Coordinator: Joe Brady

Quarterback Coach: Sean Ryan
Assistant Quarterback Coach: Matt Lombardi
Runningbacks Coach: Jeff Nixon
Receivers Coach: Frisman Jackson
Tight Ends Coach: Brian Angelichio
Offensive Line Coach: Pat Meyer
Assistant Offensive Line Coach: Tony Sparano Jr

Defensive Coordinator: Phil Snow

Defensive Line Coach: Frank Okam
Defensive Run Game Coordinator: Al Holcomb
Linebackers Coach: Mike Siravo
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator: Jason Simmons
Cornerbacks Coach: Evan Cooper
Defensive Analyst: Kevin M Gilbride

Special Teams Coordinator: Chase Blackburn
Assistant Special Teams Coach: Ed Foley

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jeremy Scott
Strength and Conditioning Assistant: Thomas Barbeau

Head Athletic Trainer: Kevin King

Coaching Assistant: EJ Barthel
Coaching Assistant: Grant Udinski
Coaching Assistant: Cedric Whitaker

Assistant to the Head Coach: Matthew Delgado

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chronicling the changes: Jake Peetz and Marcus Satterfield took college jobs at LSU and South Carolina respectively. Peetz was replaced with Sean Ryan, a guy who’d been speculated to be Rhule’s first choice at OC. Rhule fired DL Coach Mike Phair with a dismissive statement along the lines of “he didn’t do things the way we do” (an early indication of his “OOU” philosophy) which turned out to be the beginning of a pattern. Beyond that, not a whole lot of differences other than a few lower level assistants.

In general, we took the demand for guys like Peetz and Satterfield as a good sign and the hiring of Ryan felt like an upgrade. Phair was kind of an enigma but in general we didn’t think much of it because year one had seemed like an overachieving season.

And then of course, it all started to go wrong...

Brady was fired in the middle of the 2021 season (replaced on an interim basis by Jeff Nixon) and people were calling for Rhule’s head as well. Rhule survived to at least start the next season which included some larger staffing changes than the prior year. some of which were rumored to have been mandated (won’t address that here as it’s another discussion). But still, there was hope for some that "season three was the charm" because that had been Rhule's usual MO at the college level.

The 2022 staff for the beginning of Rhule's third (and thankfully final) season…

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Offensive Coordinator: Ben McAdoo
Assistant Head Coach, Offense / Runningbacks Coach: Jeff Nixon

Quarterback Coach: Sean Ryan
Pass Game Specialist: Matt Lombardi
Receivers Coach: Joe Dailey
Tight Ends Coach: Kevin M Gilbride
Offensive Line Coach: James Campen
Assistant Offensive Line Coach: Robert Kugler

Defensive Coordinator: Phil Snow
Assistant Head Coach, Defense: Al Holcomb

Defensive Line Coach: Paul Pasqualoni
Assistant Defensive Line Coach: Terrance Knighton
Pass Rush Specialist: Don Johnson
Defensive Run Game Coordinator: Mike Siravo
Defensive Pass Game Coordinator: Steve Wilks
Cornerbacks Coach: Evan Cooper

Special Teams Coordinator: Chris Tabor
Assistant Special Teams Coach: Ed Foley

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jeremy Scott
Strength and Conditioning Assistant: Thomas Barbeau
Strength and Conditioning Assistant: Corey Campbell
Human Performance Specialist: Timothy Rabas

Head Athletic Trainer: Kevin King

Offensive Assistant: Garret McGuire
Offensive Assistant: Jody Owens
Defensive Assistant: Bobby Maffei
Defensive Assistant: Rob Dvoracek
Special Teams Assistant: Cedric Whitaker

Chief of Staff: Matthew Delgado
Assistant to the Head Coach: Jarrett Wishon

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Kind of interesting (to me anyway) that Rhule felt he needed another assistant besides “Los” Delgado and promoted him to Chief of Staff while backfilling his old spot. Both those slots turned out to be temporary, of course.

Post 2022, staff turnover was massive. Some coaches were fired while others left on their own for what mostly turned out to be lateral moves. Fired - in addition to the midseason firing of Brady - were ST Coach Chase Blackburn, OL Coach Pat Meyer and DL Coach Frank Okam. Both sides of the trenches were apparently deemed not good enough. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it brought us two diamonds in the rough, James Campen and Chris Tabor.

The coaches who chose to depart were WR Coach Frisman Jackson (Steelers) TE Coach Brian Angelichio (Vikings) and DB Coach Jason Simmons (Raiders), all for basically the same spots with their new teams. Many of us saw this as rats deserting a sinking ship, and it turned out to have been a wise decision on their part.

 At the OC spot, McAdoo had interviewed for the QB Coach position before but been turned down. This time he won out over mostly mediocre competition.  The most important hire though turned out to be Steve Wilks who eventually took over as interim head coach when Rhule was fired. Wilks dumped some of Rhule’s assistants (most notably Phil Snow and Even Cooper) and put his own stamp on the staff for what turned out to be at least a decently impressive finish, but not enough to win him the full time job.

So that’s where we’ve been...and it wasn’t so hot.

But at least now we can look forward to where we go from here.

[Sgt Schultz]

I guess one huge difference is illustrated by the search for a "rock star" OC resulting in McAdoo.  I remember people thinking higher profile candidates didn't want to work for Tepper, but it was more likely they did not want to be part of amateur hour in Charlotte.

The point is that quality NFL coaches didn't want to be part of the Rhule circus unless they had no other options (or maybe the pot was sweetened a little if that speculation Wilks was told he would be first in line in the inevitability The Process was canned came true is correct).

That does not seem to be a problem with Reich.

[Mr. Scot]

Just now, Sgt Schultz said:

I guess one huge difference is illustrated by the search for a "rock star" OC resulting in McAdoo.  I remember people thinking higher profile candidates didn't want to work for Tepper, but it was more likely they did not want to be part of amateur hour in Charlotte.

The point is that quality NFL coaches didn't want to be part of the Rhule circus unless they had no other options (or maybe the pot was sweetened a little if that speculation Wilks was told he would be first in line in the inevitability The Process was canned came true is correct).

That does not seem to be a problem with Reich.

Especially not when he was on the hot seat...

[Mr. Scot]

Side Note: RIP Raquel Welch

[Sgt Schultz]

5 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Especially not when he was on the hot seat...

What hot seat?  He had seven years to turn things around. 

[Mr. Scot]

1 minute ago, Sgt Schultz said:

What hot seat?  He had seven years to turn things around. 

Such a damn shame Tepper led him to believe that...

(or not)

[trucpfan]

11 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Such a damn shame Tepper led him to believe that...

(or not)

But Tepper probably thought he had a young guru a football servant an upcoming coach McVay so he thought you have time to get the team together. Once he saw through the bull he had to nip it in the bud finally.

[Basbear]

Lots of effort into this, thanks scot!

i knew some of it and this helped with the parts i forgot. 

I remember hating and blasting rhule signing all his baylor/temple bros. Most huddlers called me a hater, and alll i was doing was saying a highly question those hires. great thing is, franks doesnt have me questioning his.......i wonder why??? hmmmm

[ncstatekwi]

O O U

[Jon Snow]

Quite a contrast wouldn't you say?

[Mr. Scot]

23 minutes ago, Jon Snow said:

Quite a contrast wouldn't you say?

When it would take maybe two or three coaches to equal the NFL experience of an entire group?

Oh yeah

[Mr. Scot]

37 minutes ago, ncstatekwi said:

O O U

DBO

[Jackie Lee]

Well one positive of Tepper is he will pay to keep/promote any of the young guys that really impress. 

[bythenbrs]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

DBO

You misspelled ‘used car salesman’…