Tracking former Lions

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Joe Judge, Matt Patricia will not join Patriots staff at Shrine Bowl

Posted by Josh Alper on January 26, 2023, 10:44 AM EST

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The Patriots officially announced Bill O’Brien as their new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Thursday, but they made no announcements about the futures of the coaches who filled those roles last season.

Joe Judge and Matt Patricia’s work earned them few positive reviews and the move to O’Brien is an admission that giving coaches without offensive backgrounds was the wrong way for the team to go. While there’s been no official word about either coach, O’Brien’s hiring isn’t the only sign that they’ll be gone.

The Patriots are supplying the coaches for one of the team’s in this year’s East-West Shrine Bowl, but neither Judge nor Patricia was included in a list outlining the roles that the team’s coaches will be filling. Multiple reports confirm that there are no plans for either Judge or Patricia to be with the team in Las Vegas.

A formal announcement about the departures of the coaches may not be in the cards, but a clean break from what didn’t work in 2022 clearly appears to be the team’s direction for 2023.

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Buccaneers complete interview with Jim Bob Cooter

Posted by Charean Williams on January 26, 2023, 10:50 PM EST

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The Buccaneers completed an interview with Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter on Thursday, the team announced.

The Bucs are seeking to replace Byron Leftwich, who they fired Jan. 19. They have eight other vacancies to fill on their coaching staff for 2023.

The team interviewed Broncos passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak on Wednesday and Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell earlier on Thursday.

Cooter joined Doug Pederson’s staff last February and helped Trevor Lawrence take a step in his second season. Jacksonville had the 10th-most passing yards in 2022, averaging 232.9 yards per game, and Lawrence threw 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions and had a 95.2 passer rating.

Cooter was the Lions’ offensive coordinator for 3 1/2 seasons after being promoted from quarterbacks coach on Jim Caldwell’s staff midway through 2015.

Cooter spent two seasons (2019-20) as the Jets’ running backs coach and one (2021) as a consultant for the Eagles. He also has worked for the Colts, Chiefs and Broncos.

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Panthers request interview with Jim Bob Cooter for offensive coordinator

Posted by Myles Simmons on February 1, 2023, 3:13 PM EST

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New Panthers head coach Frank Reich said on Tuesday that he’s going to wait to decide who will call offensive plays.

One candidate for that role could come from Jacksonville.

Carolina has submitted a request to interview Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for offensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

Cooter joined Jacksonville in 2022, the team’s first season under head coach Doug Pederson.

For the last two years, Cooter has worked with coaches who are connected to Reich. Pederson and Reich coached together with the Eagles, winning Super Bowl LI. And in 2021, Cooter worked as a consultant for Philadelphia under Nick Sirianni, who was Reich’s offensive coordinator with the Colts.

Cooter previously called offensive plays with the Lions as their offensive coordinator from 2016-2018.

The Panthers also are reportedly adding Deuce Staley to their offensive staff after he spent the last two seasons in Detroit.

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Calvin Johnson: Relationship with Lions is “trending up”

Posted by Myles Simmons on February 2, 2023, 11:11 AM EST

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The relationship between the Lions and Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson has been famously strained since he retired and the team forced him to pay back $1.6 million of his signing bonus.

In the past, he’s hinted that the relationship has been on the mend. But now he’s explicitly said it.

“We’re trending up. We’re trying to come together and make something happen,” Johnson said, via Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post. “Obviously, I’d love to be around the team and do more things there and help the guys out. It’s good that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Johnson was asked about the money but did not directly address it, saying, “Like I said, we’re in the process.”

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2007 draft, Johnson was a star through the 2015 season. He caught 731 passes for 11,619 yards with 83 touchdowns and was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 2021.

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Darius Slay still fueled by disrespect from Matt Patricia

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 7, 2023, 12:21 PM EST

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Almost three years after the Lions traded him to the Eagles, Darius Slay still has a beef with former Detroit head coach Matt Patricia.

Slay, at the Super Bowl this week with the Eagles, said it still fuels him remembering that when he told Patricia he was working out in the offseason with Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib, Patricia responded by telling Slay that he’s not as good as them.

“He basically just said, ‘You are not in that category yet,’” Slay said, via MassLive.com. “At that time, I only had one Pro Bowl but now I’m at five, so I want to know how he feels about that now. I don’t wish bad on him, but as a man, me and him just don’t get along. He’s a smart coach, he knows his Xs and Os, but the disrespect is not what I’m with.”

Slay said that from the moment Patrica arrived in Detroit, he made players feel like they weren’t respected there.

“I mean, it was weird how he came in like he was just bigger and better than all of us,” Slay said. “He acted like we asked to be here. You know, we do get selected. . . . That was crazy. That was a first.”

As it turned out, Slay got the last laugh. The Lions got just a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick for trading Slay to the Eagles, but in Philadelphia Slay has shown he’s an elite cornerback. It was a great trade for the Eagles, one of the many great moves that has them in the Super Bowl.

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The Rams?
Ndamukong Suh: I wasn’t going to sign with any old team

Posted by Josh Alper on February 7, 2023, 9:49 AM EST

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When the Eagles were dealing with injuries at defensive tackle during the 2022 season, they were aggressive about making sure that the missing pieces didn’t sink their season.

They signed Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph to bolster the remaining players on hand and the pair of moves fit right into the general mentality of going all in that the Eagles showed all year. For Suh, it also fit his desire to only play for a team that was positioned to make a serious run at a championship.

“I wasn’t going to go to any old team,” Suh said, via Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I didn’t want to go to a place I didn’t feel comfortable with and didn’t feel that I had an opportunity to be successful and win. I’m not going to name names, but there’s a team right now in the bottom half of the NFL that really wanted me before the season started, and I said, ‘I just don’t see it.'”

Suh said that his goal has been “to pave the way and represent my position in an elite manner” over the course of his career and he’s been named an All-Pro three times since entering the league. This is also the third time that Suh has been to the Super Bowl — he lost Super Bowl LIII with the Rams and won Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers — and a second win would further his claim to be one of the elite players of his generation.

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Sean Payton vows to do what Russell Wilson does well

Posted by Mike Florio on February 7, 2023, 8:59 AM EST

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The jury remains out on whether the difficult 2022 season for Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson happened because Wilson lost his fastball at 33 into 34, or whether former head coach Nathaniel Hackett failed to properly utilize Wilson’s talents.

That question will be conclusively resolved in 2023, because new coach Sean Payton isn’t going to do anything that Wilson can’t do well.

“It wasn’t the type of season he wanted to have,” Payton said Monday when describing Wilson’s 2022 campaign, via the transcript of the introductory press conference provided by the team. “I feel like the last couple of weeks, we saw a little bit more of maybe what we were expecting or accustomed to. I say, ‘We,’ [meaning] you all when you signed them. I think the No. 1 job for us as coaches in evaluating our players [is deciding] what are the things that they do really well? Then, let’s try to put them in those positions. At least that’s the starting point, and I think that it is important to highlight their strengths and minimize maybe any weaknesses.”

It’s basic and it’s simple. But, still, many coaches don’t do it. They are beholden to their systems over their players. They try to jam a square peg into a round role, instead of adapting the offense to the unique abilities and limitations of the players who will be executing the plays.

Also, read that quote again. Near the top. Tucked into Payton’s response is a strong clue that, once Hackett was fired with two games left, interim coach Jerry Rosburg started to bring out some of what Wilson does best. And that’s exactly what Payton will be doing.

“Here’s what I know,” Payton added regarding Wilson. “I know that he’s a hard worker. I know he’s an extremely hard worker, and that’s important. You take that and you understand the skill set. He’s won a lot of games in Seattle. . . . Then you go from there. That’s the same case — although it’s a much more visible position, it’s the same case and the same goal for us with every player on this roster. What do they do well? It’s easy to point out what players don’t do well, and there are certain coaches that tend to look at it that way. I kind of was taught early on, ‘Hey, what is it they do well? Let’s have them do those things.’ None of us want to go — I don’t like singing, period, but none of us want to be at a karaoke bar with a song we don’t know the words to. How do we how do we get them comfortable and highlight their strengths? That’s the process that’s going to begin right now. I’m learning about every one of these players, not just Russell.”

That’s consistent with things Payton said back in October, when asked about how he’d improve Wilson after a rough start to the season.

“I’d want a cut up of all Russell’s pass plays of 30 or more yards from the field, and I’d want to see are there some schemes that he felt very comfortable with,” Payton said at the time. “Like, I know that they did a great job in Seattle of bringing him off of a naked boot[leg] and then pulling up and we all saw that like throw back to [receiver Tyler] Lockett across the field where the ball traveled 60 yards in the air. Then, I’d want to look at another film of his red-zone touchdown passes inside the 20. And so what I’m asking for from assistants, I’m asking for some of his greatest hits and to make sure we have those song lyrics available. And if not, let’s put them in.”

It’s hard to know much about what specifically will happen with the Broncos in 2023. But one thing is clear. A year after being required to figure out the words to Smells Like Teen Spirit on the fly, Wilson will be resorting to the football versions, for him, of Happy Birthday and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

[edindetroit]

Darius Slay still fueled by disrespect from Matt Patricia

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 7, 2023, 12:21 PM EST

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Almost three years after the Lions traded him to the Eagles, Darius Slay still has a beef with former Detroit head coach Matt Patricia.

We all do Slay. We all do.

[whatever_gong82]

One of the few things that former Detroit Lions Head Coach Wayne Fontes ever did right beside winning the lone Playoff game this Franchise has had since the 1957 season, and keeping Barry Sanders healthy:


Buccaneers assistant coach Tom Moore, 84, signs extension for 44th NFL season: Reports


Buccaneers assistant coach Tom Moore signed an extension with Tampa Bay on Wednesday to coach in his 44th NFL season, per multiple reports. Here’s what you need to know:

Moore, who will turn 85 in November, is predominately known for coaching offenses with the Steelers from 1977 to 1989 and the Colts from 1998 to 2010.

* He is a four-time Super Bowl champion, first with the Steelers in 1979 and most recently with the Bucs in 2021.
* His coaching career first started at the college level with Iowa as a graduate assistant in 1961.
* Moore has held the title of offensive consultant with Tampa Bay since 2019.


A nice Twitter link.


Memorable moment in Indianapolis

Moore on coaching a young Peyton Manning, as told to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer: “I always used to tell him this: If you throw the touchdowns, I call the interceptions. If you think you should do something, DO IT, and if they don’t like it, they can come and see me. You can do wrong. Don’t call plays and checks at the line of scrimmage wondering if it’s the right play. That’ll drive you crazy. You know what you’re doing. Do your thing and don’t EVER, EVER look back. If you made the wrong decision, you didn’t, I didn’t do a good enough job coaching you. I’ll take the hit.”

[edindetroit]

Panthers agree to terms with Jim Caldwell

CHARLOTTE — New Panthers head coach Frank Reich added more experience and perspective to his first staff by adding one of his mentors in the game.

The Panthers agreed to terms Tuesday with Jim Caldwell to become senior assistant.

He'll report directly to Reich and will help the team on offense, defense, and special teams.

The 68-year-old Caldwell was one of nine coaches to interview for the Panthers' head coaching opening and the second from that group to join Reich's staff (along with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero).

https://www.panthers.com/news/panthe...h-jim-caldwell

[edindetroit]

When asked how he felt about joining the Panthers, Caldwell said

Screenshot_20230214-182203_Google.jpg

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Former Lions defensive back Stanley Wilson Jr. dies at 40

Posted by Michael David Smith on February 15, 2023, 4:41 PM EST
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Stanley Wilson Jr., a defensive back who played three seasons for the Lions, has died at the age of 40.

Wilson died on February 1 at Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles, according to TMZ.com. No cause of death has been released. Metropolitan State Hospital specializes in treatment for people with mental health issues.

After spending five years at Stanford, Wilson was selected by the Lions in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. He showed promise during his three NFL seasons but suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2007, then suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during the 2008 preseason and never played again.

In retirement, Wilson had a long string of legal problems including several arrests and positive drug tests. In one incident he was shot by a homeowner while trying to break into a house. He had been in custody since an arrest in August when he was declared incompetent to stand trial.

Wilson’s father, Stanley Wilson Sr., also played in the NFL and also had a series of legal, mental health and drug problems. Wilson Sr. was a running back who was drafted by the Bengals in 1983 and showed flashes of impressive talent, but drugs derailed his NFL career. He was suspended for both the entire 1985 season and the entire 1987 season for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. In 1989, the night before Wilson’s Bengals were slated to play in the Super Bowl, he was found in his hotel room under the influence of cocaine, and he never played in the NFL again after that. In 1999 Wilson Sr. was sentenced to 22 years in prison for burglary, and his lawyer said during his trial that he suffered from bipolar disorder.

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Colts request Jim Bob Cooter for offensive coordinator

Posted by Myles Simmons on February 16, 2023, 11:30 AM EST

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Jaguars passing game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter could be heading to a division rival.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Colts have requested to speak with Cooter about becoming their offensive coordinator.

Cooter, 38, just finished his first year with Jacksonville under head coach Doug Pederson. But he served as an offensive consultant for the Eagles last season, giving him a connection with new Colts coach and former Philadelphia offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

The Panthers and Buccaneers have also expressed interest in speaking with Cooter this offseason for their OC vacancies, though the Bucs decided to go with Dave Canales for the position.

Cooter would not call plays for the Colts, as Steichen said in his introductory press conference that he plans on holding that job. Cooter has previously done that, though, when he was the Lions offensive coordinator from 2016-2018.

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Maybe they should be the Carolina Lions?
Panthers hire Shawn Jefferson to serve as receivers coach

Posted by Mike Florio on February 18, 2023, 7:27 PM EST

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New Panthers coach Frank Reich keeps filling out his staff.

According to Joe Person of TheAthletic.com, the latest addition is veteran assistant coach Shawn Jefferson.

Jefferson, 53, played for the Chargers, Patriots, Falcons, and Lions in a career spanning 1991 through 2003. He has coached in the NFL since 2006.

Most recently, Jefferson was associate head coach and receivers coach with the Cardinals.

Jefferson’s son, Van, is a receiver for the Rams. He’s under contract in L.A. for one more year, the last of his four-year rookie deal.