We have our first hire of the quasi offseason and, believe it or not, it’s a good one. The Jacksonville Jaguars make the right call in removing the
“interim” from head coach Doug Marrone’s moniker and giving him the job full time.
That doesn’t mean the Jaguars rejected their former head coach, Tom Coughlin, in the process. Instead, Coughlin was hired by Jacksonville as well as their executive vice president.
Jacksonville planning to hire Doug Marrone as HC, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2017
If you’ve followed my writing and live blogs, then you know I was an advocate for Marrone to get this job from the beginning, even if it looked for a time that Coughlin would settle into his old office. Instead, the best possible outcome occurred. Coughlin realized he could serve the team better in a different capacity (and move back to Jacksonville where his kids live) and Marrone could take over the team.
It was smart for the Jaguars to act fast on Marrone. There were only so many coaches they would have access to in this process and most of them would be second tier guys. Marrone, as far as I’m concerned, was at the top of that second tier and that’s only because he spent a couple of seasons as an assistant in Jacksonville after leading the Buffalo bills to a 9-7 record in 2013.
What have the #Jaguars done? Tom Coughlin is EVP. Marrone is head coach. GM Dave Caldwell extended. All through 2019.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2017
This will be Marrone’s second stint as an NFL head coach. He coached the Bills from 2013-2014 but got out of his contract with an escape clause, thinking he’d walk right into a better job. Instead, he was passed over in 2015 and had to settle for an assistant job on Gus Bradley’s staff in Jacksonville.
Marrone should bring a much more dynamic offense to Jacksonville. He was the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints under Sean Payton from 2006-2008. Marrone, as of two Sundays ago, is 16-18 as a head coach in the NFL.
Browns hire Gregg Williams
Sunday the Cleveland Browns made a coaching change of their own, hiring former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Williams replaces Ray Horton, who was fired after just one year of service.
Browns name Gregg Williams defensive coordinator
Details » https://t.co/ENZi1ahmqT pic.twitter.com/cCDMeh6ViH
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 8, 2017
Under Williams the Rams ended the season ranked No. 9 in total defense, but, trust me, it wasn’t because of anything he did. The truth is, Williams is one of the many Jeff Fisher assistants that has no business coaching in the NFL and the fact that Jackson thinks he’s an upgrade over Horton obviously means that Horton was really a couple of gray aliens standing on each other’s shoulders in a trench coat sent to earth to ruin an NFL franchise.
“I have a vision of what I want our defense to play like and look like, and I am going to get that. That is what I am looking forward to,” Jackson said Sunday. “…I don’t want anybody to take that this is just about Ray. This is really about my vision. It is about what I am trying to create here in Cleveland and how I see it and what I think it is going to take for us to get there. This isn’t just Ray. I know it looks like that. I know it looks like he gets caught up in it and however you guys want to say that, but it is not about that. It is bigger to me than that.”
For his part, Williams is probably just happy to still be raking in that sweet Grecian formula cash.
“It’s very exciting for me to become part of the Cleveland Browns organization and join Hue Jackson’s coaching staff,” Williams lied in a statement. “I have so much respect for Hue having competed against him in this league for so many years. We’re looking forward to getting to work.”
Steelers’ Joey Porter arrested
Joey Porter managed to get through his NFL playing career without any public meltdowns or trips to the slammer, but can no long make that claim as a coach. Sunday night Porter, Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers coach, was cuffed and stuffed at a South Pittsburgh bar for allegedly beating up a doorman.
The #Steelers have placed assistant coach Joey Porter on leave following his arrest last night.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2017
The Steelers have placed Porter on leave “pending further review.”
“We are continuing to gather information concerning Sunday night’s incident involving Joey Porter,” the Steelers said in a statement. “We have been and will continue to be in communication with the NFL as is required by the Personal Conduct Policy. Pending further review, Joey Porter has been placed on leave. At this time, we will move forward with our preparations for the Divisional Round playoff game at Kansas City.”
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